First Round of Grants Approved - The Community Foundation of Greater New Britain Permanent charitable assets management

New Britain, Conn., March 8, 2023 – After their first board meeting of the year, the Community Foundation of Greater New Britain (CFGNB) has approved their first round of grants and awarded more than $436,000 to a wide variety of community programs serving Berlin, New Britain, Plainville and Southington.

The Community Foundation’s board of directors approved $361,200 in Community Response grant awards to local nonprofits. These grants are discretionary grants selected by the board to meet a variety of community needs. Grants awards to 21 programs and organizations serving the Foundation’s four-town service are as follows:

Arts and Culture

$7,500 to the Berlin Equity Action Team capacity-building grant to support BEAT programs and activities that will help educate Berlin residents about its abolitionist history and the contributions that ethnic minority groups have made in the community.
$5,000 to CONCORA to support their 2023 summer and fall concert series.
$10,000 to Queen Ann Nzinga Center for capacity building that will result in sustainable growth of the organization.
$50,000 to the New Britain Museum of American Art to support Education and Outreach

Community and Economic Development

$7,500 to the Connecticut Health Insurance Exchange d.b.a. Access Health for support a Broker Academy by Access Health which will train people from underserved minority communities as insurance brokers who would then assist underinsured individuals to get the medical coverage they need.
$15,000 to United Way of Central and Northeastern CT to support the Workforce Solutions Collaborative of Metro Hartford, which will help workers in our service area, access good jobs.

Education

$12,000 to the CT Science Center for a Teen STEM Programming and Educator Professional Development project at NBHS
$5,000 to Tunxis Community College Foundation for the Women’s Leadership Institute, “Launch your Leadership Journey” program

Health and Human Services

$15,000 to Best Buddies CT for the Friendship and Leadership Development Program in New Britain for individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD)
$15,000 to BLFC (Black Lion’s Football Club) to support its practice sessions, game tournaments and clinics aimed at providing young, underserved soccer players with the platforms to develop their skills and to pursue educational opportunities and participate in youth soccer leagues and tournaments.
$7,750 to Bread for Life for a donor database management system assessment, recommendation, data migration and policy development project that will greatly enhance this growing organization’s ability to work effectively and communicate well with donors.
$30,000 to the City of New Britain to support the Building Hope Together Homelessness Prevention and Security Deposit Program.
$25,000 to Community Mental Health Affiliates to purchase furnishings for Kensington Garden, a respite wing that will accommodate 50 individuals from Central Connecticut with behavioral health and/or substance use issues.
$5,000 to Family Forward Advocacy CT for parent resiliency workshops in Berlin, New Britain, Plainville and Southington.
$16,450 to Friendship Service Center for employee training in 2023 aimed at increasing staff retention and to give them the tools they need to grow in their competency.
$40,000 to The Hospital of Central CT to renovate and update the Med Pyxis Room (automated medication-dispensing room)
$15,000 to New Life II to support the “Love Your Life,” a new program to decrease substance abuse deaths among African American and Hispanic men and women.
$10,000 to Q Plus for administrative capacity expansion that will free up time for the Executive Director to work on fundraising and program expansion.
$50,000 to the Southington-Cheshire YMCA to support the Save the Sloper Pond project to ensure the long-term health of Sloper Pond for generations to come.
$5,000 to Sustainable CT to support a Sustainable CT 2023 Fellowship Program which places college students in regional planning offices to provide hands-on assistance to municipalities in implementing sustainability actions to build more inclusive, resilient, and vibrant communities for all residents.
$15,000 to World Wide Youth Network for the “Knowledge of SELF” (Social Emotional Learning with Friends), a program Providing mental & behavioral health interventions and destigmatizing mental and behavioral health in youth in New Britain.

The Board of Directors also approved a $7,500 grant from the First Years First Initiative to the Consolidated School District of New Britain to support continued implementation of the Pyramid Model, a conceptual framework of evidence-based practices for promoting young children’s healthy social and emotional development, for children birth to five in New Britain’s School Readiness Programs. A grant of $8,395 was also approved to support the Foundation’s partnership with Bread for Life in Southington to support year three of an innovative social enterprise that will diversify the organization’s funding stream and provide transitional training and employment to BFL clients.

In addition to these grants, CFGNB has awarded just under $59,000 in grants from designated, donor-advised, scholarship and sponsorships to local nonprofits for community events that celebrate and promote children and families; arts, culture and heritage; education; and civic engagement.

The second round of grant applications will be in the summer. Letters of Intent are due July 1. If your organization is invited to submit a full application, the deadline for the full application is August 1. For questions about applying for a grant, please contact Joeline Wruck at jwruck@cfgnb.org or call the office at 860.229.6018. You can also visit the Grantmaking section of the Foundation’s website at www.cfgnb.org. For more information, and to learn how you can start your own fund or scholarship, at the Foundation, contact Kaylah Milligan, Director of Philanthropy at kaylah@cfgnb.org or call the office at 860.229.6018. Information on how to start a fund can also be found at www.cfgnb.org and clicking on the “Start Your Fund” button.

Established in 1941, the Community Foundation of Greater New Britain is “Where Good Begins” in Berlin, New Britain, Plainville and Southington and is your destination for establishing a scholarship or charitable fund in your community. The Foundation works to inspire philanthropy, responsibly manage permanent charitable assets, and partner to address key community issues through strategic leadership. For more information, visit www.cfgnb.org.