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William G. Pomeroy Foundation

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Syracuse, NY
William G. Pomeroy Foundation

We help celebrate history & make a difference in the lives of those facing a blood cancer diagnosis.

The Pomeroy Foundation's mission began in 2005 when Founder and Trustee Bill Pomeroy was fighting Acute Myeloid Leukemia and his survival was in doubt. Fortunately, he was matched with a donor and received a lifesaving stem cell transplant. Bill felt that, should he survive, he would help others in a similar situation. The idea was the genesis for the Foundation’s first initiative: to diversify th

e bone marrow donor registry so that anyone, from any ethnic background, can find a match. Our other initiative is to help people to celebrate their community’s history. We fulfill this part of our mission by providing fully funded grants for roadside markers and plaques. Since 2006, we have funded over 2,000 signs across the U.S., all the way to Alaska. Markers help educate the public, encourage pride of place, and promote historic tourism, economically benefiting the communities in which they are placed. Grants cover the entire cost of a cast aluminum marker, pole and shipping.

08/26/2026

Every community has unique stories to share. Our Legends & Lore grant program brings them to life with a fully funded Pomeroy Marker.

Legends & Lore markers recognize the folkways, traditions, songs, and stories that shape a community’s identity. From larger-than-life legends to tales passed down across generations, Legends & Lore markers strengthen heritage tourism, spark curiosity, and connect people to what makes their community unique.

Our fall 2026 Legends & Lore grant round is now open through Monday, Oct. 12. Don’t miss this opportunity! Learn more and apply: https://www.wgpfoundation.org/history/legends-lore/

Applications are currently being accepted from: Alabama, Connecticut, Idaho, Louisiana, Missouri, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Texas, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, and West Virginia.

Get started today and celebrate your community's folklore and legends.

08/10/2026

The next Legends & Lore grant round opens Monday, Aug. 24!

Every community has stories to share. Our Legends & Lore marker program helps bring them to life. Commemorate your local folklore with a grant funded Pomeroy Marker.

Legends & Lore markers highlight the folkways, traditions, songs, and storytelling that shape a community’s identity. From larger-than-life legends to tales passed down for generations, they celebrate the stories that make each place unique.

Go to our website to review guidelines, check eligibility, and apply online: https://www.wgpfoundation.org/history/legends-lore/

Legends & Lore marker grant applications are due Monday, Oct. 12.

Why apply? Here are just a few reasons:

✅ Marker, pole, and shipping fully funded
✅ Highlight local folktales, folklife, and legends
✅ Spark curiosity, attract visitors, and generate media attention

Applications are currently accepted from the following states: Alabama, Connecticut, Idaho, Louisiana, Missouri, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Texas, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, and West Virginia.

Don’t see your state listed? If you know of a qualified folklore related organization in a state not yet participating, let us know.

Located in Connecticut? Join us for a webinar with the Connecticut Museum of Culture and History on Tuesday, Aug. 25. Sign up here: https://www.connecticutmuseum.org/event/tellingctstories/

07/23/2026

Back-to-back dedication ceremonies across Central New York!

Through our partnership with The Lafayette Trail, Inc., led by Julien Icher, two new markers were recently dedicated in CNY, commemorating Gen. Lafayette’s Farewell Tour visits to the region and expanding the network of Pomeroy Markers that help communities share their local history.

In the Village of Cayuga, a new marker was unveiled at Harris Park, recognizing Lafayette’s June 1825 visit to the Finger Lakes region. The dedication welcomed the village mayor, community members, and Susan Hughes, retired lead historian for the Pomeroy Foundation.

The following day, a new Lafayette Trail marker was dedicated at the Onondaga Free Library, recognizing Lafayette’s visit to the town. Bill Pomeroy and members of the Pomeroy Foundation team were in attendance, with Anastasia Sopchak, research historian and engagement associate, delivering remarks.

The dedication program also included the library staff and board members, the Town of Onondaga historian, and community partners. Together, these two new markers along The Lafayette Trail highlight local connections to Gen. Lafayette’s 1824–1825 Farewell Tour and the communities that continue to share these stories for future generations.

Want to see if Lafayette traveled through your community? Visit our interactive marker map at wgpfoundation.org or The Lafayette Trail’s website to learn more. Communities nationwide are invited to explore our marker grant programs and partnership opportunities to share their local stories through Pomeroy Markers.

07/09/2026

We’re excited to welcome two new team members to the William G. Pomeroy Foundation: Terek Walker and Dominic Zaffino!

