2016 Grants by Priority Area

Arts and Culture

  • After School Arts Program (Washington): Metamorphosis Project – $5,000 to bring a creative program bridging art and the environment to students at Children’s Community School in Waterbury. This program will give these students a deeper understanding of the natural world as they collaborate during field trips to nature centers, in the classroom, and in the creation of artwork for a final art show that will conclude the program.
  • Girls Inc. of Southwestern CT (Waterbury): Sew it Up! – $10,000 to continue support of Girls Inc.’s dynamic fashion program. The program for the next school year will include hands-on sewing and fashion design, as well as component that includes learning retail, buying, trend boards, advertising, etc. Each session will culminate in a fashion show that will allow participants to share their creations with the community.
  • Hispanic Coalition of Greater Waterbury (Waterbury): Youth Cultural Arts Center – $10,000 to support the continued operation of Hispanic Coalition’s youth-centered cultural arts programming downtown. Middle and high school participants in Hispanic Coalition’s youth leadership program will create monthly exhibitions presenting Latino art, culture, and history to the public.
  • Landmark Community Theatre (Thomaston): Theatre Arts Education: No Student Left Out! – $6,000 to produce two affordable children’s theatre productions, provide developmentally appropriate theatre arts programs and activities for students in first through eighth grade, offer a technical theatre education program for teens, and introduce a teen theatre club.
  • Mattatuck Museum (Waterbury): Mini Masters – $3,214 to partner with TEAM, Inc. in offering this successful arts education program to the teachers, administrators, students and families at TEAM’s new downtown Waterbury Head Start location (the Slocum Child Care Center).
  • Mental Health Connecticut (West Hartford): Mending Art – $7,500 for the expansion of a small art class at MHC’s Independence Center in Waterbury. The goal is to grow this class into an interactive, community-engaged arts program for an underserved – and often unseen – population.
  • Shakesperience Productions, Inc. (Waterbury): Waterbury Interactive: Our City, Our Neighborhoods – $10,000 for a unique, collaborative arts program in which young residents work to develop and perform interactive theatre works that focus on the history of specific Waterbury neighborhoods.
  • Waterbury Symphony, Inc. (Waterbury): Bravo Waterbury! Summer Session – $15,000 to continue support of this innovative music education program for underserved students and their families. Bravo resides at Waterbury’s Children’s Community School and Brass City Charter School for eleven months of the year. CCF’s support will sustain Bravo for these students through an intensive summer component.
  • Woodbury, Town of (Business & Economic Development Committee): Shakespeare in the Park – $5,000 to work with Shakesperience on a series of artistic activities to revitalize the cultural environment in Woodbury. Planned activities include a performance of Two Gentlemen of Verona, a week of acting classes for school children, a matinee performance of Gulliver’s Travels, and several educational community lectures.

Cradle to Career

  • Bridge to Success (BTS) Community Partnership (Waterbury) (Fiscal sponsor is United Way of Greater Waterbury) – $15,000 to support the executive loan from BTS to the City of Waterbury so the Waterbury School Readines Program is assessed and corrective action steps are put in place to ensure the quality of early childhood programs and maximum usage of school readiness funding. Funds will allow BTS to supplement the loss of time of the executive director to the city with additional staff support. When selecting a staffing agency you are going to want to make sure that they’re creditable and provide the correct staffing support.

 

