The Adirondack Council recently received a $25,000 grant from the Airbnb Community Fund as a part of the vacation rental company’s effort to support nonprofits in the communities they operate in. The Adirondack Council will use the money to continue its work in ecological protection and community development.

The Community Fund was created in 2020, with goal of giving $100 million to communities before 2030. The initiative was formed in part as a response to the economic toll that nonprofits around the world experienced during the pandemic, said Janaye Ingram, Airbnb’s director of community partner programs and engagement.

“This is rooted in Airbnb’s desire to operate as a true 21st-century company that benefits all of our stakeholders,” Ingram said, “including our traditional shareholders and employees, but also our hosts, our guests and the communities in which we operate.”

John Sheehan, director of communication at the Adirondack Council, said they were pleased to receive this grant, which comes with no restrictions as to how it can be spent. The council is privately funded and raises about $3 million each year without the help of government grants, Sheehan said. This grant will go into their general budget to help with all of their projects.

“There are a lot of ways for communities to be sustainable, but mainly it’s finding opportunities for economic development that doesn’t exploit the ecology or harm it at the same time,” he said. “Finding ways that are compatible with ecological protection to help build the economy is something that’s a goal for the organization.”

The Airbnb Community Fund, which in its fourth year, is set to give $8.5 million to more than 160 organizations in more than 30 countries, according to an Airbnb statement from late February. In addition to the Adirondack Council, three other organizations in the state received grants — The Greater Jamaica Development Corporation, Heart of Dinner and The Arc Jefferson — St. Lawrence Foundation. In total, these New York nonprofits received $150,000 from the fund.

Ingram added that Airbnb has seen more involvement from rental hosts in their “Host Clubs,” which are made up of small groups of Airbnb hosts in different communities. In some cases, the club hosts have started to get involved in the same nonprofits Airbnb is supporting through the Community Fund.

“That’s really the thing that we’re excited about and want to continue to replicate in the years to come,” she said. “This ripple effect of impact that not only touches the community, but that brings in our host community and our other stakeholders, including employees, to really ensure that the communities and their vitality are being strengthened.”

The priorities for the community fund are organizations that address economic empowerment, environmental sustainability and ending abuse and exploitation.

“We were so thrilled to support the Adirondack Council in their work to protect the natural environment of the Adirondack Park,” Ingram said. “That’s really essential to both preserving the local residents’ quality of life, as well as supporting the broader tourism economy in the region.”