Three bank foundations help Wallingford shelter hire first staff

Connecticut nonprofits in three regions seek nearly $1 billion in
capital/endowment campaigns; almost two-thirds raised already

Funders, towns unite to support early childhood in the Valley

Combining forces and funds to build affordable housing in Fairfield County

Foundation applauds municipal health care proposal

CT Transitions

Nonprofits add billions to Maine’s economy, report details

Free tax prep help for low and moderate income families

Foundations dedicate $1 million to address racial inequality in Maine

“Peaceable” storytelling gets major boost

Unique training for nonprofits in Waldo, Knox counties

April 10 deadline for Diversity Fellowship Program

20 Boston schools seek to convert to “pilot schools”

Health Coverage Fellowship Chooses Class for 2008

State Street Foundation in alliance to support French women workers

Berkshire Taconic announces record year for assets, grants, donations

Cape Cod Foundation tops $30 million in giving

Nellie Mae Foundation encouraging learning outside schools

New fellowship celebrates North Country public school teachers

United Way promotes 2-1-1 on 2/11

New nonprofit center offers first program: board development

Winners of CVS’ 'For All the Ways You Care' contest

Washington Trust hopes to “spread” support for food bank

Breakaway from Cancer commercial offers hope to cancer patients

NPR's "All Things Considered" examines impacts on community character

Green Mountain Coffee sponsors ‘teach-in’ on global warming

Three bank foundations help Wallingford shelter hire first staff

The Wallingford Emergency Shelter has received $15,000 from the Liberty Bank Foundation, the NewAlliance Foundation, and Webster Bank to hire its first paid staff – after 27 years as an all-volunteer organization.

Thomas Thurber, volunteer executive director of the shelter, said the new human service coordinator will help the shelter respond better to the medical, psychiatric, and social needs of homeless persons. The Wallingford Emergency Shelter currently serves an average of 116 homeless individuals each year.

The Liberty Bank Foundation also organized the original community meetings that led to the decision to upgrade the shelter.

For more information, contact Sue Murphy, 860.638-2959 or smurphy@liberty-bank.com. Liberty Bank Foundation. New Alliance Foundation. Webster Bank.

Connecticut nonprofits in three regions seek nearly $1 billion in
capital/endowment campaigns; almost two-thirds raised already

Connecticut Council for Philanthropy surveys report that the state’s nonprofits in three regions are looking for nearly a billion dollars in capital and endowment campaigns. That total doesn’t include three universities and a hospital looking for another $4 billion.

The reports include information on 85 major campaigns in Greater Hartford, Greater New Haven and Fairfield County. Even without the three universities, educational organizations represent one-third of the dollars sought. Arts and culture organizations are second at 28 percent, and human services agencies are looking for 13 percent.

The good news: nearly two-thirds of the dollars have already been raised or pledged, leaving “just” $377 million to be raised. For downloadable files, click here.

For printed copies, contact Laurie Allen at lallen@ctphilanthropy.org or 860.525-5585.

For interviews, contact Nancy Roberts, president, Connecticut Council for Philanthropy, 860.525-5585, nroberts@ctphilanthropy.org.

Funders, towns unite to support early childhood in the Valley

A collaboration of towns met a collaboration of funders and the result is a continued focus on early childhood education in Ansonia, Derby, Seymour, and Shelton for at least the next two years.

The William Caspar Graustein Memorial Fund led the way with a $45,000 grant to the Early Childhood Committee of the Valley Council for Health and Human Services. The towns, the Valley United Way, the Valley Community Foundation, and TEAM, Inc. donated another $20,000 total in matching funds.

The grant money will be used for parent leadership development, professional development for educators, and increased community involvement.

For more information, contact Karen Hicks, Ansonia School Readiness, 203.893-0065.

William Caspar Graustein Memorial Fund

The Valley United Way

The Valley Community Foundation

TEAM, Inc.

Combining forces and funds to build affordable housing in Fairfield County

Housing in Fairfield County may be within reach for more people sooner. The Fairfield County Collaborative Fund for Affordable Housing has given $375,000 to three local nonprofit housing developers “to spur the identification, building and preservation of more rental and ownership housing within the means of low, moderate and middle income families and the elderly.”

