Community Foundation 2014 Annual Appeal Boasts 26 Percent Increase in Donations

Civic Leadership Fund Drive’s Success Vital to Work of the Foundation

New Britain, Conn., April 14, 2015 – Since 2011, the Community Foundation of Greater New Britain has awarded more than $4.5 million in grants to causes helping to make Berlin, New Britain, Plainville and Southington the best communities they can be. These grants come in all shapes and sizes, from modest awards to tiny non-profit groups bringing life to our neighborhoods through events and celebrations, to hundreds of thousands of dollars in major programs shaping a brighter tomorrow for our children.

None of this grant making or these high-impact community initiatives happen without a strong infrastructure of leadership housed at 74A Vine Street, New Britain – the home of the Community Foundation of Greater New Britain. And that infrastructure is supported every year by the Foundation’s Civic Leadership Fund (CLF) Annual Appeal.

The Community Foundation of Greater New Britain is pleased to report that its recently concluded 2014 Civic Leadership Fund Annual Appeal saw an increase in donations of more than 26 percent over the prior year. Moreover, annual appeal donations have increased by more than 45 percent since the 2012 campaign.

The final 2014 CLF donation tally was more than $78,000. Total CLF donations 2012-2014 stand at more than $180,000.

“On behalf of the board of directors and staff of the Community Foundation of Greater New Britain, and especially on behalf of the hundreds of local programs and non-profits we support, I’d like to thank the community at large for its continued, wonderful support of our work,” said J. Leo Gagne, chair of the Community Foundation’s board of directors. “Simply stated, we cannot do the work we do without a successful, annual fundraising drive that helps sustain our operations.”

According to Jim Williamson, president of the Community Foundation, of the total number of donations made to the 2014 CLF Appeal, 45 represented either gifts from new donors or increased gifts from established donors. Helping further bolster the appeal is the Foundation’s Corporate Champions program, whereby local businesses and corporations are encouraged to support the CLF appeal.

A total of eight corporate champions, including Stanley Black & Decker, the Tomasso Group, Okay Industries, Acme Monaco Corporation, Czepiga Daly Pope, eBenefits Group, Ericson Scalise & Mangan and Miller Moriarty & Company, accounted for $20,000 in Corporate Champion gifts toward the 2014 campaign.

For information on donating to this year’s Civic Leadership Fund appeal or how to become a Corporate Champion, donors are encouraged to contact Ann Bova, Senior Philanthropic Advisor, at 860-229-6018, ext. 302, or abova@cfgnb.org.

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, visit www.cfgnb.org.