Community Foundation of Greater New Britain Awards More Than $215,000 in Third-Quarter Grants and Scholarships
Distributions Include More Than $76,000 for Early Childhood Development
(November 9, 2007) The Community Foundation of Greater New Britain has awarded $215,867 in third-quarter grants throughout its four-town service area from discretionary, donor advised and scholarship funds, including more than $76,000 to advance its ongoing commitment to early childhood development.
The Foundation has four fund categories: discretionary, donor advised, designated and scholarship. Discretionary funds are awarded at the discretion of the Foundation’s board of directors; donor advised funds are established by an individual, family, company or organization with that party playing an active role in the grant-awarding process; scholarship funds are also established by a individual party and tailored to that party’s personal wishes; designated funds, too, are established by an individual party and benefit one or more specific charities.
The Foundation awards grants on a quarterly basis and each year distributes upwards of $1 million or more to nonprofit agencies and organizations in its service area. Funding traditionally supports a wide variety of Berlin, New Britain, Plainville and/or Southington-based programs and initiatives in education, early childhood development, health and human services, community and economic development, and arts and humanities. Through the first three quarters of 2007, the Foundation has awarded $711,403 in grants and scholarships.
Third-quarter 2007 grants by category include:
Discretionary Grants ($194,412)
• Tunxis Community College (area wide), $76,079. For Year 2 support of the Early Childhood Professional Educators Consortium. The Consortium is a key component of the Foundation’s signature charitable cause, a five-to-seven-year, $1 million commitment to improving early childhood development outcomes and opportunities for children and families in Berlin, New Britain, Plainville and Southington.
• Literacy Volunteers of America of Central Connecticut (area wide), $25,000. To increase the intensity of instruction and offer more learning opportunities for low-literate adults to help them meet work, family and community goals.
• ReCONNstruction Center (area wide), $20,833. For hiring of a volunteer coordinator to help the program reach self-sufficiency. The ReCONNstruction Center promotes environmental and social sustainability by salvaging and good used building materials for reuse and resale.
• Neighborhood Housing Services of New Britain (area wide), $20,000. To construct an on-site, permanent Home Maintenance Training Lab to enhance training provided by the agency’s Post-Purchase Homeownership Education program, which helps low- and moderate-income families preserve their homes.
• American Red Cross (area wide), $20,000. To support expansion of the elderly transportation program serving Berlin, New Britain and Plainville.
• Connecticut Virtuosi Chamber Orchestra (area wide), $15,000. To support expansion of the orchestra’s annual performances at Trinity-on-Main in New Britain from five to nine annually.
• Capital Workforce Partners (New Britain), $15,000. To fund staff infrastructure needed to implement New Britain’s efforts to combat homelessness. New Britain has joined with 300 cities nationwide in committing to develop a 10-Year Plan to End Homelessness.
• 1000 Friends of Connecticut (area wide), $2,500. To sponsor a conference on smart growth in Connecticut. The November 14 conference at Southern Connecticut State University will educate citizens and community leaders about smart growth and its impact on public health, transportation, housing, employment and the environment.
Donor Advised Grants ($16,455)
• Connecticut Center for Healthy Aging. From the Joan and Charles Leach Fund, to increase the number of mobile assessments among senior citizens in New Britain and to expand community outreach programs in the community.
• CCSU Foundation. From the Edmund G. Noyes Fund, for the Justus Beach Scholarship.
• Connecticut Institute for the Blind/Oak Hill. From the Schaller Auto World Fund, for general purposes.
• Southington Board of Education. From the Southington Science and Mathematics Initiative Fund, for one 10th grade student from Southington to attend the Greater Hartford Academy of Math and Science.
Scholarships ($5,000)
• Ashley Santana, New Britain. From the Gilrain/EOP Scholarship Fund. Ashley attends Central Connecticut State University.
• Stephanie Vargas, New Britain. From the Gilrain/EOP Scholarship Fund. Stephanie attends Central Connecticut State University.
• Brendan Carey, Southington. From the Suzanne Beckius Scholarship Fund. Brendan attends Boston University.
• Sarah Rubelmann, Southington. From the Suzanne Beckius Scholarship Fund. Sarah attends the University of Connecticut.
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 the Foundation, please call (860) 229-6018 or visit www.cfgnb.org.
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