The recipients are Habitat for Humanity of Coastal Fairfield County, Mutual Housing Association of Southwestern Connecticut, and New Neighborhoods.

“With 52,000 families unable to find or afford a two-bedroom rental within Fairfield County, the need is undeniable,” says Collaborative member Marjolijn Wijsenbeek, executive director of the United Way of Westport-Weston.

Collaborative funders include banks: Citibank, HSBC National Bank, RBS National Bank, TD Banknorth, Wachovia; community foundations: the Fairfield County Community Foundation and the former Greater Bridgeport Area Foundation; corporations: GE Money, United Illuminating; family foundations: the Goodnow Fund, the Ostuw/Leather Family Fund, the Leo Nevas Family Foundation, the Hastings Foundation, the Suhler Family Fund; private charitable organizations: Near & Far Aid Association; and United Ways of: Eastern Fairfield County, Greenwich, Norwalk & Wilton, Western Connecticut-Stamford. It operates out of office space donated by the United Way of Westport-Weston.

For more information: Julia Brennan, Collaborative Fund, 203.227-9755 or jbrennan@lisc.org or Betty Cordellos at 203.656-0207 or C-PR@att.net.

Foundation applauds municipal health care proposal

Universal Health Care Foundation of Connecticut formally congratulated House Majority Leader Rep. Christopher G. Donovan (D-Meriden) for his proposal to open the state employees health care plan to municipal employees.

Foundation President Juan A. Figueroa said, “The proposal will also open a spirited debate... The foundation welcomes that discussion. Even though the plan is not universal health care, it has a number of cost and financing features that merit attention, particularly in the face of our state's soaring health care costs and looming economic challenges.”

To learn more about the foundation, visit www.universalhealthct.org

For media inquiries: Janet Davenport, 203.639-0550

CT transitions

Maine

Nonprofits add billions to Maine’s economy, report details

Maine’s nonprofits account for as much of the state’s gross product as do manufacturing and construction combined, according to Partners in Prosperity, a report written by the Maine Association of Nonprofits with grants from the Unity Foundation and the Maine Community Foundation.

Among its findings:

• Maine’s nonprofits mobilize approximately 360,000 volunteers every year, one of the highest rates in the country
• More than half of the state’s nonprofits have less than $25,000 annual income
• In 2005, nonprofits contributed at least $7 billion to the Maine economy through wages paid, retail and wholesale sales, and contracted professional services
• Hospitals alone account for half the expenditures of Maine nonprofits
• By 2004, nonprofit land trusts in Maine had conserved an area roughly equal to Cumberland, Kennebec, Knox, and Sagadahoc Counties combined, Copies of the report can be downloaded from the MANP website.

Free tax prep help for low and moderate income families

The national Annie E. Casey Foundation worked through Casey Family Services in Portland to provide free tax preparation help for low and moderate-income individuals and families.

The program took place on two Saturdays in February, in Portland, Lewiston, and New Brunswick. More than 200 returns were completed.

The annual event hopes to identify workers who qualify for the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC), which could mean a tax credit of up to $4,536 when filing a 2006 Federal return. The real goal, said organizers, is to improve economic literacy and capacity.

For more information: Casey Family Services, 207.772-4110.

Foundations dedicate $1 million to address racial inequality in Maine

A committee of ten Maine citizens from diverse backgrounds and geographic locales met in Augusta early this year to discuss the mission of a new $1 million fund that will address issues of racial inequality in Maine.

The People of Color Fund is a new initiative of the Maine Community Foundation, made possible by a major grant from the River Rock Foundation.

Leadership development and training, grantmaking and convening are among the possible activities the committee will be considering.

"People of color in Maine face special challenges, from stereotyping to discrimination,” said Lisa Sockabasin, a committee member and director of the Office of Minority Health at the Department of Health and Human Services. “This fund is guided by the belief that all communities have the power to create their own positive change,” she said.

For more information, call Meredith Jones at mjones@mainecf.org

“Peaceable” storytelling gets major boost

The Maine Humanities Council received a $225,000, three-year grant from Jane's Trust for a teacher training program that uses books to reduce aggression among young children.

The initiative, Peaceable Stories: Conflict Resolution through the Humanities, believes that appropriate introduction to certain picture books can:

• help children become creative problem-solvers
• foster the development of vocabulary for expressing emotions
• provide opportunities for reflecting on the meaning of peace, and
• nurture tendencies toward peaceful play and relationships.

