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The Community Foundation of Greater New Britain connects donors who care with causes that matter in Berlin, New Britain, Plainville and Southington. If you'd like to make a difference in your community, please contact us for more information.

Community Foundation of Greater New Britain’s First Years First Fund Provides over $20,000 in New Funding to Early Childhood Initiatives

These most recent First Years First grants bring CFGNB’s total 2011 investment in early childhood development programs to almost $70,000.

(January 17, 2011) – The Community Foundation of Greater New Britain (CFGNB) recently awarded $248,177 in grants to 14 local non-profit organizations in the final round of grant making for 2011. Among those grants was for $20,000 to the Early Childhood Collaborative of Southington (ECCS) and $1,384 to the CT Council for Philanthropy to support their Joint Advocacy Funding project. Both grants were made from CFGNB’s First Years First Fund; a multi-faceted initiative to expand the availability and improve the quality of early childhood development programs for young children.

Since 2006, the Foundation has invested over $826,000 (22% of all discretionary grants) in this regional initiative to prepare the children of Berlin, New Britain, Plainville and Southington for success in school and in life by enhancing their early childhood development experience.

The ECCS consists of educators, parents, care providers and concerned citizens working to ensure that all Southington students enter school ready to learn. ECCS’ Family Resource Center provides education, support and resources to enhance the process of family growth through the development of skills that promote health, benefit parents and their children and foster a sense of community.

“This will be our fourth year of operation, and CFGNB has funded us for all four years.

This is a huge commitment from CFGNB and a partnership that we are proud to brag about,” says Krista Pringle, Director of the ECCS’ Family Resource Center of Southington. “We are so grateful for their continued support of the Family Resource Center. Without their funding, the program would be forced to cut way back on the services we are currently providing the families of Southington.”

The CT Council for Philanthropy Joint Advocacy Funding project focuses on monitoring and advocating for four major early childhood programs: Care4Kids, School Readiness, Head Start and State Funded Early Care and Education Centers. As well, the project will lead the charge at the state level on the priorities of building a coordinated early childhood system and developing uniform kindergarten assessment tools.

This final round of 2011 grant-making brings CFGNB’s total grant and scholarship awards for 2011 to almost $900,000 in funding to improve the lives for citizens of Berlin, New Britain, Plainville and Southington.

About The Community Foundation of Greater New Britain

Established in 1941, the Community Foundation of Greater New Britain connects donors who care with causes that matter in Berlin, New Britain, Plainville and Southington. It does this by raising resources and developing partnerships that make a measurable improvement in the quality of life in each of these communities.

For more information on CFGNB grants contact:
Joeline Wruck, Director of Program, Community Foundation of Greater New Britain, 860.229.6018 x 307, jwruck@cfgnb.org

Editor’s Note: This First Years First focused grants release is the 2nd of three topic-focused releases on CFGNB’s latest round of grant making. The complete list of CFGNB’s final round of 2011 grants (14 grants totaling $248,177 in funding) along with the funds from which the grants were made is listed below by topic category:

EDUCATION

1. $25,000 from the Georgia Knapp Thomson, Spencer P. Torell and Elizabeth J. Berry Funds to the New Britain Academy of Health Professions to support the June 2012-12 (year 4) operations of the Academy by funding the consultant position associated with the project.

FIRST YEARS FIRST

2. $20,000 from the First Years First Fund to the Early Childhood Collaborative of Southington to support year 4 of the Family Resource Center in Southington.

3. $1,384 from the First Years First Fund to the CT Council for Philanthropy to support year 3 of the Joint Advocacy and Funding project among Connecticut community foundations.

HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES

4. $18,443 from the Andrew-Hicks, Joseph A. Mlynarski, M.D. Memorial, Robert A. and Phyllis T. Mugford, Spencer P. Torell and A.W. Stanley Discretionary Funds to Bread for Life, Southington for technology upgrades that will enable the organization to operate more efficiently and productively.

5. $13,350 from the Con-Fed Charitable, Ronald and Alice Gilrain, Ted and Nancy Johnson and A.W. Stanley Discretionary Funds to Central CT Association for Retarded Citizens (CCARC) capacity building support for CCARC to continue its strategic planning process aimed at improving its business model and increasing organizational stability.

6. $25,000 from the A.W. Stanley Discretionary Fund to Community Mental Health Affiliates (CMHA) to help launch a new school-based behavioral health treatment model for New Britain children and families.

7. $15,000 from the A.W. Stanley Discretionary Fund to the CT Association for Human Services (CAHS) to bring financial education classes to 320 residents of Berlin, New Britain, Plainville and Southington through CAHS’ CT Money School.

8. $15,000 from the A.W. Stanley Discretionary Fund CT Legal Services to provide services to those at risk of becoming homeless through CLS’ new Housing Support and Legal Education Project.

9. $35,000 from the Anna T. Deutsch and A.W. Stanley Discretionary Funds to Foodshare to support the 2012 Partnership Fund.

10. $15,000 from the Walter H. Dickman and Johnstone Vance Memorial Funds to the Friendship Service Center to support an increased demand for food and emergency shelter from the community’s poor and homeless.

11. $5,000 from the A.W. Stanley Discretionary Fund Futures to purchase an inventory control system for Good Causes Gifts, a program of Futures located in Berlin that provides employment for individuals with disabilities from Berlin and New Britain.

12. $20,000 from the Johnstone Vance Memorial Fund to Human Resources Agency (HRA) to support the replication of a successful Budget Coaching model in New Britain aimed at strengthening financial literacy services for low-to-moderate income level people so they can move closer to self-sufficiency.

13. $20,000 from the A.W. Stanley Discretionary Fund Southington-Cheshire Community YMCA to implement a new exercise program for cancer survivors aimed at helping them regain strength and endurance following their treatment .

14. $20,000 from the A.W. Stanley Discretionary and Johnstone Vance Memorial Funds to support New Britain’s 10-year Plan to End Homelessness: $10,000will support the salary of the Liaison; the remaining $10,000 will be offered as a 1:1 match to support the HPRP program.

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