Chautauqua County > Jamestown
Population: 28,712
One tradition says the community was named after its founder, James Prendergast; another says it was named for Jamestown, VA.
More than three decades after her death, the city’s most famous native is still helping her hometown. Comedian and actress Lucille Ball was born here in 1911. Jamestown’s community theatre is named for her, and the National Comedy Center encompasses the Lucille Ball Desi Arnaz Museum.
Another former resident who keeps on giving is artist-naturalist Roger Tory Peterson, who died in 1996. The Roger Tory Peterson Institute, which preserves his work, is a regular recipient of foundation support.
The Gebbie Foundation is a major local funder, focusing its grants on downtown revitalization. The foundation was started in 1964 by daughters of Frank Gebbie, founder of the Mohawk Condensed Milk Company.
School districts: Jamestown City School District
Libraries: James Prendergast Library Association
Hospitals: Womans Christian Association Hospital
Emergency services: Chautauqua County Ambulance Service, Jamestown Fire Department
Fraternal organizations: American Legion, Elks, Lions, Masons, Moose, VFW, Zonta
Not-for-profit cemeteries: Conewango Cemetery, Greenwood Cemetery, Lakeview Cemetery, Levant Cemetery, Maple Grove Cemetery
Change agents:
Grants to local organizations have funded urban renewal, theater improvements, food security, ice center improvements, and other initiatives.
Recent grants:
American Red Cross
Allegany County United Way - Wellsville, NY - $13,000 (2023)
Chautauqua County Blind Association
William B. & Juliet J. Anderson Rosch Charitable Foundation - Jamestown, NY - $22,181 (2023)
Chautauqua Region Community Foundation
Winifred Crawford Dibert Foundation - Jamestown, NY - $2,500 (2023)
Chautauqua Regional Youth Ballet
New York State Council on the Arts - New York, NY - $40,000 (2024)
Chautauqua Striders
Mother Cabrini Health Foundation - New York, NY - $100,000 (2023)
Chautauqua Watershed Conservancy
Bellowe Family Foundation - Montecito, CA - $1,000 (2023)
Chautauqua Watershed Conservancy
Blanchard Family Foundation - Wilmington, DE - $4,000 (2023)
Chautauqua-Cattaraugus Library System
New York Department of Education - Albany, NY - $797,344 (2023)
City of Jamestown
Federal Emergency Management Agency - Washington, DC - $284,291 (2023)
City of Jamestown
NYS revenue sharing (Aid and Incentives for Municipalities) - Albany, NY - $4,572,280 (2023)
City of Jamestown
U.S. Department of Justice - Washington, DC - $20,694 (2023)
City of Jamestown Police Department
NYS Division of Criminal Justice Services - Albany, NY - $285,400 (2024)
Dibert Boys and Girls Club
Winifred Crawford Dibert Foundation - Jamestown, NY - $37,000 (2023)
Filling the Gap
Winifred Crawford Dibert Foundation - Jamestown, NY - $5,000 (2023)
First Covenant Church
William B. & Juliet J. Anderson Rosch Charitable Foundation - Jamestown, NY - $16,368 (2023)
Infinity Visual and Performing Arts
New York State Council on the Arts - New York, NY - $25,000 (2024)
Infinity Visual and Performing Arts
New York State Council on the Arts - New York, NY - $30,000 (2023)
Jamestown
New York State Department of Environmental Conservation - Albany, NY - $432,555 (2023)
Jamestown
NYS Department of Agriculture and Markets - Albany, NY - $423,403 (2023)
Jamestown
NYS Department of Agriculture and Markets - Albany, NY - $38,170 (2023)
Jamestown
NYS Department of Agriculture and Markets - Albany, NY - $104,737 (2023)
Jamestown
NYS Department of Agriculture and Markets - Albany, NY - $308,571 (2023)
Jamestown
Strategic Workforce Development - Albany, NY - $177,590 (2024)
Jamestown
Strategic Workforce Development - Albany, NY - $860,100 (2024)
Jamestown
Strategic Workforce Development - Albany, NY - $362,500 (2024)
Jamestown
Strategic Workforce Development - Albany, NY - $168,950 (2024)
Jamestown Community College
Mother Cabrini Health Foundation - New York, NY - $104,377 (2023)
Lutheran Social Services
William B. & Juliet J. Anderson Rosch Charitable Foundation - Jamestown, NY - $266,000 (2023)
National Comedy Center
Bellowe Family Foundation - Montecito, CA - $1,000 (2023)
National Comedy Center
Regional Economic Development Councils - Albany, NY - $490,000 (2023)
Reg Lenna Center for the Arts
New York State Council on the Arts - New York, NY - $25,000 (2024)
Reg Lenna Center for the Arts
New York State Council on the Arts - New York, NY - $25,000 (2023)
Robert H. Jackson Center
Bellowe Family Foundation - Montecito, CA - $3,500 (2023)
Roger Tory Peterson Institute
New York State Council on the Arts - New York, NY - $25,000 (2024)
Roger Tory Peterson Institute
New York State Council on the Arts - New York, NY - $30,000 (2023)
Salvation Army
William B. & Juliet J. Anderson Rosch Charitable Foundation - Jamestown, NY - $9,180 (2023)
St. Luke's Episcopal Church
Empire State Development - Albany, NY - $500,000 (2025)
St. Susan Center
Empire State Development - Albany, NY - $100,000 (2025)
United Way of Southern Chautauqua County
Winifred Crawford Dibert Foundation - Jamestown, NY - $27,500 (2023)
YMCA
Winifred Crawford Dibert Foundation - Jamestown, NY - $3,000 (2023)
YMCA
Winifred Crawford Dibert Foundation - Jamestown, NY - $5,000 (2023)
YWCA
U.S. Department of Justice - Washington, DC - $600,000 (2023)
Largest nonprofits in Jamestown (by assets) include:
Chautauqua Region Community Foundation
Gebbie Foundation
Nysarc
Reginald A and Elizabeth S Lenna Foundation
Jamestown Community College Foundation
National Comedy Center Operator
Jamestown Center City Development Corporation
National Comedy Center
Southern Tier Building Trades Welfare Plan
Lutheran Social Services Foundation of Upstate New York
WCA Foundation
Hultquist Foundation
Ralph C Sheldon Foundation
James Prendergast Library Association
Carnahan-Jackson Foundation
Chautauqua Resources
Waterfront Foundation
Reg Lenna Center for the Arts
IBEW Health and Welfare Benefit Trust Fund – Local Union 106
William B Anderson and Juliet J Anderson Rosch Charitable
Young Mens Christian Association Jamestown
Lake View Cemetery Association
Holmberg Foundation
Robert H Jackson Center
International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers