Foundation Approves Over $300,000 in First Round of Grants

New Britain, Conn., March 24, 2022 – 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 $870,000 to a wide variety of community programs serving Berlin, New Britain, Plainville and Southington.

The Community Foundation’s board of directors recently approved $312,420 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 were made to 17 programs and organizations serving the Foundation’s four-town service area.

Following is a listing of recently approved Community Response grants:

Arts, Culture & Heritage
• Main Street Children’s Choir, $2,500.00 from the Ted and Nancy Howe Fund, Charles L. Munford, Jr., Memorial Fund, and Frances P. Parker Fund to support the organization’s programming
• New Britain Museum of American Art, $50,000.00 from the A. W. Stanley Discretionary Fund, Anonymous Fund, Talcott Stanley Fund, and Donald W. and Virginia C. Davis Fund for the Education and Outreach Program
• New Britain Public Library, $60,000.00 from the A. W. Stanley Discretionary Fund, Weld Fund for Capital Needs, and Anonymous Fund for capital improvements to the Library
• Queen Ann Nzinga Center for Cultural Education & Social Change, $10,000.00 from the J. Edward and Justine B. Melson Family Fund, Frances P. Parker Fund, Ronald and Alice Gilrain Fund, and Andrews-Hicks Memorial Fund to enhance the afterschool program

Community & Economic Development
• Lewis Educational Agriculture Farm, $25,000.00 from the Georgia Knapp Thomson Fund, Stanley and Bernice Shepard Fund to support LEAF’s programming
• Local Initiatives Support Corporation – LISC Connecticut, $15,000.00 from the Spencer P. Torell Fund, Elizabeth J. Berry Fund, Con Fed Charitable Fund, and Ted and Nancy Johnson Fund to support the Financial Opportunity Center Project partnership with HRA New Britain
• ParaDYM Academy, $15,000.00 from the Alix W. Stanley Charitable Fund, Walter H. Dickman Fund, and Grove Hill Medical Center Fund to support ParaDYM’s work to assist with the New Britain Cares Project
• Sustainable Connecticut, $5,000.00 from the Carolyn’s Healthy Environment Fund, Catharine McHenry Rogers Fund, Ted and Nancy Johnson Fund, and Robert A. and Phyllis T. Mugford Fund to support a fellow for Greater New Britain

Education
• Berlin Upbeat Program, $4,000.00 from the William E. Attwood Jr. Fund, Vic and Jane Darnell Fund, and William H. Judd, Jr. Fund for Leadership Development Training to support the Leadership development training program
• Boys & Girls Club of New Britain, Inc., $15,000.00 from the Louis G. and Ada C. Amodio Fund for Children, William T. Livingston Memorial Fund, Howland Rogers Family Fund, and Lasher Fund in Memory of Douglas S. Lasher to support the Club’s youth development programs
• Consolidated School District of New Britain, $40,000.00 from the A. W. Stanley Discretionary Fund, Justus S. and Lillian F. Beach Fund, Jeannette Elizabeth Westlake Memorial Fund, and William H. Judd, Jr. Fund for Summer Learning Experience program to support the SEE, XTREME, and CREATE programs
• Girls With Voices, $5,000.00 from the Vicenta Alverio Memorial Fund and Anonymous Fund for the Girl Talk program

Health & Human Services
• American Red Cross Connecticut Chapter, $5,000.00 from the Johnstone Vance Memorial Fund, and Junior League of Greater New Britain Fund to support the Disaster Cycle Services program in New Britain, Berlin, Plainville, & Southington
• Coram Deo Recovery, $20,000.00 from the Johnstone Vance Memorial Fund, William and Bette Batchelor Fund, and Junior League of Greater New Britain Fund for capital improvements to Coram Deo’s properties
• Friendship Service Center, $15,920.00 from the Johnstone Vance Memorial Fund, and Bernard McAvay Fund for Technology Upgrades
• Futures, $5,000.00 from the Johnstone Vance Memorial Fund to assist Futures with creating a new Pet Therapy Program
• The Salvation Army, $20,000.00 from the Johnstone Vance Memorial Fund and Helen M. Lynch Fund to support the Pathway of Hope program in New Britain

The Board of Directors also approved a $40,000 grant from the First Years First Initiative to Literacy Volunteers of Central Connecticut to support programming for parents and their young children at the Central Connecticut Family Literacy Center. The Initiative strives to provide our youngest children and their caregivers with the developmentally strong start in life they need to succeed, or risk not only their future, but our collective future, as well.

In addition to these grants, CFGNB has awarded over $460,000 in designated grants as well as over $9,000 in 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.

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.