Seven visionary leaders came together in 1923 to establish the Waterbury Foundation to facilitate “the improvement of social and living conditions in Waterbury and vicinity.” The founders were: Frederick S. Chase, president of the Chase Companies; John P. Elton, vice president of the American Brass Co. and shareholder of the Elton Hotel; John H. Goss, and officer of the Scovill Corp.; Lewis J. Hart, officer of the Patent Button Co.; Arthur R. Kimball, publisher of the Waterbury American; Alice E. Kingsbury and Katherine H. Pomeroy.

Visionary donor Katherine Pomeroy, one of seven founders of the newly created Waterbury Foundation (now Connecticut Community Foundation), makes a $5,000 gift to the Foundation—its first contribution.

1920s-1950s: In pursuit of its mission "to improve the social and living conditions of Waterbury and vicinity," the Foundation devotes a significant portion of its resources in its early decades to address health challenges. Grants support mental health providers, efforts to combat tuberculosis, a nonprofit health clinic, and children's psychological services. In 1929, Alice Morton Chase establishes the Jennie H. Morton Memorial Fund in her mother’s honor to support visiting nurses; to this day, the Foundation awards grants every year from this fund to make visiting nurse services available, as Mrs. Chase intended.

A photo of the Foundation’s leatherbound minutes from the early 20’s through the 70’s. The earliest minutes show grants to the Corner House Association, which did protective work for underprivileged girls, and to the Lincoln House Association—which later became Family Services of Greater Waterbury, and which served the community until 2016—for a visiting housekeeper and nutritionist.

Several early grantees continued to receive support from the Foundation for decades, and some continue to serve the community. Some of these organizations are:

The Connecticut Junior Republic (now CJR) was established in 1904. Since the 1930s, the Foundation has supported many of the CJR’s efforts to provide care, treatment, early community interventions, education and opportunity for thousands of children.

Tuberculosis was one of the leading causes of death in the United States from the early 1900s to the 1940s. The Foundation funded the Anti-tuberculosis League and Gaylord Farm Sanitarium from the mid-1930s to the 1940s to address this pressing public health crisis. In 1973, the Anti-tuberculosis League became the American Lung Association, which continues to receive support from the Foundation through the Edith M. Kingsbury Fund, which Ms. Kingsbury established through a bequest in her 1927 will.

The Girls' Club (now Girls, Inc.) received its first grant from the Foundation in 1934. The Girls' Club, which started as the Waterbury Industrial School in 1864, has been serving girls in Waterbury for over 100 years. Nine decades after this first grant, Girls Inc. continues to help girls to navigate gender, economic, and social barriers, and to grow into healthy, educated, empowered and independent adults.

1948-1951 Bennet Bronson served as Board Chair.

The new position of Publicity Agent was formed and held by Rodney Chase to publicize the Waterbury Foundation’s purpose and work, and thereby expand philanthropy in the community.

Elton Wayland serves as Board Chair of the Waterbury Foundation from 1951-1963. As of 1951, $85,583 had been distributed to charities in the area since the foundation was established in 1923.

The post-war economic boom of the 1950s led the Foundation to establish a subcommittee of trustees to recommend larger grants. The Waterbury Boys Club—now the Boys and Girls Club of Greater Waterbury—was among the local organizations to receive support regularly through the 1950s. Pictured here, the Maia brothers perform in a 1952 Boys Club Glee concert.

The Child Guidance Clinic, established in 1951, was among the recipients of larger grants that began in the 1950s. The organization—which became Wellpath in the 1980s and then ultimately Wellmore Behavioral Health in 2011—reflected psychiatry's push to reach more people in the community with mental health education, early intervention, and treatment services.

The Foundation provided grant support to the American Red Cross for disaster relief following The Flood of 1955, which was one of the worst disasters in Connecticut's history. Two back-to-back hurricanes saturated the land and several river valleys in the state, causing severe flooding in August 1955. The Naugatuck River was one of the most affected and, within the Foundation’s service region, both Waterbury and Naugatuck suffered severe losses. Statewide, 87 people died during the flooding, and property damage across the state was estimated at more than $200 million, in 1955 figures. Watch more about the 1955 flood YouTube.

Former Vice Chair, Donald W. Henry was elected as the new Board Chair of the Foundation and would go on to serve up until 1968.

During his tenure, the Foundation elected its first Executive Committee with Board Chair Donald W. Henry, Vice Chair Ex-Officio, Max R. Traurig, and Trustees Ernest A. Anderson, Jr, Elton S. Wayland and Edward S. Wotkyns.

The Foundation sponsored the Greater Waterbury Campership Fund soon after it was founded and has continued to periodically provide funding for summer camp programs for children in Greater Waterbury and Litchfield Hills.

New grantees emerged in the 1960s, including Waterbury’s NAACP, which received its first grant in 1969. Five decades later, the NAACP remains a vibrant organization and frequent grantee.

William Boise served as Board Chair from 1970-73.

In 1970, Boise established the Allocations Committee, whose members became actively involved in investigating grant proposals and visiting grantee organizations.

The Foundation's assets increased to over $1.5 million as a result of a bequest of over $1 million from Katherine Pomeroy. In 1970, the Foundation awarded $67,752 in grants to 27 organizations. 

Berkeley Community School (now known as Children’s Community School) was founded in 1969 by the Sisters of Mercy in the basement of the Berkeley Heights Housing Project.
In the 1970s, Foundation trustees, impressed by a tour of the new private, nonprofit school, made a $13,000 grant, the first of many grants throughout the years.

The Foundation has a history of supporting land conservation and environmental initiatives, such as land trusts, trail maintenance, and forest cleanups, as well as efforts to build capacity within the land trust network and foster collaboration. Since the 1970s, we have supported land conservation and environmental projects undertaken by numerous local organizations, including The Institute for American Indian Studies, the Roxbury Land Trust, White Memorial Conservation Center, Friends of the Benedict Miller House, Flanders Nature Center, Audubon Center Bent of the River, the Thomaston Opera House, and the Mattatuck Museum.

Today, we are prioritizing support for environmental justice initiatives, including local organizing, community gardens, and urban cleanup initiatives that aim to promote a healthier environment for all.

Leavenworth P. Sperry Jr. served as Board Chair from 1973-1975.

Orton P. Camp Jr. served as Board Chair from 1975-1978.

From the mid- to late-1970s, approximately 30 organizations received grants totaling roughly $120,000 from the Foundation each year.

The Foundation consistently funded the Kendall House throughout the 1970s to help women needing shelter, as well as those recovering from alcoholism.

In 1978, Priscilla Whittemore became the Foundation’s first female Board Chair. She served in that role through 1981; Priscilla believed in education, support for women and children and travel opportunities for young people in their formative years.

In 1998, after Priscilla’s death, the Foundation received $500,000 from her estate. Per her request, the income from her legacy is used to support all three of her interest areas, especially travel for youth.

Nelson P. Hart served as Board Chair from 1981-1987.

The Foundation opens its first office with staff in Waterbury’s historic Lilly Building with Ingrid Manning (pictured standing) as the Foundation’s first employee. At that point, the Foundation’s assets totaled about $2 million. Ingrid went on to serve as the Foundation’s chief executive for 30 years. By the time she retired in 2012, the Foundation was managing a $75 million endowment.

United Way President Gary Post shows Foundation Board Chair Nelson Hart floppy disks. The Foundation supported organizations in building their capacity with technology. Pictured here, the United Way.

Through an $800,000 bequest, Margaret M. Hallden established a fund to support the American Heart Association and the American Cancer Society. The fund was the Foundation’s largest fund until 2009. Margaret and her husband, Karl, had owned the Hallden Machine Co. in Thomaston.

The Foundation supported a capital campaign to enhance the educational and recreational facilities of Post College, which continues to serve many local residents.

Christopher A. Brooks was elected Board Chair of the foundation in 1987 and served in that role through 1990.

During Brooks' tenure, the endowment fund grew by 55%.

The Foundation announced the first awards from its regional scholarship program in a ceremony at Waterbury's Mattatuck Museum. Thirteen scholars received a total of $10,450 in the program's inaugural year.

By 1990, the Foundation relied on standing committees made up of both Trustees and volunteer community members to undertake work related to grants, development, scholarships, and finance.  The Foundation continues to rely on this model, and is grateful for the perspectives and experiences that more than 100 volunteers provide to support our work each year.

Patricia B. Sweet served as Board Chair from 1991-1993. Sweet understood the Foundation’s potential and correctly forecasted that the Foundation’s endowment would reach $100 million in her lifetime.

The Foundation established Business Volunteers for the Arts (BVA) to provide executive-level volunteer consultants to area arts organizations to improve their internal management procedures. Among the efforts supported by BVA volunteers: Clockwork Repertory clarified board and staff responsibilities, Waterbury Ballet received help with marketing and fundraising, Litchfield Performing Arts received IT support, and Children’s Dance Theatre benefited from marketing and PR expertise.

Kay Campbell and Peggy Lawlor created the Women’s Fund, recruiting an initial group of 100 donors to join them. This endowed fund holds more than $650,000 today and has made hundreds of thousands of dollars in grants to benefit women and children throughout Greater Waterbury and the Litchfield Hills. 

Volunteers plant flowers at the War Memorial on Waterbury’s Green as part of the Downtown Beautification Fund Project.

A grant from the Foundation helps to establish the WOW (Walnut-Orange-Walsh) neighborhood as a Neighborhood Revitalization Zone to take to coordinate public and private investments for housing renovation, job creation and new business development. Pictured here, residents undertake a community revitalization project.