Eight Peaceable Stories trainings were held in 2007, from Skowhegan to Presque Isle to Lubec.

For a complete article about Peaceable Stories, click here.

For more information about Jane’s Trust.

Unique training for nonprofits in Waldo, Knox counties

Many nonprofits in Waldo and Knox counties worried when national credit card giant MBNA pulled most of its operations out of the state. To respond to that and other funding challenges, a partnership between the Maine Association of Nonprofits, six funders and the University Maine Hutchinson Center is helping the counties’ nonprofits.

Thirty-one executive directors are enrolled in the program, which includes a capacity assessment, leadership development, peer networking, and sessions devoted to fundraising, strategic planning, strategic alliances/mergers, financial management, federal grant writing, marketing, and board development.

Funding partners include United Way of Eastern Maine; United Midcoast Charities; Maine Community Foundation, Unity Foundation, Bangor Savings Foundation, and Bank of America.

April 10 deadline for Diversity Fellowship Program

As a recent report by Associated Grant Makers explained, most foundations’ hiring practices have not kept up with the diversity of their communities. AGM's Diversity Fellowship Program seeks to increase diversity in the field by connecting Black and African Americans, Hispanics, Asian Americans, Pacific Islanders and Native Americans through internships at the region’s foundations.

The program is open to US citizens or permanent residents with at minimum a Bachelor’s degree and three years of experience. The application and Frequently Asked Questions are available online at www.agmconnect.org. Applications are due by 5pm on Thursday, April 10, 2008.

20 Boston schools seek to convert to “pilot schools”

The Boston Foundation received a strong response to its offer to help city schools considering pilot school status, with 20 applying. If approved, each school will receive planning support between $18-20,000 to cover the incidental costs for the first phase of the process. Schools will then be eligible for up to $100,000 each in implementation grants.

According to the foundation, if two-thirds of all school members of the Boston Teachers Union (BTU) vote to seek Pilot status, the proposal goes to a joint committee of the Boston School department and the BTU. Then an implementation process is designed and executed. It typically takes about a year for a school to become a Pilot School.

Pilot Schools are part of the Boston school system, but are freed from district mandates and union work rules in order to give individual school staffs greater control over budget, staffing, curriculum, governance and scheduling. For the complete story.

Health Coverage Fellowship chooses class for 2008

Ten medical journalists from across New England have been named to the 2008 class of the Health Coverage Fellowship.

The fellowship, the first of its kind in the country, is designed to help the New England media do a better job covering critical health care issues by bringing in more than 50 top health officials, policy people, and researchers as speakers. Fellows also see first-hand how the system works, from walking the streets at night with mental health case workers to riding a Medflight helicopter.

The program, now entering its seventh year, is sponsored by the Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts Foundation, with help from the Maine Health Access Foundation, Connecticut Health Foundation, and New Hampshire’s Endowment for Health.

The 2008 class includes Martha Bebinger of WBUR, freelance reporter Guillermo Bleichmar, MariAn Gail Brown of the Connecticut Post, Dianne Finch of New Hampshire Public Radio, Jeffrey Krasner of the Boston Globe, Jennifer Lade of the Standard-Times in New Bedford, Michael Morton of Community Newspaper Company, Eduardo de Oliveira of the Brazilian Journal, Herb Perry of the York (ME) Weekly and freelance writer Dr. Diane Shannon.

For the complete story.

For more information: Larry Tye, 617.823-5386, larrytye@aol.com

State Street Foundation joins alliance to support French women workers

The State Street Foundation joined an alliance with Microsoft, Randstad and ECDL to support the work of Force Femmes, an organization created in 2005 by women business leaders in France.

Force Femmes helps women over 45 years to find jobs. The partnership between the Alliance and Force Femmes hopes to help more than 1,500 women on the path back to employment: from information technology training, provided by Microsoft and State Street, to training certification (ECDL), and matching with potential employers through Randstad.

For the complete story.

Berkshire Taconic announces record year for assets, grants, donations

Berkshire Taconic Community Foundation reported substantial growth in all aspects of its operations: grantmaking, assets, donations and new funds. Established in 1987, the foundation serves Berkshire County in Massachusetts and parts of New York and Connecticut.