  • BAGS Foundation CT (Waterbury): At Risk Youth Mentoring Component- $3,000 to support mentoring services for 18 youth in Waterbury.
  • Children’s Center of New Milford (New Milford): NAEYC Accreditation- $8,125 to support the reaccreditation process by funding consultation and teacher overtime to complete the rigorous documentation needed for NAEYC.
  • Children’s Community School (Waterbury): Pre-K Reaccreditation for NAEYC- $6,639 to pay for materials and equipment needed to pass the site inspection for NAEYC reaccreditation.
  • Connecticut Early Childhood Alliance (all CCF Towns): Regional Early Childhood Education, Awareness, and Advocacy Support- $10,000 to support direct outreach and communication about early childhood issues to childcare providers, school readiness councils, and local delegation in the Foundation’s 21 towns. (Fiscal sponsor is the Connecticut Association for Human Services)
  • Connecticut Storytelling Center (Waterbury): Start With Stories- $6,000 to support a six-week story-telling program for the first and second grade at Buck’s Hill Elementary School in Waterbury.
  • Darcey School (Cheshire): Circle of Security Program – $8,840 to support the second year of funding for Circle of Security, which will train three additional staff in the model and provide funding for staff to train community providers in the behavior management model.
  • Litchfield Performing Arts (Litchfield): Litchfield Jazz Camp Kids- $9,475 to support scholarships for a pilot music foundations camp for kids between the ages of 8-11 that will take place in July 2017 in Litchfield.
  • Naugatuck Partnership for Children (Naugatuck): Pre-Kindergarten Initiative- $11,735 for continued support of the Early Childhood Collaborative work, which includes professional development, community workshops, and individual coaching in community programs around literacy. (Fiscal sponsor is the United Way of Naugatuck and Beacon Falls)
  • New Milford Public Schools (New Milford): Pre-K/Kindergarten Transition Collaborative- $4,389 for continued support of the Early Childhood Collaborative work, which includes professional development, community workshops, and individual coaching in community programs around literacy.
  • Reach Out & Read (Waterbury): Greater Waterbury Early Literacy initiative- $10,000 to support a third year of Reach Out & Read in Waterbury pediatric offices.
  • Waterbury School District (Waterbury): Coordinator, Waterbury Office of Early Childhood- $10,000 to support the hiring of a Coordinator for a new Office of Early Childhood for the City of Waterbury, or to cover additional expenses need to establish a Waterbury Office of Early Childhood.
  • Waterbury YMCA (Waterbury): YMCA Pre-K Literacy Development Program- $3,950 to support literacy training and assessment supports for pre-kindergarten classrooms, specifically to fund the training of staff on the Preschool Early Literacy Indicators (PELI) Assessment.
  • Watertown Board of Education (Watertown): Preschool Collaboration/Watertown Family Resource Center- $9,025 to support continued funding for the Watertown Preschool Collaboration’s programs, including: the Tiger Den, collaborative community literacy events, literacy bags, joint professional development, and parent outreach and engagement.
  • Zimmnation Foundation (Waterbury): Dream Girls- Run but You Can’t Hide – $1,500 to support a ten-week program for high-risk Waterbury girls between the ages of 10-14 years of age. The program includes exercise, self-esteem building activities, reflection, and team building.
  • Zoom Foundation: Leadership Development Roundtable – $5,000 for convening and facilitating seven group sessions with Waterbury area alumni of LDR to continue their professional development.

 

  • Connecticut Science Center (Hartford): Waterbury Public School Partnership – $11,750 to support professional development training for all Waterbury secondary school science teachers to help the district realign its curriculum to meet Connecticut’s Next Generation Science Standards, which focus on science and engineering.
  • Hidden Acres Therapeutic Riding Center (Naugatuck): Pathways Program – $15,000 to support at-risk Naugatuck and Waterbury youth, many of whom are referred by the Juvenile Review Boards, with an intensive therapeutic riding program that helps them build life skills and avoid recidivism.
  • United Way of Greater Waterbury (Waterbury): Bridge to Success Community Partnership – $15,000 to support the successful replication of New Haven’s Boost program at four Waterbury Public Schools. Boost ensures school and community organizations coordinate their work, which results in increased positive outcomes for students and their families.

Domestic Violence Victims (McMillen Memorial Fund)

  • Acts 4 Ministry (Waterbury): Suit Yourself Women’s Event – $1,800 to support the 8th annual event in October which is focused on providing physical, emotional, mental and spiritual needs for women who are victims of physical, emotional or psychological abuse, sexual assault or domestic violence from area shelters.
  • Jane Doe No More (Naugatuck): R.A.P.E. Survivor Training – $2,110 to support R.A.P.E. (Raising Awareness through Personal Experience) Survivors Training, a signature program for sexual violence survivors to explore, document and share their personal stories.
  • Safe Haven of Greater Waterbury (Waterbury): Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault Community Services – $5,000 to support direct services for victims of domestic violence and sexual assault in Bethlehem, Cheshire, Middlebury, Naugatuck, Prospect, Southbury, Waterbury, Watertown, Wolcott and Woodbury.
  • Safe Haven of Greater Waterbury (Waterbury): 5th Annual “Out of the Shadows” Dinner and Silent Auction – Up to $2,500 challenge grant to support Safe Haven’s annual fundraiser on April 5, 2016.
  • St. Vincent DePaul Mission (Waterbury): Shelter Day Program for Women- $1,424 to support the staff coverage necessary so that single women who are victims of physical, emotional or psychological abuse, sexual assault or domestic violence are allowed to stay in the shelter during the day.
  • Susan B. Anthony Project (Torrington): The Rebuilding Lives Program – $10,000 to support direct services to victims of domestic violence and sexual assault from Goshen, Litchfield, Morris, Thomaston, Warren and Washington.
  • Women’s Center of Greater Danbury (Danbury): Emergency Shelter and Direct Service for Victims of Domestic Violence and Sexual Abuse – $5,000 to support crisis intervention work, emergency shelter and individual and group counseling services for women from Bridgewater, New Milford and Washington.
  • Waterbury Youth Service System (Waterbury): Child Abuse Interdisciplinary Team – $10,000 to support the Child Abuse Interdisciplinary Team to maximize the number of clients that have access to short-term trauma-focused treatment services for child victims and their families.

