Foundation Gives $433K To Causes In Southington, Berlin, other towns

Community Foundation of Greater New Britain

NEW BRITAIN, CT — After its first board meeting of the year, the Community Foundation of Greater New Britain recently approved its first round of grants and awarded more than $432,571.

Those grants fund various community programs serving Berlin, New Britain, Plainville, and Southington.

The Community Foundation’s board of directors approved $322,571 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 18 programs and organizations serving the foundation’s four-town service are:

Arts and Culture

1. $5,000 to the Berlin Equity Action Team to support the third annual Juneteenth celebration
Berlin.

2. $5,000 to CONCORA to support the 2024 50th anniversary concert, summer and fall concert
series.
3. $10,000 to New Britain Youth Museum for strategic planning to take the organization
forward for the next 3-5 years under the leadership of a new Executive Director

4. $10,000 to Queen Ann Nzinga Center for their donor cultivation and stewardship capacity
building program that will result in sustainable growth of the organization.

Community and Economic Development

5. $15,836 to Career Resources to bring the Entry Point Employment Program to New Britain.

6. $100,000 to the Southington Public Library to support the capital campaign for a new and
updated library. The foundation’s gift will result in the naming of the Community Room

Education

7. $13,915 to the CT Science Centerfor a Teen STEM Programming and Educator Professional
Development project at NBHS

8. $5,000 to Junior Achievement to support the Pathways to Careers program in Berlin and
New Britain

9. $10,000 to CT Invention Convention for “Innovate Greater New Britain: A Community
Invention Education Outreach Program.”

Health and Human Services

10. $15,000 to Best Buddies CT for the Friendship and Leadership Development Program in
New Britain for individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities.

11. $20,000 to the Boys and Girls Club of New Britain to support after-school programming.

12. $15,000 to CCARC for a safety and security project that will make the facility safer

13. $7,500 to the Children’s Law Center to support the Legal Representation and Families in
Transition Program

14. $30,000 to the City of New Britain to support the Building Hope Together Homelessness Prevention and Security Deposit Program.

15. $10,320 to The Hospital of Central CT for Breast Cancer Treatment Education Handbooks
and post-surgical compression garments.

16. $5,000 to New Britain Soccer to provide infrastructure support by purchasing lighting for
evening games and programs

17. $20,000 to the Salvation Army to support the Pathways of Hope program in New Britain

18. $25,000 to New Britain Roots to support the purchase of a van for the Market Express that
serves low-income residents who participate in the Farmers Market Program.

The board also approved a $20,000 grant from the First Years First Initiative to
Read to Grow to expand early literacy opportunities in the foundation's service area.

An additional grant of up to $100,000 from First Years First was approved to support school districts with programming for children who will not be granted/requesting a waiver to attend kindergarten in 2024-25.

A grant of $8,395 was also approved to support the foundation’s partnership with Bread for Life in Southington to diversify the organization’s funding stream and provide transitional training and employment to BFL clients.

In addition, the foundation awarded just under $44,565 in grants from designated,
donor-advised, scholarship and sponsorships to local nonprofits for community events
celebrating and promoting children and families; arts, culture and heritage; education; and civic
engagement.

The second round of grants will be in the fall. Letters of intent are due July 1.

For questions about applying for a grant, contact Joeline Wruck at jwruck@cfgnb.org or call the office at 860-229-6018. Those interested can also visit the "grant-making" section of the foundation’s website at www.cfgnb.org.