Berkshire Taconic reported $86.6 million in assets under management, up from $75 million at year-end 2006. In 2007, Berkshire Taconic distributed $7.4 million in grants. And donors established 29 new funds in 2007, bringing its total numbr of funds to 511.

For the complete story.

Cape Cod Foundation tops $30 million in giving

Charitable giving over the Cape Cod Foundation’s 19 years has topped $30 million in grants and scholarships to Cape Cod, Martha’s Vineyard, and Nantucket. Board Chair Brooks S. Thayer announced: “This is a real milestone for the Foundation and for the local community.”

Of the $30 million, $11.9 million has gone to education, $9 million to health and human services, $4.8 million to arts and culture, $3.2 million to the environment, and just over $1 million to other causes. Funds have been distributed in all of Cape Cod’s 15 towns, as well as the islands.

For more information, contact Elizabeth Gawron, president, at 508.790-3040 or visit www.capecodfoundation.org.

Nellie Mae Education Foundation encourages learning outside school

Students at four New Hampshire high schools will be able to earn course credit outside the walls of the traditional high school classroom, thanks to a $1 million grant from the Nellie Mae Education Foundation, the largest foundation in New England that focuses exclusively on education.

In order to gain credit, students must demonstrate that they have gained knowledge and skills as a result of the experience.
A student could gain credit towards English Language Arts requirements, for example, by working under the supervision of a professional at the local newspaper and writing articles for publication.

Franklin High School, Laconia High School, Manchester Central High School, and Newfound Regional High School (Bristol) are participating.

For information:

Sharon Davis, Nellie Mae Education Foundation, 781.348-4257

Beth Falconer, PlusTime NH, 603.798-585

Paul Leather, Director, NH Department of Education, 603.271-3801

New fellowship celebrates North Country public school teachers

The New Hampshire Charitable Foundation announced the Louise Tillotson Teaching Fellowship, established to honor and celebrate North Country teachers in public education.

Tillotson was a self-made businesswoman, world-traveler, and wife of Neil Tillotson, founder of the Tillotson Corporation and owner of The BALSAMS Grand Resort Hotel. Before passing away last year, she established the permanent endowment with the purpose of retaining good teachers in North Country schools and raising public awareness about the value of excellence in education.

The fellowship will provide one to three North Country teachers with annual awards ranging from $10,000 to $15,000 each. A selection committee will award fellowships based on candidates’ commitment to public education, breadth of experience, demonstration of innovation in education, creativity in solving problems, communication skills, and ability to inspire educators and students in the North Country.

Applications are available at www.nhcf.org, and are due by May 1. For the complete story.

United Way promotes 2-1-1 on 2/11

United Way of Rhode Island management and staff barnstormed colleges, senior centers, hospital cafeterias, supermarkets and manufacturing facilities on February 11 like candidates before Election Day. Instead of looking for votes, it was raising grassroots awareness about its 2-1-1 program.

Callers dialing 2-1-1 reach an information referral professional, who connects them to a social service agency, government office, or provider who can address the question or need. The service is multi-lingual, and operates 24 hours a day.

United Way anticipated roughly 90,000 calls in the first twelve months, but received more than 100,000 inquiries to the hotline and www.211RI.org after only seven.

The 2-1-1 hotline is backed by a $500,000 yearly commitment from United Way and is being supported by a $360,000 grant from the Hasbro Children’s Fund. The project has also received a grant from the TriMix Foundation and funding from the State Office of Human Services.

New nonprofit center offers first program: board development

The Rhode Island Foundation’s new Initiative for Nonprofit Excellence hopes to build the capacity of nonprofit organizations throughout the state, starting with their boards.

The opening program of the Initiative, offered in partnership with Fidelity Investments, is a series of workshops on roles and responsibilities, how to encourage more people to serve on boards, and how they can help their organizations become more effective and sustainable.

The first workshop, Boards 101, led by Frank Monti, CPA, principal at Kahn, Litwin, Renza & Co., led participants through the legal and fiduciary responsibilities.

Additional information on the Initiative for Nonprofit Excellence.

For more information, contact Jean Cohoon, (401) 274-4564 or jcohoon@rifoundation.org

Winners of CVS’ 'For All the Ways You Care' contest

Rhode Island-based CVS/pharmacy chose ten people for its “For All the Ways You Care” contest, a nationwide search for inspirational stories of caring. The contest drew more than 2,500 submissions.