Environment

  • Connecticut Forest & Park Association, as fiscal sponsor for Connecticut Land Conservation Council (Rockfall): Connecticut Land Trust advancement initiative: Building conservation impact through land trust collaboration – $15,000 to strengthen the state’s land trusts and their capacity to save the region’s natural resources, agricultural lands, and high quality of life. The Council will head a process that will allow three land trusts to explore opportunities for stronger collaborative relationships with regional conservation leaders and arrive together at a decision that best supports the long-term goals of the participating organizations while fostering a stronger more visible collective ability to enhance conservation impact in the region.
  • Connecticut League of Conservation Voters Education Fund (Hartford): Chispa (Spark) – $15,000 to launch a Latino outreach program titled Chispa (meaning “spark”), which will amplify the voice and leadership of Latino communities around environmental issues. The program seeks to inform, educate, and empower Latinos (in partnership with Waterbury’s Hispanic Coalition) to take a leadership role in protecting their environment.
  • East Litchfield Village Improvement Society (Litchfield): Removal of rotting railroad ties – $1,383 to help this volunteer group and its partners to remove 500 old railroad ties sitting at the site of the former East Litchfield Depot. The creosote-soaked ties are toxic and also give off an offensive odor.
  • Flanders Nature Center and Land Trust (Woodbury): Pilot educational program for youth at Whittemore Sanctuary – $9,000 to pilot an educational partnership program at The Quassy Sailing Club, which would create new opportunities and meaningful exposure to both youth and adults residing in greater Waterbury.
  • Friends of the Litchfield Community Greenway (Litchfield): Litchfield Community Greenway, phase 3 – $10,000 to complete a substantial portion of the third phase of the Greenway Project (section of the railroad bed from the intersection of Bissell Road to the Butternut Brook crossing). This phase of the Litchfield Community Greenway is of special importance as it will provide users with the only safe, natural route from Litchfield center toward Bantam without having to travel on the shoulder of high traffic Route 202.
  • Housatonic Valley Association (HVA) (Cornwall Bridge): Planning for flood resilient and fish-friendly road-stream crossings in the Southern Naugatuck Valley – $9,241 to assess culverts and bridges in Oxford, Conn. to identify barriers to fish and wildlife and flood risks to local infrastructure. HVA will work with the town to develop a road-stream crossing inventory and management plan that will prioritize projects, better positioning them for reduced replacement costs and increased eligibility for grant money while also preparing the town for future infrastructure upgrades that will incorporate aquatic organism passage and flood resilience into the design.
  • Northwest Conservation District (Torrington): Low Impact Development for Clean Water – $9,500 to create Low Impact Development (LID) manuals for the towns of Washington, Warren and Woodbury. These communities are strongly committed to protecting Lake Waramaug as well as the Shepaug and Pomperaug Rivers. These new tools will help them to educate commissioners, staff and the design community, encouraging the use of sustainable LID principles in local projects.
  • Pomperaug River Watershed Coalition (Woodbury): Pomperaug River Watershed Coalition Youth Conservation Corps – $10,000 to provide employment opportunities for students to gain conservation experience and knowledge while improving the quality and conservation of water for area residents. The program will foster a sense of responsibility for natural resources, civic engagement and a lifelong connection to the environment, while promoting broader preservation of water quality through highly visible environmental projects.
  • Quinnipiac University (Hamden): Study of endocrine-disrupting chemicals in the Naugatuck River – $7,876 to investigate endocrine disrupting chemicals for their potential to accumulate in the Naugatuck River and cause adverse health effects. This study will identify and quantify these chemicals from Watertown to Derby, helping to characterize pollutants in the Naugatuck River and adding data on the quality and health of the river.
  • Watertown Land Trust (Watertown): Watertown conservation project – $5,000 to support two appraisals which are necessary to receive an open space grant from the state. The land trust wishes to purchase 26 acres of farmland and bog in Watertown and build a path along the edge of the bog so that hikers can observe the wildlife in this unique environment.