Terek and Dominic are joining our team as Research Historian and Engagement Associates, bringing with them a strong foundation in primary source research, community history, and historical interpretation. In their roles with our Pomeroy Marker Team, they’ll work with applicants nationwide to support our marker grant process, from reviewing applications and conducting research to helping ensure inscriptions are grounded in primary sources.

Their work will bring more stories of the people, places, and events that shape our communities to life through Pomeroy Markers. Terek holds a master’s degree in classics from Cornell University and a bachelor’s degree in classics from the UC Davis. Dominic holds master’s degrees in art history and library and information science from Syracuse University, as well as a bachelor’s degree in art history from Arizona State University. Their backgrounds will support our continued efforts to preserve and celebrate local history.

We’re excited for the knowledge, dedication, and perspective they bring as we continue expanding the national reach and impact of our marker grant programs and partnerships.

Join us in welcoming Terek and Dominic to the Pomeroy Foundation team!

07/07/2026

Discover the story of Syracuse’s iconic “Green on Top” traffic light! 🍀🚦

From “Irish confetti” to the decision to place green on top, this local landmark has captured the imagination of residents and visitors alike for more than a century.

Learn more about the “Green on Top” traffic light in the latest “Marking History” article by Pomeroy Foundation Research Historian and Engagement Associate Emma MacDowell for New York Archives Magazine. The article highlights the one-of-a-kind green Legends & Lore marker obtained by the Tipperary Hill Neighborhood Association and explores how local lore keeps community traditions alive for generations.

Read the full article on our website: https://www.wgpfoundation.org/green-on-top/

Visit wgpfoundation.org to learn more about how you can obtain a fully funded Legends & Lore marker in your community.

07/03/2026

Marking 250: Remembering Together 🇺🇸🎆

Happy Independence Day and U.S. 250! As communities celebrate our nation’s founding, we’re excited about the future of preserving and commemorating local history. This historic milestone invites us to celebrate our shared past and the vibrant stories that will inspire generations to come.

Our national story has been shaped by the local history that connects people and communities. At the William G. Pomeroy Foundation, a core part of our mission is to help people celebrate their community’s history by providing grants that fully fund historical markers, bringing the past to life in ways that are real, relevant, and enduring.

This collaborative work comes alive through our incredible partners, who expand the recognition of local history across the country through unique marker programs, and through our Pomeroy Education Program, which engages the next generation in primary source research. Together, we are sparking curiosity, encouraging tourism, and highlighting the local stories that build pride of place.

Every Pomeroy Marker tells a story, honors a legacy, and strengthens the fabric of a community. Because historical accuracy is our gold standard, our Marker Team carefully verifies every inscription using primary sources. When a new marker is installed, dedications bring people together to celebrate, have fun, and learn more about their local heritage.

We’re grateful to the historians, students, volunteers, educators, descendants, partner organizations, and community leaders whose commitment brings history to light through Pomeroy Markers. We are proud to be your partner for U.S. 250 commemorations now and in the months and years ahead. Because democracy depends on memory, remembering together keeps us united.

What historical marker has helped you connect with your community’s story? Let us know or share a photo. You can explore more than 3,200 Pomeroy Markers on our interactive digital map: https://www.wgpfoundation.org/history/map/

Have an idea? Look for current and upcoming marker grant opportunities to help tell the stories shaping your community.

07/01/2026

Marking 250: History Happened Here 🌳🏙️

Our nation's history unfolds in cities, towns, neighborhoods, schools, farms, businesses, parks, and main streets where people live, work, and gather.

Every Pomeroy Marker begins with a community. Historians, volunteers, educators, descendants, partner organizations, and local leaders work together to commemorate the people, places, events, traditions, and achievements that define their local history.

Today, more than 3,200 Pomeroy Markers help communities preserve and celebrate those stories across the United States.

Through our signature historical marker grant programs, communities are sharing an incredible range of local history, from transportation landmarks and food traditions to cultural heritage, historic places and the people whose contributions have endured in their hometowns. Markers show how local history shapes our national story.

Through our fully funded marker grant programs, we are proud to support these communities. Pomeroy Markers highlight local history, spark curiosity, educate the public, encourage tourism, and strengthen pride of place.

As our Marking 250 series continues, we’re celebrating the countless communities that are helping to preserve local history and share it with future generations. Join us on Friday for Marking 250: The Next Chapter, where we'll highlight how this work continues through education and partnerships.

What historical marker has helped you discover something new about your community? Share a photo or tell us about it!