Judy McAtee of Illinois was the Grand Prize Winner and received $25,000. McAtee is a foster mother to more than 30 children, and is a mother of 12 including 10 adopted children. Described by her husband as "the poster child for anything wise and caring," Judy has formed an inter-racial adoption support group for families as well as "Special Gifts" seminars designed to share the experiences of foster care and adoption of special needs children.

For the complete story.

Washington Trust hopes to “spread” support for food bank

The Washington Trust Company kicked off the “PB Xpress,” its annual peanut butter drive this month; it runs until Saturday, April 5th.

Washington Trust has collected peanut butter during the month of March since 2001 and to date has donated 44 tons of peanut butter to the Rhode Island Community Food Bank. In 2007, 12 tons were collected through efforts of Bank employees, customers, businesses and more than 30 schools.

More than 100 businesses and schools throughout the state are also participating by holding peanut butter drives and displaying drop boxes.

Contact Charlene Davenport, Public Relations Officer at Washington Trust, at cpdavenport@washtrust.com, or 401.348-1363.

Breakaway from Cancer commercial offers hope to cancer patients

In an effort to raise awareness and support for free services and programs for people affected by cancer, Amgen began running public service announcements on radio and television in January as part of its Breakaway from Cancer initiative. Started in 2005, Breakaway contributes to two nonprofit organizations -- The Wellness Community (TWC), an international non-profit organization dedicated to providing free support, education and hope to people affected by cancer, and National Coalition for Cancer Survivorship (NCCS), the oldest survivor-led cancer advocacy organization in the country.

The public service announcement can also be seen on www.breakawayfromcancer.com.

NPR's "All Things Considered" examines impacts on community character

In the first episode, the central figure is a donkey whose braying lands its owners in court for violating a noise ordinance. The verdict against the animal and its owners sparks a community uprising in defense of livestock ownership.

The larger issue? How can a community save its essential cultural heritage as new people, with new values, move in?

The "Shifting Ground" series airing on NPR’s “All Things Considered” for the next several months, is thanks to support from the Middlebury-based Orton Family Foundation and the Lincoln Institute of Land Policy.

The radio series and supplemental material will be archived on the "Shifting Ground" website.

The Orton Family Foundation “seeks to help small cities and towns discover and describe their heart and soul—the collective attributes that make communities unique—and build on those attributes in planning toward a vibrant, enduring future.”

Contact: John Barstow, Director of Communications, 802.388-8612.

Green Mountain Coffee sponsors ‘teach-in’ on global warming

Green Mountain Coffee has signed on as a sponsor of Focus the Nation, a national teach-in on global warming that includes more than 1,000 universities, colleges, high schools, faith groups, civic organizations and businesses.

In February, the company invited employees and the public to its headquarters in Waterbury for a screening of “2% Solution.” The one-hour film explores how the United States can cut global warming pollution by 2% per year for the next decade.

The company also introduced a 30-day program to help employees shed 500,000 CO2 pounds with concrete steps to reduce their residential carbon footprint.

For more information.

Connecticut

The Community Foundation for Greater New Haven welcomed three new board members this year: David Newton and James Perillo of New Haven and Rolan Joni Young of Orange. They replace Susan Whetstone of New Haven, John Crawford of Guilford and Frederick Leaf of Branford. Alan Tyma of Woodbridge has succeeded Barbara Pearce of Guilford as Board chair. Mary Jane Burt of Hamden has succeeded Leaf as vice chair.

The Edward C. and Ann T. Roberts Foundation announced the retirement of Janet M. Larsen, who served for more than 25 years on its board, including as president for eight years. The Roberts Foundation encourages excellence in the arts in Greater Hartford. To read more, visit the Connecticut Council for Philanthropy's Press Room.

The arts community in New Haven particularly is mourning the loss of Sumner McKnight Crosby, Jr. Known for his generosity through the Carolyn Foundation, he was a key figure in the Regional Cultural Plan. Frances Clark wrote a remembrance of Crosby in the New Haven Independent. In part, she wrote, “The …Regional Cultural Plan was completed in 1997. It was complicated, multi-faceted and bold, addressing facilities, marketing, education, cultural diversity and the stabilization of the region's eight major arts institutions. This last and most important goal required the raising of five million dollars... Quietly, tactically, and with great skill and persistence, Sumner took on this challenge. "Within one year, they had raised all of the funds.”