Economic Vitality

Economic Vitality

  • Brass City Harvest (Waterbury): Brass City Harvest Vo-Ag Development – $15,000 to support an Urban Farm and Facilities Supervisor (and expand their duties). The grant will also prepare Brass City Harvest for transformational organizational growth with the assistance of appropriate consultants as it moves forward with its new Food Hub project in the South End.
  • Catholic Charities (Archdiocese of Hartford): Waterbury Family Center: Economic Security – $10,000 to promote the economic vitality of some of Greater Waterbury’s most vulnerable families (including parents/caregivers who are immigrants) through educational workshops and case management services that help participants build long-term assets and economic resiliency.
  • Community Culinary School of Northwestern Connecticut (New Milford): Culinary Program Support – $10,000 to support the Community Culinary School’s proven job training program. Participants are primarily at or below 200% federal poverty level. Many face barriers to success including low educational attainment, lack of funds for higher education, learning disabilities, criminal records, and substance abuse issues. Despite these challenges, the school’s job placement rate is at 95% with a 96% retention rate.
  • Connecticut Association for Human Services (CAHS) (Hartford): Family Economic Success programs – $10,000 to support programs that will engage, equip and empower all families to build a secure future. Volunteer Income Tax Assistance helps low-to-moderate income families to save tax in preparer fees, increase refunds, save money on preparer fees, and qualify for the Earned Income Tax Credit. Earn Benefits Online, a web-based program, simultaneously screens individuals for 12 federal and state benefits. Connecticut Money School teaches skills to manage money, reduce debt and increase savings. CAHS wil join with local partners to deliver these programs.
  • Connecticut Coalition to End Homelessness (Hartford): Ending Homelessness in the Waterbury/Litchfield Region – $10,000 to support the Coalition’s work with the Waterbury/Litchfield Coordinated Access Network to end homelessness in the region. This request will support the Community Impact Coordinator position in the Foundation’s region. Connecticut has become the first state in the U.S. to end chronic veteran homelessness, and it is now positioned to end chronic individual homelessness by year-end. The goals of ending family and youth homelessness are up next.
  • Connecticut Fair Housing Center (Hartford): Fair Housing Education and Outreach in Greater Waterbury – $3,500 to expand the Center’s education and outreach efforts in the greater Waterbury region to ensure that all residents understand their fair housing rights and enjoy equal access to housing opportunities across the region. The Center will do this by providing training on fair housing rights to staff at local nonprofit and public organizations who assist clients with housing issues, widely distributing its unique Moving Forward Renters’ Guide in the region, and providing free legal services to area residents who report discrimination.
  • Junior Achievement (JA) (Hartford): A Partnership for Economic Empowerment of Watertown Youth – $6,000 to expand financial literacy, workforce readiness and entrepreneurship programs for students at Swift Middle School in Watertown. Business and community volunteers will bridge education and the working world for 190 8th grade students through two dynamic programs, Economics for Success and Assembling Your Career. JA will present Watertown students with opportunities to reach their full potential and set goals for their futures.
  • Neighborhood Housing Services of Waterbury: Adams Street Project (Phase II) – $9,000 to support the development of quality affordable housing and rental opportunities in Waterbury. They will work with a local architecture firm to provide the studies needed. Depending on the size of the property, 30-75 units will be developed for single individuals and small families, potentially creating housing for 30-120+ people. With the housing need in Waterbury still high, this project will help the waiting list of people in need of a home.
  • Statewide Legal Services of Connecticut (Wethersfield): Collaborative for Fair Justice Project (Year 2) – $7,500 to continue provide culturally responsive, holistic, legal and social services for low-income residents of Waterbury, focusing on the Spanish speaking population with limited English proficiency. The collaborative will help low-income residents of Waterbury overcome barriers to accessing civil legal aid, and access the social services and resources to which they are entitled and need, through an enhancement of the legal and social services delivery system, to find stability and work towards self-sufficiency.

Grassroots

  • Butterflies with Voices (Waterbury): We are Waterbury Talent Show- $1,500 to support a city-wide talent show for youth in March 2017 with the goal of encouraging unity, community and pride.
  • Free Them Foundation (fiscal sponsor Neighborhood Housing Services of Waterbury): Community Outreach Fair- $1,500 to support a community fair focused on bringing resources to children and families who are dealing with substance abuse issues. The fair will be hosted in Fulton Park and include collaboration with social service and mental health organizations.
  • Girls on F.Y.E.R: Helping Oppressed Mothers Excel (H.O.M.E) – $1,500 to create a youth led collaboration made up of young females (ages 15-24) who will be recruited from different community providers, churches and businesses. Youth will work to support Waterbury mothers through advocacy and connection to resources.
  • Hispanic Coalition of Greater Waterbury (Waterbury): Spring into Action- $1,500 to support youth who will be participating in the CHISPA program to address environmental justice issues in the north and south end of Waterbury.
  • Tomorrow’s Leaders Today (fiscal sponsor is the City of Waterbury Health Department): Childhood Obesity Campaign- $1,500 to support a youth led campaign to raise awareness about childhood obesity among Waterbury families through a public outreach campaign and by creating an online platform with healthy weight resources.
  • Ungroup Society (fiscal sponsor Neighborhood Housing Services of Waterbury): Spirit of Unity Weekend- $1,500 to support youth activities and expenses related to bringing musicians to perform for free during the Saturday community concert.
  • Warrior Princess (fiscal sponsor is Neighborhood Housing Services of Waterbury): Leadership and Awareness Retreat – $1500 to support a retreat for Waterbury educators, elected officials, health providers and domestic violence survivors that focuses on creating a culture of supporting victims of domestic violence and preventing domestic violence through awareness.
  • Waterbury Community Leaders (fiscal sponsor Neighborhood Housing Services of Waterbury): The Parent Project – $1,500 to support a five course class for parents that will help participants: identify community programs, learn about budgeting, build parenting resources, and understand homeownership and renting opportunities.
  • Women’s Inspirational Nework (fiscal sponsor is Neighborhood Housing Services of Waterbury): Beauty and Wellness Day – $1,500 to support an afternoon community event that focuses on building and celebrating confidence and strength in men and women of all ages. The event will highlight ten women who are homeless in a fashion show makeover and feature inspirational speakers who will encourage Waterbury residents to “be agents of positive action” in their neighborhoods.
  • Zimmnation Foundation: Dream Girls- Run but You Can’t Hide – $1,500 to support a ten-week program for high-risk Waterbury girls between the ages of 10-14 years of age. The program includes exercise, self-esteem building activities, reflection, and team building.