The Salem Foundation, a private foundation established by the Whittemore family, transferred its assets of $1,340,865 to Connecticut Community Foundation. The fund continues to provide (advised) grants to nonprofit agencies in Naugatuck, Middlebury, Waterbury, Woodbury and Southbury. Pictured: Salem Foundation founder Harris Whittemore, Jr.

W. Scott Peterson served as Board Chair from 1997-2000.

In partnership with the United Way, the Foundation launches the Nonprofit Assistance Initiative (NAI), which matches nonprofit executives with volunteer mentors with the aim of strengthening organizational governance and increasing management skills. NAI also offers nonprofit training opportunities and grants to build nonprofit capacity.

Lynn Franklin Henry served as Board Chair from 2000-2003.

Donor, Vivian Hanson bequeaths a legacy of $1.5M to the Foundation. Her gift is the second largest in the Foundation’s history up until then. Her gift established the Vivian and Jack Hanson Scholarship Fund, which provides four-year scholarships to students from Greater Waterbury.

Dance company Pilobolus received a three-year organizational development grant of $48,000. This funding was part of the Foundation’s commitment to increase support for the arts.

Fred Baker served as Board Chair from 2003-2006.

Sisters Elizabeth and Nina Andersen, who retired to Heritage Village after careers in New York City, established a large scholarship fund that was funded from their respective estates. Nina Andersen said she and her sister started their fund because few scholarships were available when they were students, and their family could have used the assistance. "We wanted to do something nice for the new generation," Nina Andersen said. "We're happy to be able to provide this for somebody else." Today, the Elizabeth H. Andersen and Nina E. Andersen Scholarship Fund provides more than $180,000 each year to support local scholars in pursuing their dreams.

Ann Burton served as Board Chair from 2006-2008.

As a result of the sale of the East Hill Woods senior living community in Southbury, the East Hill Woods Fund is established with a gift of $9.2 million, the largest in the Foundation’s history. The fund supports efforts of local nonprofits and municipalities that offer services and opportunities to help older adults in our region age successfully and remain healthy, informed and engaged.  

2010-2012 Richard Lau served as Board Chair.

Paula Van Ness became the Foundation’s second President and CEO in 2012, following on the heels of Ingrid Manning’s 30-year tenure.

Among Paula’s first efforts was to lead the Foundation in crafting a new strategic plan and adopting a new mission statement.

In its 90th year, the Foundation launches Give Local Greater Waterbury and Litchfield Hills, a 36-hour online giving campaign that enables nonprofits to raise unrestricted funding from thousands of area donors. The inaugural Give Local event raised $520,000 for 125 nonprofits. Every year since, the Foundation has hosted a Give Local event, with the generous support of presenting sponsor Ion Bank Foundation. Since 2013, Give Local has generated more than $15 million in funding for local nonprofits through tens of thousands of gifts from local donors.

2015-2017 Martha Bernstein served as Board Chair.

The Foundation launched the Grassroots Leadership Program to support residents and community-based organizations working to make positive change in Waterbury. The Grassroots Grant initiative is created in partnership with Waterbury residents and leaders, offering funding and support for local organizers. 

Dozens of local women came together to form the Women's Giving Circle. Together, they pool their gifts, explore issues affecting local women and girls, and make impactful grants that benefit local residents. Since it began, the Circle has made $143,827 in grants to local organizations whose work addresses priorities affecting women and girls.

2018-2019 Doug Johnson served as Board Chair.

As part of a robust strategic planning process, the Foundation creates a detailed needs assessment to determine how to use its resources most effectively—human as well as financial—to serve the community in the coming years to address deep disparities in opportunity, access, and outcomes for local residents. The data along with newly articulated organizational values lead the Foundation to adopt a new mission and a detailed strategic plan grounded in a vision of an equitable, inclusive, just and vibrant community in which all residents have what they need to thrive.

Connecticut Community Foundation and the United Way of Greater Waterbury joined together during the onset of the pandemic to create the COVID-19 Response Fund. Thanks to a tremendous outpouring of support from donors throughout Greater Waterbury and the Litchfield Hills, between March 2020 and July 2021, we provided over $789,000 to local organizations at the frontlines of the coronavirus outbreak. One initiative (pictured here) involved distributing 400,000+ pieces of protective gear to 109 organizations. Watch more about this effort on YouTube and read some stories about the impact these funds had in the community.

Five years after its founding, the Grassroots Leadership Program has distributed more than $200,000 to support and strengthen grassroots efforts in Waterbury. Funding supports equitable efforts to revitalize communities, influence local systems, organize local residents, and expand the capacity of community leaders.

2022-present Michael Giardina serves as Board Chair.

Present-day staff