2024 Grants & Initiatives

Through March 30, 2024 the Community Foundation of Greater New Britain has awarded $481,111 in grants and scholarships. Thank you for your support!

Community Initiatives

The CFGNB is proactive with a portion of its grant making in order to seek out, create and support projects and initiatives that focus on the broader community as well as the non-profits that serve the community. By being strategic and investing resources in this manner, the foundation fulfills its community leadership goal of defining challenges and investing in solutions.

  • $10,000 to Bread for Life, Southington for year 4 support of the Southington Honey Company, an innovative social enterprise to diversify the organization’s funding stream and provide transitional training and employment to BFL clients.

The Catalyst Program

Catalyst is a “giving circle” of local citizens who seek to learn about community issues in Berlin, New Britain, Plainville and Southington. Anyone can become a part of this group by making a contribution of $250 to the Catalyst Fund and completing a membership form. “Discovery” memberships are available to first-time members (and their families) for a gift of $50 for the first year, and a “Business” membership offers local businesses the opportunity to engage their employees in local philanthropy. Members gather three times per year to learn about a member-chosen issue facing their community, and to consider funding requests from charitable organizations addressing the issue. The year concludes with a grant of up to $15,000.

Capacity Building Initiative

The Foundation’s Capacity Building Initiative supports the non-profit organizations in our service area which in turn, strengthens our communities. The Initiative has several components, one of which offers hands-on workshops and training for local organizations. Topics covered by the workshops include strategic planning, fundraising, marketing, board development and more. As part of the Foundation’s Capacity Building program, mini grants are offered to help non-profit organizations implement what they have learned in the trainings.

First Years First

We believe that preparing the children of Berlin, New Britain, Plainville and Southington for success in school and in life by enhancing their early childhood development education experience is fundamental to any meaningful expression of the Foundation’s mission.

  • $20,000 to Read to Grow to expand early literacy opportunities in the CFGNB service area through the Books for Kids, Books for Babies follow-up & NICU programs.
  • up to $100,000 to support school districts with programming for children who will not be granted/requesting a waiver to attend kindergarten in the 2024-2025

Sub-Total, Community Initiatives Grants: $130,000

Arts, Culture and Heritage

We believe that when the Foundation supports arts, culture and heritage programs, we not only enhance the quality of life for all residents in those communities, but also invest in the long-term economic vitality and well-being of the Greater New Britain area.

  • $5,000 to the Berlin Equity Action Team to support the third annual Juneteenth celebration Berlin
  • $5,000 to CONCORA to support the 2024 50th anniversary concert, summer and fall concert series.
  • $10,000 to New Britain Youth Museum for strategic planning to take the organization forward for the next 3-5 years under the leadership of a new Executive Director
  • $10,000 to Queen Ann Nzinga Center for their donor cultivation and stewardship capacity building program that will result in sustainable growth of the organization.

Community & Economic Development

We believe that supporting community and economic development efforts adds to the strength and stability of neighborhoods and the citizens that live within them.

  • $15,836 to Career Resources to bring the Entry Point Employment Program to New Britain
  • $100,000 to the Southington Public Library to support the capital campaign for a new and updated library. The Foundation’s gift will result in the naming of the Community Room

Education

We believe in the saying that “knowledge is power.” When the Foundation invests in education, it is helping to provide citizens with a key that can help open many doors.

  • $13,915 to the CT Science Center for a Teen STEM Programming and Educator Professional Development project at NBHS
  • $5,000 to Junior Achievement to support the Pathways to Careers program in Berlin and New Britain
  • $10,000 to CT Invention Convention for “Innovate Greater New Britain: A Community Invention Education Outreach Program.”

Health and Human Services

We believe that having access to services that help maintain or improve health, or which help citizens gain access to basic human services, is fundamental to quality of life.

  • $15,000 to Best Buddies CT for the Friendship and Leadership Development Program in New Britain for individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD)
  • $20,000 to the Boys and Girls Club of New Britain to support afterschool programming
  • $15,000 to CCARC for a safety and security project that will make the facility safer
  • $7,500 to the Children’s Law Center to support the Legal Representation and Families in Transition Program
  • $30,000 to the City of New Britain to support the Building Hope Together Homelessness Prevention and Security Deposit Program.
  • $10,320 to The Hospital of Central CT for Breast Cancer Treatment Education Handbooks and post-surgical compression garments
  • $5,000 to New Britain Soccer to provide infrastructure support by purchasing lighting for evening games and programs
  • $20,000 to the Salvation Army to support the Pathways of Hope program in New Britain
  • $25,000 to New Britain Roots to support the purchase of a van for the Market Express that serves low income residents that participate in the Farmers Market Program.

Sub-total, Community Response Grants: $317,571

Donor Advised Grants

Conry Asset Management Charitable Fund

  • $2,000.00 to Klingberg Family Centers, Inc. for general operating

Karen A. Ellsworth Fund

  • $450.00 to New Britain ROOTS, Inc. to support general operating

Kevin and Christine (Malachowski) Bruemmer Fund

  • $250.00 to Reno Initiative for Shelter & Equality for Our Place

Kindelan Family Fund

  • $1,000.00 to Prudence Crandall Center, Inc. for Bright Futures

Mayor’s Trophy Charitable Fund

  • $2,500.00 to Boys & Girls Club of New Britain, Inc. for Check presentation to the club.
  • $1,000.00 to Connecticut Breast Health Initiative for Pearl Sponsor
  • $1,000.00 to Meriden-New Britain-Berlin YMCA for For the Little Scholars preschool location, program supplies
  • $1,000.00 to New Britain Little League for To help with keeping the cost low for participants
  • $2,500.00 to New Britain Soccer, Inc. for Money to support youth soccer program
  • $2,500.00 to The Platform for Support, Inc. for For mentorship outreach services and program support for Youth

Naples Family Fund

  • $415.21 to Consolidated School District of New Britain for Rivera’s Donors Choose Activity Tables project at Diloretto School

Obedzinski Family Charitable Fund

  • $25.00 to Boys & Girls Club of New Britain, Inc. for general operating
  • $125.00 to Hofstra University for general operating
  • $100.00  to Meriden-New Britain-Berlin YMCA for general operating
  • $50.00  to Native American Heritage Association for general operating
  • $50.00  to Nature Conservancy, Inc. for projects in Connecticut
  • $25.00  to Real Art Ways for general operating
  • $50.00  to UNICEF USA for general operating

Schaller Auto World Fund

  • $500.00 to Berlin High School All Night Graduation Inc. for All night grad party for seniors
  • $500.00 to EC Goodwin Tech for To support the EC Goodwin Tech Senior Breakfast
  • $500.00 to Farmington Public Schools for All night grad party support
  • $2,500.00 to Gifts of Love for Putting Contest sponsor for golf tournament
  • $500.00 to New Britain High School PTO for All night grad party support
  • $500.00 to Newington High School Project Graduation for all night grad party support
  • $500.00 to Plainville Community Schools for All Night grad party support
  • $500.00 to SHS All Knight Graduation Party Committee for All Knight grad party support

Sub-Total, Donor Advised Grants: $21,040

Designated Grants

Sub-Total, Designated Grants: $

Scholarships Awarded

The Community Foundation of Greater New Britain awards scholarships to students from Berlin, New Britain, Plainville, Southington and other towns.

Sub-total, Scholarships: $12,500

Community Chest of New Britain & Berlin

Community Sponsorship Awards From the A. W. Stanley Discretionary Fund

The Community Foundation believes in the importance of community events and supports those that help make our communities better places to work, live and raise a family.

Total Community Sponsorship Awards Approved