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 $20,000.

• $20,000 to Best Buddies CT: to support the expansion of the Transitions Program, bridging the gap between the Best Buddies’ School Friendship programs and the transition out of secondary education and providing critical career readiness services to students and members of its adult Citizen’s program. (2024 Topic: Youth Aging out of Systems and Services)

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.

Capacity Building Mini Grants:

• $2,000 to BLFC Academy to build on philanthropic community partnerships and improve the agency website.
• $2,000 to CCARC for a Customer Relationship Management (CRM) Assessment, System Recommendation and Data Clean up/improvement project
• $2,000 to Friendship Service Center for Emotional Leadership and Refinement training to improve staff leadership and retention
• $2,000 to Greater New Britain Teen Pregnancy Prevention (Pathways Senderos) for the development of an Executive Transition Plan
• $2,000 to Greater Southington Chamber of Commerce for a Technology assessment, equipment upgrade and training project
• $2,000 to Queen Ann Nzinga Center for Capacity Building and planning for 2024 that will grow and strengthen the Board
• $2,000 to Training and Motivation Center to support the development of the organization’s first strategic plan
• $2,000 to VetFuel, Inc. for consulting aimed at helping the organization as it makes connections and markets its coffee products to Connecticut Beverage Retailers and Producers

Staff Training Grants

• $1,000 to Bread for Life for participation in the Leadership Training program offered by Transformative Leadership Services
• $1,000 to Connecticut Association of School Based Health Centers for two staff training workshops on DEIAB and AI use for non-profits and its legal and ethical considerations
• $750 to Friendship Service Center for staff to attend the National Alliance to End Homelessness conference
• $500 to New Britain Police Athletic League (PAL) for continuing education for PAL football coaches for positive youth interaction
• $1,000 to New Britain Youth Museum, Hungerford for ServeSafe Manager Certification Training so staff can legally operate the Museum’s commercial kitchen for programs
• $700 to YWCA New Britain for staff to attend the CT Afterschool Network Conference

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

• $3,400 to Berlin Public Schools for a collaboration with the Berlin-Peck Library that will provide an educational opportunity for caregivers and educators on the Importance of Play for Young Learners.

• $10,000 to the Plainville Family Resource Center for Conscious Discipline training for caregivers and to offer additional Play and Learn groups for families.
• $38,000 matching grant to the Southington Public Schools to support the Southington Family Resource Network for programming from September 2024 through summer 2025.
• $1,300 grant to Southington Storytime Sponsors for a pilot program that will bring the Dolly Parton Imagination Library to Southington families.
• $25,000 grant to the YWCA New Britain to support year three of the Early Childhood Incubator Project that trains and supports under-employed women in early childhood development and business management skills so they can launch their early childcare business.

Sub-Total, Community Initiatives Grants: $230,650