🗺️ Explore local history across more than 3,200 Pomeroy Markers nationwide: https://www.wgpfoundation.org/history/map/

06/29/2026

Marking 250: Our Nation’s Story 📍🇺🇸

As America celebrates Independence Day and prepares to commemorate the 250th anniversary of the founding of the United States, we’re kicking off Marking 250, a weeklong series highlighting the places where our shared history lives on through Pomeroy Markers.

We begin with stories from the nation’s founding. While many may first think of famous battlefields and landmarks, America’s history was also shaped in the towns, neighborhoods, and gathering places where everyday people helped build a new nation. Those stories continue to connect the communities that preserve them.

Every Pomeroy Marker begins with a community. Historians, volunteers, educators, descendants, partner organizations, and local leaders come together to research, document, and commemorate the people, places, and events that have shaped their communities.

Guided by Bill Pomeroy’s vision that local history should be preserved, celebrated, and shared, the William G. Pomeroy Foundation makes this possible through its fully funded historical marker programs. Today, more than 3,200 Pomeroy Markers help keep local history visible across the country, sparking curiosity, educating the public, and connecting people with the places and stories that define their communities.

This week, we’ll highlight some of the many stories being preserved in communities throughout the U.S. as we celebrate the people and places preserving our nation’s story for future generations.

What historical marker has helped you connect with your community’s history? Share your story or a photo in the comments below!

Explore local history across more than 3,200 Pomeroy Markers nationwide: https://www.wgpfoundation.org/history/map/

06/26/2026

What could the impact of historical markers look like in your community?

In Burlington, WA, local history is something people are actively experiencing together through the launch of the Burlington Heritage Trail, a self-guided tour featuring Pomeroy Markers. The trail highlights historic people, places, and events that connect Burlington to its shared past.

Watch the Burlington Heritage Trail video series to hear from community members about the collaboration, engagement, and care behind the creation of the trail: https://www.wgpfoundation.org/multimedia/

That momentum continued this past weekend during , when three new Pomeroy Markers were unveiled by the Burlington Historical Society, Burlington Chamber of Commerce and City of Burlington as part of the multi-day celebration, representing the next chapter in the trail’s growth.

What began with a single marker idea last year has grown into something woven into the fabric of Burlington through storytelling, discovery, and shared pride in Burlington’s past. Conversations are being sparked throughout Burlington, and residents and visitors alike are engaging with history in an energized and personal way.

The launch of their community-based trail stands as one of many examples of how people, communities, and organizations are creating lasting impact through historical markers.

06/17/2026

Rev. Jermain Wesley Loguen helped transform Syracuse into one of the nation's most important centers of abolitionist activity during the 19th century. Today, students from Syracuse Academy of Science Charter School SASCS are helping preserve and share his story for future generations.

At Loguen Park this morning, SAS students, educators, public officials, and community members gathered for the unveiling of a new Pomeroy Foundation historical marker honoring Loguen's life and contributions. Known as the “King of the Underground Railroad,” Loguen aided more than 1,500 freedom seekers escape slavery.

The Loguen marker represents the culmination of work by students in the SAS Class of 2026, guided by their teacher Donald Dwyer through our Pomeroy Education Program (PEP). Using primary sources, students researched Loguen’s life and completed the marker grant application.

Today's ceremony featured remarks from Syracuse Mayor Sharon F. Owens (City of Syracuse - Office of the Mayor), SANY Superintendent Dr. Tolga Hayali, Syracuse Parks Commissioner Syeisha Byrd, Onondaga Historical Association Curator of History Robert Searing, and Bill Brower representing the Pomeroy Foundation. Sharing Founder Bill Pomeroy’s enthusiasm for the project, Bill Brower highlighted how markers connect people to the places where history happened.

As communities across the country observe Juneteenth this week, Loguen’s story endures as a reminder of Syracuse’s role in the Underground Railroad. Congratulations to SASCS on your Pomeroy Marker grant! Through your efforts, Rev. Loguen’s legacy in the fight for equality and freedom will continue to inspire today and into the future.

Learn more about Jermain Loguen: https://www.wgpfoundation.org/historic-markers/jermain-w-loguen/

Address

492 E. Brighton Avenue
Syracuse, NY
13210

Opening Hours

Monday	8am - 4:30pm
Tuesday	8am - 4:30pm
Wednesday	8am - 4:30pm
Thursday	8am - 4:30pm
Friday	8am - 4:30pm

Telephone

+13159134060

Website

http://www.wgpfoundation.org/

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