Healthy Communities

  • Are You Dense? (Woodbury): EMPOWERED Program – $9,500 to host Spanish Language workshops in greater Waterbury to reach Hispanic women who may be unaware of the risks and screening challenges of dense breast tissue, and to conduct an outreach and marketing campaign to promote the awareness of the dangers of dense breast tissue.
  • Community Mental Health Affiliates (Waterbury): MIM Skills Development Training – $5,500 to train Waterbury Child and Family Services clinicians in the Marschak Interaction Method (MIM), which offers a framework for observing and assessing the overall quality of a parent/caregiver- child relationship.
  • Greenwoods Counseling Referrals (Litchfield): Active Parenting of Teens: Families in Action – $14,000 to fund a six-week two-hour parenting group in coordination with the Litchfield public school system.
  • Little Britches Therapeutic Riding (Woodbury): Summer Session 2016 – $2,430 to hire an occupational therapist who will work with nine riders from June- August.
  • Madre Latina, Inc. (Waterbury): Healthy Latinas Program – $10,000 to host a series of six workshops that are culturally and linguistically appropriate for the Latino community on improving family health and wellbeing.
  • Minor Memorial Library (Roxbury): Exercise Your Mind – $3,002 to support an interdepartmental summer program that promotes fitness and wellness among residents of all ages.
  • Naugatuck Community College (Waterbury): Healthcare alumni matching gift program – $25,000 to match a giving campaign from alumni. Funds raised will support opening of the new allied health building and new programs in the new facility.
  • Planned Parenthood of Southern New England (Waterbury): Waterbury Fund for Access – $5,000 to cover the gap in providing medical services to low-income patients.
  • Pomperaug District Health Department (Waterbury): Community Health Assessment – $4,900 to conduct a comprehensive community health assessment in Southbury, Oxford, and Woodbury.
  • Southington- Cheshire Community YMCA (Cheshire): LIVESTRONG at the YMCA – $5,000 to support LIVESTRONG, a free 12-week small group fitness program for adults affected by cancer. The program will be run out of the Cheshire YMCA and service primarily residents from Cheshire.
  • Wellspring Foundation, Inc. (Middlebury): Attachment Disorder Parent Support Group – $5,450 to fund two eight-week therapy groups that provide psycho-education, discussion, and support for caregivers of children with significant behavioral problems, a history of trauma, and/or have received the diagnosis of reactive attachment disorder.

Naugatuck Health and Wellness (Saunders Fund)

  • Family Services of Greater Waterbury (Waterbury): Naugatuck Trauma Program – $10,000 to support the Trauma Focused Behavioral Therapy and Child and Family Traumatic Stress Intervention programs that help Naugatuck children, adolescents and parents overcome traumatic events.
  • Hidden Acres Therapeutic Riding (Naugatuck): Participant Scholarships – $10,236 to subsidize participation in therapeutic horseback riding activities, un-mounted equine assisted learning program, and integrated summer learning groups.
  • Human Resources Development Agency (Naugatuck): Medical Transportation -$18,835 to continue to provide afternoon medical transportation to Naugatuck residents, with the ultimate goal of ensuring that Naugatuck’s older adults can remain independent and in the home for as long as possible.
  • Naugatuck High School (Naugatuck): Substance Abuse Prevention and Intervention Program – $14,400 to support in-school psycho-educational and therapeutic groups, individual supportive counseling, and in-service training for Naugatuck High School and Middle School staff during the spring and fall 2015 semesters.
  • StayWell Health Center (Waterbury): New Access Point for Naugatuck – $49,150 to purchase medical equipment for a permanent health clinic that will be located at 30 Church Street in Naugatuck and provide preventative medical care, women’s health, dental health, mental and psychiatric health, and phlebotomy services for children and adults.

