The Griffin Charitable Foundation (GCF) of Rome continues to propel the Griffin family legacy forward by gifting the Project Fibonacci Foundation, Inc. (PFF) $250,000 in support of its Multiversity of Science, Art, and Technology (MOSART) Center scheduled to open in downtown Rome in 2023. PFF is a local nonprofit 501(c)(3) charitable organization dedicated to Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Mathematics (STEAM) leadership education with an entrepreneurial focus.
GCF is a private 501(c)(3) foundation founded in 1998 aimed at assisting the educational, health and wellness needs of those in the Rome community.
The GCF has become the newest member of PFF’s First Founders Club by committing a multiyear $250,000 gift to help establish the highly anticipated MOSART Center offering a modern museum concept along with hosting a variety of STEAM learning activities and guest speaker events. According to PFF chair Dr. Andrew Drozd, negotiations are underway to purchase a building and he is hopeful for an announcement soon.
“We are super excited to launch the project next year and are humbly grateful for the Griffin Foundation’s support of our MOSART vision, which carries on their family’s efforts of community building and enrichment,” Drozd said. “We thank them for their generosity and count ourselves fortunate to be a part of a caring, thoughtful and forward-thinking community of givers.”
“The Griffin family has taken a significant lead in advancing our community in so many ways, especially supporting efforts that benefit health and wellbeing, education and the future of our local youth,” said Dyann Nashton, GCF community liaison.
Dorothy and Bill Griffin, siblings and former owners of Varflex Corporation, left a lasting legacy on Rome and the region through their many selfless acts of philanthropy. Dorothy lived to be 100, Bill to 94, and many members of the Varflex family knew them well, including the types of causes they felt strongly about and the projects they championed. Since the passing of Dorothy in 2015 and Bill in 2019, their work has been carried out through their individual charitable foundations and now the merged Griffin Charitable Foundation.
GCF’s $250,000 gift helps sponsor the purchase of the MOSART facility, museum exhibit floor design, acquisition of both traditional and techno-art pieces, and structural renovations to facilitate PFF’s STEAM programs, plus expanding multi-use space for outside tenants and projects aligned with PFF’s mission. Regional and national experts are assisting with the project from architecture and conceptualization to the creation of museum exhibits. More details on the contents of each of the exhibit galleries and maker spaces is also forthcoming.
PFF continues its efforts to raise $1 million for the MOSART project by the end of 2022 and seeks major donors. It has also issued a corporate match challenge and thanks those companies that have already given and which will be announced in the near future. The First Founders Club will recognize the financial contributions of individuals and organizations in support of the MOSART mission by listing them on a founding donor’s wall and by dedicating building wings and activity rooms in their name to establish a lasting community legacy.
The GCF board continuously monitors developments in the community and keeps an eye on the future as it considers submitted requests on a rolling basis. For more information, call Nashton at 315-795-2904 or email nashton@griffincf.org.
For more information on PFF fundraising options, corporate match and the First Founders Club call Drozd at 315-335-1238 or email adrozd@projectfibonacci.org. Tax-deductible donations can be sent to the Project Fibonacci Foundation, Inc., P.O. Box 424, Rome, NY 13442-0424.
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