United Way Seeks Brookfield Partner to Administer New Fund

BROOKFIELD, Conn. (February 1, 2017) — United Way of Western Connecticut (UWWC) is seeking nonprofit agency, foundation, school, or government partners to assist in administering its newly created ALICE® Enrichment Fund (Asset Limited, Income Constrained, Employed). The ALICE Enrichment Fund will provide families who fall within the ALICE income category* with financial subsidies for their children to participate in extracurricular activities.

This fund will launch with $5,000 to support children in Brookfield; a total of $100,000 is being invested in the 15 towns that UWWC serves. The newly-created Fund will require some flexibility on the part of administering agencies and parents as the implementation of the Fund is launched. Partners selected to administer the ALICE Enrichment Fund may reserve 15% of the grant amount for administrative costs.

Applications are due by Monday February 13, 2017. To apply to administer this Fund in Brookfield, please click here: https://www.uwwesternct.org/aliceenrichmentfund.

The creation of the Fund is supported by research that shows that children who participate in youth sports, for one example, have improved levels of physical and mental health. In 2015, Project Play, an initiative of the Aspen Institute, found that nearly 70% of children from families making more than $100,000 played team sports, whereas only one in four children from low- income families participated in sports. UWWC’s goal with this fund is to help close the gap between children from families who currently do not have access to extracurricular enrichment activities (including, but not limited to sports, arts, field trips and clubs) and those who do.

The Fund is intended to supplement the cost of an activity, not necessarily cover the entire cost of an activity. To increase the impact of the ALICE Enrichment Fund, UWWC welcomes local private and public organizations to match United Way dollars. Persons interested in financially contributing to this fund may contact UWWC.

For questions about the ALICE Enrichment Fund, please contact Bridget Fox at United Way of Western Connecticut at 203-883-0960 or bridget.fox@uwwesternct.org.