Community Foundation of Greater New Britain Awards More Than $230,000 in Second-Quarter Grants and Scholarships
Grants Include More Than $65,000 for First Years First Early Childhood Initiative
(July 24, 2008) The Community Foundation of Greater New Britain has awarded $236,346 in second-quarter 2008 grants serving its four-town service area of Berlin, New Britain, Plainville 
and Southington, including more than $65,000 from the First Years First Fund, the Foundation’s signature early childhood development initiative.
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 an 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. Through the first half of 2008, the Foundation has awarded nearly $340,000 in grants. Funding traditionally supports a wide variety of Berlin, New Britain, Plainville and/or Southington-based programs and initiatives in arts and humanities, community and economic development, early childhood development, education and health and human services.
The First Years First Fund supports programs and initiatives that prepare area children for success in school and in life by enhancing their early childhood education experience. The Foundation has identified early childhood development as its signature issue and has committed $1 million over five years to the cause.
Second-quarter 2008 grants by category include:
Discretionary Grants ($155,024)
• New Britain Museum of American Art (area wide), up to $60,000. From the Alix W. Stanley Discretionary Fund and Talcott Stanley Fund for support of the Museum’s Education and Outreach program, which provides accessible, high-quality arts education programming for visitors of all ages, particularly school children from Berlin, New Britain, Plainville and Southington. Activities include art classes, lectures, family events that promote cultural understanding, a student art show, teacher workshops and school tours.
• New Britain Discovery Collaborative (New Britain), $45,000. From the First Years First Fund for general operating support. The New Britain Discovery Collaborative is a joint effort of educators, parents, community leaders, funders and other interested parties working to improve outcomes for young New Britain children and increase access to preschool.
• Southington Community Services, Town of Southington (Southington), $25,000. From the Johnstone Vance Memorial Fund for renovation and conversion of the Old Milldale Firehouse into the agency’s new home, making an expansion of services possible.
• New Britain Public Library/Jefferson Family Resource Center (New Britain), $12,000. From the First Years First Fund for the “Raise a Reader” program, aimed at improving literacy skills among hard-to-reach New Britain families with children under age 5.
• Plainville Family Resource Center (Plainville), $8,024. From the First Years First Fund to support summer enrichment programming aimed at improving parenting skills and the early childhood development of young Plainville children.
• Friendship Service Center (New Britain), $2,500. From the Alix W. Stanley Discretionary Fund for operating support, as designated by 2008 Celebrate New Britain! community service award recipient Ada Seaman and approved by the Community Foundation’s board of directors.
• Margaret C. Griffin Child Development Center (Southington), $2,500. From the Alix W. Stanley Discretionary Fund for program support, as designated by 2008 Celebrate Southington! community service award recipient Merinda DePaolo and approved by the Community Foundation’s board of directors.
Donor Advised Grants ($8,026)
• Boys & Girls Club of New Britain. From the Edmund G. Noyes Fund in memory of Michael Cimino.
• The Jerome Home, New Britain. From the Edmund G. Noyes Fund in memory of William E. Attwood, Jr.
• New Britain Museum of American Art, New Britain. From the New Britain Saturday Night Club Fund to purchase a beech tree in memory of Justus S. Beach.
• Southington Board of Education, Southington. From the Southington Science and Mathematics Initiative Fund to send Southington middle school students to the CAMPY on
Campus mathematics enrichment program.
Scholarships ($73,296)
Second-quarter 2008 Foundation scholarship grants were awarded to a total of 31 area students from 25 named Foundation scholarship funds. For a complete listing of 2008 scholarship recipients to date, please click here.
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. For more information on the Foundation, please call (860) 229-6018 or visit www.cfgnb.org.
< Back