Older Adults

  • Arts Escape (Southbury): Telling Your Story – $1,500 to offer a series of four workshops led by a nationally recognized storyteller that will teach older adults to develop and share their own stories.
  • Connecticut Community Care (Bristol): Aging Mastery Program® Backbone Organization – $6,000 to cover a portion of license and start-up costs, technical assistance, coordination of a learning community and evaluation of the Aging Mastery Program® 2017 Demonstration Project in Connecticut.
  • Falls Avenue Senior Center (Watertown): Dance for the Fun of It…Dance for the Health of It (Year 2) – $2,340 to support weekly dance exercise classes offered by Connecticut Dance Theater to enhance posture, movement flow, balance and energy.
  • Litchfield Community Center (Litchfield): Aging Mastery Program® Site – $4,500 to participate in the Aging Mastery Program® 2017 Demonstration Project in Connecticut. Funds will support participant fees, refreshments and rewards for 40 participants. The site will contribute staff time for training, planning, program facilitation, data collection and participation in a learning community.
  • Literacy Volunteers of Greater Waterbury (Waterbury): We All Have a Story to Tell – Waterbury Police and Fire Museum – $1,600 to support memoir project in which volunteers work with retired police and fire personnel to record their stories. Memoirs are printed in a booklet and presented at a culminating event.
  • Naugatuck Senior Center (Naugatuck): Dance for the Fun of It…Dance for the Health of It – $2,350 to support weekly dance exercise classes offered by Connecticut Dance Theater to enhance posture, movement flow, balance and energy.
  • New Milford Senior Citizens Advisory Board (New Milford): Senior Service HUB Meetings – $1,200 to coordinate and host quarterly meetings of senior service personnel to share information, ideas and experiences with the goal of improving services.
  • New Milford Senior Center (New Milford): Aging Mastery Program® Site – $4,500 to participate in the Aging Mastery Program® 2017 Demonstration Project in Connecticut. Funds will support participant fees, refreshments and rewards for 40 participants. The site will contribute staff time for training, planning, program facilitation, data collection and participation in a learning community.
  • New Milford VNA and Hospice (New Milford): Hospice Volunteer Training and Support – $1,500 to support hospice volunteer training for new and existing volunteers as agency tries to increase number of volunteers to meet needs of expanded service region.
  • New Opportunities (Waterbury): Chef on Site – $6,500 to continue providing healthy, restaurant quality lunches two days per week at Southbury and Woodbury Senior Centers. Funds cover incremental meal costs not supported by Federal funds or client contributions. Centers are capitalizing on the popularity of this program to enhance social opportunities at mealtimes.
  • Pilobolus (Washington): Connecting with Balance – $7,500 to continue and expand movement and dance program for older adults that enhances balance, strength, connection with others and creative self-expression. This year program locations will be consolidated, new teaching artists will be trained and additional people will be reached through online resources.
  • Pomperaug District Department of Health (Southbury): Healthy Heritage Village (BALANCE) – $20,244 to continue the BALANCE project with a focus on offering LiveWell with Arthritis and Matter of Balance at Heritage Village in Southbury. Will also continue to train and mentor Matter of Balance coaches in the region and beyond as well as collaborating to expand LiveWell.
  • Shakesperience (Waterbury): Waterbury Interactive – Our City, Our Neighborhoods – $11,000 to enhance intergenerational performances by adding neighborhoods, partners and performance materials as well as expanding roles for older adults. Opportunities are provided for older adults to share their stories, write scripts, perform and mentor others who want to become involved.
  • Town of Thomaston: Tai Chi for Seniors – $1,400 to offer three 8-session series of tai chi classes to members of the Thomaston Senior Citizens Council.
  • Wolcott Senior Center (Charles Rietdyke): Staying Active through Exercise – $7,500 to provide three weekly exercise classes at three different levels with certified instructors. Classes continue to grow, participants report positive results, and new members are attracted from Wolcott and surrounding towns.
  • Woodbury Interfaith Housing Corporation (Woodbury): Fitness Fury – $1,750 to offer 20 weekly fitness classes designed for older adults. Classes will be held at Spruce Bank Farm which provides affordable housing. Volunteer professionals will complete periodic assessments of participants’ strength, flexibility and balance.
  • Woodbury Senior Center (Woodbury): Aging Mastery Program® Site – $4,500 to participate in the Aging Mastery Program® 2017 Demonstration Project in Connecticut. Funds will support participant fees, refreshments and rewards for 40 participants. The site will contribute staff time for training, planning, program facilitation, data collection and participation in a learning community.

  • New Opportunities: Waterbury BRASS Senior Programs Lead Agency – $60,000 for BRASS program coordinator to plan and organize programs for BRASS sites and coordinate with site staff. Includes contribution to pooled program funds also supported by City of Waterbury.
  • City of Waterbury: Waterbury BRASS Senior Program Site -$4,500 to assist with costs of participation of the Waterbury Senior Center as a location for BRASS programs.
  • Hispanic Coalition of Greater Waterbury: Waterbury BRASS Senior Program Site – $4,500 to assist with costs of participation as a location for BRASS programs. Additional grant for client transportation.
  • Mattatuck Historical Society: Waterbury BRASS Senior Program Site/Partner – $4,500 to assist with costs of participation of the Mattatuck Museum as a site and provider of BRASS programs.
  • Mount Olive AME Zion Senior Center: Waterbury BRASS Senior Program Site -$4,500 to assist with costs of participation as a location for BRASS programs. Additional grant to support older adult program operations.
  • Silas Bronson Library: Waterbury BRASS Senior Program Site/Partner – $4,500 to assist with costs of teaching technology at BRASS sites as well as serving BRASS participants on site. Plan to begin offering classes at Bunker Hill branch this year.
  • St. Margaret Willow Plaza NRZ Association: Waterbury BRASS Associate Program Site, $3,000 to assist with costs of older adult programs and BRASS participation.
  • Waterbury Young Men’s Christian Association: Waterbury BRASS Senior Program Site/Partner, $4,500 – instructor costs for bringing Tai Chi and chair exercise programs to BRASS sites.
  • Western CT Area Agency on Aging (Waterbury): Waterbury Outreach, $58,188 – for a full time outreach worker to assist older adults with health insurance, financial benefits and access to community services.

