In its March 2017 grant cycle, Connecticut Community Foundation awarded a total of $375,000 to nonprofit organizations serving residents of 21 towns in Greater Waterbury and the Litchfield Hills. The grants will fund services and opportunities in a wide range of quality of life areas, including chore services, diabetes education and therapeutic exercises for older adults, international travel for youth, theater and music education and productions, entrepreneurship training for people with autism spectrum disorders, mental health interventions, legal counsel and financial literacy, gardening and cooking training.

Among the many grantees:

  • Boys and Girls Club of Greater Waterbury received $8,500 to start digital media and storytelling classes for 6-8th grade youth, which will enhance the club’s academic and science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) afterschool education efforts.
  • Connecticut Food Bank received $5,000 to support the Southbury Mobile Food Pantry, which will distribute fresh fruit and vegetables each month directly to Southbury residents in need.
  • The Institute for American Indian Studies in Washington received a $4,000 technology grant to purchase a new computer and retail sales system, including inventory software.
  • Waterbury Public Schools were awarded $15,000 to significantly expand an evidence-based afterschool robotics program to ten new schools, including six elementary, three middle and one alternative school.
  • Naugatuck YMCA received a $13,000 grant to support instructor costs for a wide range of therapeutic exercise programs for older adults offered at the YMCA and affiliated sites.
  • Rebuilding Together Litchfield County was awarded $7,500 for building supplies and materials and licensed technicians to implement 25 health and safety priorities in their site homes to create safer living environments for older adults.

Said Paula Van Ness, president and CEO of Connecticut Community Foundation, “Our current group of grantees are tackling community issues with ingenuity and resourcefulness and helping Greater Waterbury and the Litchfield Hills remain a stimulating region to live, work and play.  We applaud them—and our donors who make these grants possible.”

View the full list of grants awarded this grant cycle (March 2017) with descriptions of the projects

Photo courtesy of Connecticut Food Bank