Capacity Building for Non-Profit Programs and Organizations Focus of 2015 Community Foundation Catalyst Fund

Local Citizens Interested in Supporting Their Communities Invited to June 11 Kick-Off

New Britain, Conn., May 13, 2015 – Many local citizens are often interested in learning how they can make their communities better places to live, work and raise a family. If you are among them, the Community Foundation of Greater New Britain’s Catalyst Fund is calling you.

Caring citizens who want to make a difference in Berlin, New Britain, Plainville and Southington are invited to the Catalyst Fund’s 2015 Kick-Off Meeting on Thursday, June 11, at The Hospital of Central Connecticut (THOCC), where the member-chosen topic for 2015, Capacity Building for Non-Profits, will be presented. The 5:30 to 7:30 event is free, open to the public and there is no obligation to become a Catalyst Fund member.

At the June 11 meeting, two guest speakers – including Annmarie Riemer, director of the Hartford Foundation for Public Giving’s Non-Profit Support Program, and Patrick McKenna, training and membership services coordinator at the Connecticut Association of Nonprofits – will discuss how many resource-challenged non-profits struggle to build the internal capacity for such activities as preparing strategic plans for long-term sustainability, raising funds, writing grants and training board and staff members. A second guest speaker will be announced prior to the meeting.

The Catalyst Fund is a group of local citizens interested in improving the quality of life in Berlin, New Britain, Plainville and Southington. Members make a modest $250 investment per couple or individual each year. Three times per year, members gather to learn about a member-chosen issue (Capacity Building for Non-Profits for 2015) facing their community, and to consider funding requests from charitable organizations addressing this issue. The year concludes with a collective vote to award a $10,000 grant to a chosen grantee.

In its 12 years of existence, Catalyst Fund members have awarded more than $100,000 to a variety of programs meeting important needs and addressing difficult challenges in the community.

The June 11 meeting takes place in THOCC’s Lecture Rooms 1 and 2. A light supper and refreshments will be served. Please RSVP to Kimberly Duncan by June 4 at kduncan@cfgnb.org or 860-229-6018, ext. 300. For more information about the Catalyst Fund, contact Joeline Wruck at jwruck@cfgnb.org or 860-229-6018, ext. 307.

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.