  • Animal Welfare Society New Milford: Aging in Place with Pets – $825 to fund handouts, booklets and refreshments for outreach campaign to raise awareness about programs to help seniors live with and plan for pets.
  • Beacon Falls Public Library: Keeping Your Mind in the Game – Three Mindful Seminars for Older Adults – $525 to cover the cost of presenter fees for programs on memory, sleep and mindfulness.
  • Brass City Harvest, Waterbury: Brass City Cooks! Senior Nutrition and Cooking Program – $15,000 to continue nutrition education and healthy cooking classes for older adults at existing sites and to expand to other housing sites in Waterbury as well as other locations in area towns.
  • Friends of Goshen Public Library: Seasonal Senior Series – $600 to support speaker fees and other costs for programs offering information or entertainment for older adults.
  • Goshen Community Care and Hospice: Seniors Socials and Luncheons – $7,000 to support staff time and food costs for monthly luncheons with programs. Staff and volunteers monitor participant wellbeing; program also enhances peer relationships.
  • Hispanic Coalition of Greater Waterbury, Waterbury: Senior Support Services – $2,800 to contribute to the rising cost of client transportation to and from the center as well as to medical appointments and field trips.
  • Litchfield Hills Chore Service, Litchfield: Elderly Services Support and Outreach – $8,000 to support a portion of the coordinator salary and uncovered costs for chore workers who provide housekeeping, transportation, shopping and cooking help to frail, low income seniors.
  • Mount Olive Senior Center, Waterbury: Operational – $10,000 to support a portion of part time director and bus driver salaries as well as other center costs. Will expand efforts already underway to revitalize the center and attract new participants.
  • Naugatuck Valley Health District, Seymour: Matter of Balance – $3,000 for instructor and other program costs for a pilot Matter of Balance fall prevention series at Naugatuck Senior Center. Two district staff members are being trained as Matter of Balance coaches by Pomperaug District Department of Health.
  • Naugatuck Valley Project, Waterbury: Aging in the Community – $10,000 to continue community organizing campaigns at local and state levels to improve working conditions for home care workers and better understand needs of elders for aging in the community. Project includes hiring bilingual home health workers as part time community organizers.
  • Naugatuck YMCA: Therapeutic Exercise- $15,000 to support instructor costs for a wide range of fitness programs offered for older adults at the YMCA and offsite. Programming is being enhanced by offering evidence-based programs in collaboration with the National YMCA Wellness Cohort.
  • New Milford Senior Citizen Advisory Board: Website for WHEELS Program – $1,582 to develop a website that will increase awareness of this volunteer transportation program among potential riders and families, help in recruiting volunteers and soliciting donations.
  • Whittemore Memorial Library, Naugatuck: Computer Academy for Seniors – $2,500 to support instructor fees and materials for introductory computer classes offered to seniors in a small group setting.
  • Women and Families Center, Meriden: Yoga4Change Senior Yoga Programs, Waterbury – $3,000 to provide weekly mindfulness-based hatha yoga classes at two Waterbury BRASS sites; each site will offer two 10-week sessions.

Southbury Community Trust Fund

  • After School Arts Program (Washington): ASAP! Presents Dance with Pilobolus- $4,300 to support a weeklong dance intensive for older adults, youth with learning disabilities, and fourth and fifth graders, led by the modern dance company, Pilobolus.
  • Arts Escape (Southbury): Living Artfully: Engaging in the Creative Process- $16,636 to support Living Artfully workshops and presentations for older adults living in Southbury.
  • Pomperaug District Health Department (Southbury): Community Health Assessment – $4,900 to support the costs of conducting a comprehensive Community Health Assessment in Southbury.
  • Pomperaug High School (Southbury): Names Can Really Hurt Us Program- $7,500 to support an anti-bias, anti-bullying program designed to help schools create positive school climates through student-centered assemblies.
  • Pomperaug High School Gradnite (Southbury): Grad Nite ’16 – $2,500 to host an overnight extravaganza for approximately 300 graduating Pomperaug High School seniors.
  • Rose Hope Rescue (Woodbury): Rescue and Adoption Center – $1,000 to support the opening of a care and adoption center for cats and kittens in Bennett Square.
  • Sacred Heart Church (Southbury): Youth Mission Trip – $3,500 to support Southbury youth and chaperones to travel to Schenectady, NY to participate in a Group Workcamp project to repair homes for low-income, disabled, and elderly residents.
  • Safe Haven (Waterbury): Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault Services at the Southbury Office- $5,000 to support staff in the Southbury office, where crisis intervention, in-person counseling, a support group, and advocacy services are provided.
  • S.M.A.R.T (Southbury): Community of Concern Booklets- $4,300 to print 2,000 Community of Concern Booklets for local distribution in 2017.
  • Greater Waterbury YMCA (Waterbury): Teens in Action- $5,000 to support the Youth and Government program at Pomperaug High School.

