Foundation Report Card: In Midst of Change, Impact Remains Strong
New Initiatives – and Traditional Grants – Demonstrate Continued Commitment to Improving Quality of Life in Berlin, New Britain, Plainville, Southington
(September 27, 2007) Through the first eight-plus months of 2007, the Community Foundation of Greater New Britain has continued to fulfill its more than 60-year-long commitment to the community, escalating efforts to effect change in its four service towns of Berlin, New Britain, Plainville and Southington and distributing more than $430,000 in traditional grants and scholarships year-to-date.
“As our communities and their needs change, so, too, does the Community Foundation change to meet those needs,” said Foundation President Jim Williamson. “In this somewhat volatile, uncertain world, there is greater need than ever for the kind of prudent, effective and fiscally responsible philanthropy that the Community Foundation embodies.”
In the Foundation’s 66-year history, the region has evolved. The City of New Britain is no longer the dominant economic and population center it once was, but rather is part of a diverse, regional economy. Not only has the population center shifted and grown, but families today face a litany of new challenges. Accordingly, the ability of community institutions and service providers to fulfill their missions is increasingly difficult. This, according to Williamson, has inspired the Foundation to be more proactive; in addition to its traditional awarding of grants and scholarships, the Foundation is actively identifying the community’s areas of greatest need and not only supporting those needs financially, but helping to address them through action.
For example, the Foundation has identified early childhood development as its signature issue over the next five to seven years. A significant portion of the Foundation’s annual grant making during this time will be to improve early childhood learning opportunities for area children. Thus far in 2007, the Foundation has distributed more than $66,000 in early childhood development funds to a variety of existing programs, and the Foundation is planning a major announcement this fall that will summarize the initiative and detail its objectives.
Additionally in 2007, the Foundation has continued its efforts to reward and recognize outstanding citizens who give back to their communities, thereby shining the spotlight on the critical need for community service volunteers. The Celebrate Our Communities! awards program honored Helen deRito of Berlin, James Jones of New Britain, Joseph Plourde of Plainville and Jill Notar-Francesco of Southington as award recipients, providing a total of $10,000 in grants to community programs they support.
The Foundation’s Catalyst Fund is also in the midst of another successful year. This grass roots community service initiative provides a means by which citizens from all walks of life can participate in the philanthropic process. For a modest annual investment of $250, Catalyst Fund members annually select a charitable focus, convene educational sessions to learn about their issue and, at the end of each year, choose a nonprofit recipient specializing in the issue of choice to receive a grant.
This year, the Catalyst Fund’s more than 50 members will award a $10,000 grant to a program or agency addressing the issue of hunger and food security. The grant award will be voted upon at the Fund’s November meeting.
Through the first half of 2007, the Foundation has awarded a total of $434,428 in grants and scholarships. This total includes the early childhood development and Celebrate Our Communities! investments detailed earlier, as well as:
• More than $260,000 in discretionary and/or field of interest grants. These grants are awarded to various nonprofit programs and agencies at the discretion of the Foundation’s board of directors with unrestricted funds.
• More than $20,000 in donor advised grants. Donor advised grants come from funds that are managed by the Foundation, with the party who established the fund – an individual, a family, a company, an organization – playing an active role in the decision-making process.
• More than $73,000 in scholarships to area students.
A complete listing of year-to-date Foundation awards is available by clicking 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. 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.
< Back