Community Foundation of Greater New Britain Awards More Than $260,000 in Third-Quarter Grants and Scholarships
Grants Include $60,000 for New Family Literacy Initiative
(October 6, 2008) The Community Foundation of Greater New Britain has awarded $262,917 in third-quarter 2008 grants serving its four-town service area of Berlin, New Britain, Plainville and Southington, including $60,000 for Literacy Volunteers of Central Connecticut’s new Central Connecticut Family Literacy Initiative as part of the Foundation’s signature First Years First early childhood development investment.
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 three quarters of 2008, the Foundation has awarded $598,370 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.
First Years First aims to help prepare area children for success 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.
Third-quarter 2008 grants by category include:
Discretionary Grants ($184,985)
• Literacy Volunteers of Central Connecticut (area wide), $60,000. From the First Years First Fund to support start-up of the Central Connecticut Family Literacy Initiative. The initiative is being developed at the urging of the Foundation, which views emergent and family literacy as critical ingredients in school success, a primary goal of First Years First. The initiative will enable Literacy Volunteers to expand and improve its existing family literacy program to serve low-literate families in New Britain, Plainville, Berlin and Southington, and devise solutions to address how low-literacy rates among parents impacts their children. The project totals $75,000, with an additional $15,000 from the Christine E. Moser Foundation. Both grants are renewable for up to three years based on program results.
• Tunxis Community College (area wide), up to $47,385. From the First Years First Fund for Year 3 support of the Early Childhood Professional Educators Consortium. The Consortium is a key component of First Years First, the Foundation’s five-year, $1 million commitment to improving early childhood development outcomes and opportunities for children and families in Berlin, New Britain, Plainville and Southington.
• Early Childhood Collaborative of Southington (Southington), $25,000. From the First Years First Fund to support start-up of a Family Resource Center in Southington. The Early Childhood Collaborative of Southington brings parents, educators, community stakeholders and others together to ensure that all Southington children enter school ready to learn.
• Opportunities Industrialization Center (OIC) of New Britain, $25,000. From the Howland Rogers Family, Alix W. Stanley Discretionary and William E. Attwood, Jr. Funds to support the New Britain Internship Program, a collaborative high school employment initiative among OIC, New Britain High School and the New Britain Chamber of Commerce.
• Southington Library and Museum, $12,000. From the Alix W. Stanley Discretionary Fund for development of the library’s first comprehensive long-range plan.
• Connecticut Virtuosi Chamber Orchestra (New Britain), $11,000. From the Frances P. Parker, Anna Thornton, Alix W. Stanley Discretionary and Anonymous Funds to attract a wider and broader audience, thereby increasing ticket revenue and donations.
• Plainville Daycare Center, $4,600. From the First Years First Fund to improve the quality of the Center’s programming by furnishing an additional classroom.
Donor Advised Grants ($12,030)
• Consolidated School District of New Britain. From the Schaller Auto World Fund to support New Britain High School AP Physics and Project Lead the Way pre-engineering students’ participation in the Dell Winston Solar Car Challenge.
• New Britain Food Security Collaborative. From the Conry Asset Management Charitable Fund for renovations to the Osgood Pool House and/or operating expenses.
• New Britain Museum of American Art, New Britain. From the Joan and Charles Leach Fund for the Sunday Music Series.
• Pathways Senderos/Greater New Britain Teen Pregnancy Prevention Program. From the Ted and Nancy Howe and Howey Family Funds.
• Southington Community YMCA. From the Spirit of Beth Telfer Memorial Fund for purchase of equipment for the virtual gym.
Scholarships ($4,500)
Third-quarter 2008 Foundation scholarship grants were awarded to: Ramatou Sangare and Thomas E. Buckley, a pair of New Britain High School graduates and current Central Connecticut State University students who were each awarded the Ronald F. Gilrain Scholarship; and Meghan Rickard of Southington, a University of Connecticut student who received the Suzanne Beckius Scholarship. For a listing of additional 2008 Foundation scholarship recipients, please visit www.cfgnb.org, click on News and Publications and see the July 17, 2008 scholarships news release.
Designated Grants ($61,402)
The Community Foundation distributes annual grants from a variety of designated funds, which are established by individual parties with a specific beneficiary in mind. In 2008, the Foundation distributed $61,402 in designated grants to more than 40 nonprofit programs and organizations, the vast majority located in Greater New Britain. For a complete listing of 2008 designated grants, please visit www.cfgnb.org and click on Grants and Scholarships.
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.
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