Technology for Organizational Development

  • Habitat for Humanity of Greater Waterbury (Waterbury): Volunteer hub web-based software – $2,100 to fund the first year lease for an interactive online volunteer hub software that would allow volunteers to schedule hours online based on posted build days and for the organization to more efficiently schedule multiple projects.
  • Housatonic Valley Association (Cornwall Bridge): Virtual Watershed Center website – $3,000 to build a Virtual Watershed Center website, with the goal of increasing engagement and action and provide people with information on environmental and recreational activities.
  • Literacy Volunteers of Greater Waterbury (Waterbury): Website upgrade – $3,000 to upgrade current website in order to make it multilingual and mobile friendly. Site will also include a content management system.
  • Mattatuck Historical Society (Waterbury): Security upgrade – $1,500 to add additional security cameras to the museum and an upgraded computer for front desk so it can properly utilize security features.
  • Northwest Conservation District (Torrington): Website and technology upgrade – $9,500 to develop a new website that is better suited to serve general public, members, clients and government commissions.
  • Robotics and Beyond (New Milford): Technology and equipment upgrade – $3,500 to upgrade hardware and database software for tracking student information and education curriculum. Note: Funding is contingent on organization researching if there are off the shelf solutions for the database so that org is not dependent on one person’s knowledge base.
  • Wellspring (Bethlehem): ePrescription program for electronic health records – $2,400 to allow psychiatrists to be able to immediately and accurately provide prescription information electronically to pharmacies and medical record systems.

  • Children’s Community School (Waterbury): Tackling the Digital Divide – $5,500 to purchase hardware and software to develop and implement a technology-infused curriculum for low income students. The program is aligned with CT Common Core and 21st Century standards.
  • Litchfield Performing Arts (Litchfield): Winning the Internet Marketing Wars – $5,000 to update LPA’s website. The website will be upgraded to be more mobile friendly and to allow staff to update the website. It will also integrate the website with current and new databases for the jazz festival and jazz summer camp.
  • New Opportunities (Waterbury): Meals on Wheels and Senior Dine Technology Upgrade – $4,900 to purchase new software for Meals on Wheels program that will provide better tracking of senior nutrition and constantly updated information for drivers. Purchase hardware and software for program where seniors get discounted meals at restaurants.
  • Staywell Health Care (Waterbury): Naugatuck Health Center Technology – $9,600 for computer software and hardware as well as tablets for new health center in Naugatuck. The equipment will be for administrative staff and also clinical staff to connect with electronic health record system for integration of the Naugatuck and Waterbury offices.

Women and Girls (Women’s Fund)

  • Boys and Girls Club of Greater Waterbury (Waterbury): Smart Girls- Beauty Within- $2,700 in partnership with Safe Haven, to provide a program for girls ages 9-14 that addresses issues of self-esteem, image, strength and confidence.
  • Connecticut Women’s Consortium (Hamden): Girls Circle of Greater Waterbury- $15,647 to bring Girls Circle to greater Waterbury by providing free training on the program for Foundation grantees. The Girls Circle model is a structured support group for girls 9-18 years old, integrating relational theory, resiliency practices, and skills training in a specific format designed to increase positive connection, personal and collective strengths, and competence in girls.
  • Girl Scouts of Connecticut (Hartford): Waterbury Outreach Troop- $14,000 to pilot a staff-led troop program in partnership with the Boys and Girls Club of Greater Waterbury.
  • Madre Latina (Waterbury): Princesas and Princesitas- $8,900 to host a series of six gatherings for mothers and their daughters ages 8 to 16 with the goal of empowering mothers to help their daughters achieve their goals.

  • Susan B. Anthony Project (Torrington): The Girls Circle at Touchstone in Litchfield – $5,000 to support the Girls Circle program, an evidence-based, strengths-based program that teaches resiliency, self-respect and self-esteem to teenage girls who have been committed by the Department of Children and Families to Touchstone, a residential facility in Litchfield.
  • Waterbury Youth Service System (Waterbury): Women’s World – $5,000 to support a one-day conference for young women focused on promoting skill development, fostering self-esteem and self-respect through workshops on career and educational options, as well as a series of follow-up events to discuss career paths with women role models from the region.

Youth International Travel (Whittemore Fund)

  • Washington Montessori Association (New Preston): 8th Grade Cultural & Community Service Trip – $2,500 to support a trip to Navajo Nation in New Mexico in April 2016. The trip will include visits to ancient sites and areas of archeological and geological significance and a service learning project.