Derby Attorney James E. Cohen is the new president of the Valley Community Foundation. He succeeds Angela Powers, VCF’s first president, who has become senior vice president of The Community Foundation for Greater New Haven. Cohen has been a partner in the Cohen & Thomas law firm. For more information visit the Valley Community Foundation.

Maine

The Maine Community Foundation quietly expanded into the state’s capital this winter, opening its third location. Home base is Ellsworth with a small base in Portland. The Foundation now has a presence in Augusta: 150 Capital Street, Suite 1, Augusta, Maine 04330 | (207) 512-4902 | (207) 512-4905 (fax). Read about it in the Kennebec Journal.

Philanthropist (and Maine native) Bernard Osher was featured in a recent issue of the Wall Street Journal as one of 12 people who will change the way people look at retirement. The Bernard Osher Foundation is spending about $200 million for lifelong learning for students age 50 and older.

Massachusetts

Access Strategies Fund hired Kelly Bates, Esq. as its new executive director. ASF funds nonprofits across Massachusetts to increase political involvement in communities of color. Bates joins the Fund after heading a national consulting practice and serving in various executive positions with the Women’s State-Wide Legislative Network, the Massachusetts Law Reform Institute, and the Healthworks Foundation.

Governor Deval Patrick appointed AGM President Ron Ancrum to the Commonwealth Service Corps Board, that will oversee the governor’s statewide volunteer effort. Governor Patrick created the Commonwealth Corps as his first initiative when he took office last year.

"Supporting volunteerism and civic engagement goes hand-in-hand with AGM's mission to advance philanthropy,” stated Ancrum.

The Boston Foundation has named Lisabeth Llewellyn as Chief Administrative Officer, overseeing human resources, information technology, and office and facilities management. In addition, Michaela A. June has been named to a new position of Director of Information Technology, which will have responsibility for planning and managing the Foundation’s information systems.

The Cape Cod Foundation welcomed four new members to its board of directors. They include Rev. Thomas W. Nelson of Dennis, pastor of the Cape Cod Covenant Church in Brewster; Jacob F. Brown II of Harwich, chairman of North American Management; and Judith Yanoff of New Seabury, a volunteer in many local and national causes. Thomas M. Evans of Harwich, a partner and search consultant for Resource Group 175 and the former headmaster of Cape Cod Academy in Osterville, is beginning his first full term after completing an unexpired term.

New Hampshire

The New Hampshire Bar Foundation has chosen three awardees for 2008. The Hon. Francis J. Frasier received the Frank Rowe Kenison Award, named for a former chief justice of the state Supreme Court. Charles J. Keefe received the Robert E. Kirby Award, given to an attorney 35 years old or younger who demonstrates the traits of civility, courtesy, perspective, and excellent advocacy. Hon. John R. Maher was selected as the 2008 Honorary Fellow for outstanding support of the Bar Foundation through volunteer service, donations, and leadership.

Peter Lamb is the new Senior Philanthropic Advisor at the New Hampshire Charitable Fund. Beginning his 10th year at the Foundation, Peter was Vice President for Philanthropic Services where he oversaw the areas of donor services, asset building and gift planning.

Rhode Island

The Rhode Island Foundation appointed Jill Pfitzenmayer as the first director of its Initiative for Nonprofit Excellence (see above). She was vice president for organizational quality & training at Child & Family Services in Newport.

The Washington Trust Company presented Presidential Volunteer Service Awards to 46 employees to recognize them for their community service. The President's Council on Service and Civic Participation, created by George Bush in 2003, established the awards to thank Americans who inspire others to engage in volunteer service. The 45 employees each donated a minimum of 100 volunteer hours during 2007. To learn about all the winners, visit the website.

Vermont

The Vermont Community Foundation Board of Directors appointed Faith I. Brown as Acting President & CEO, filling the position of Brian Byrnes who is now at the Tides Foundation. Brown has been Executive Vice President for Finance and Operations. A native Vermonter, she holds an MBA from the University of Vermont and worked in health care administration for 17 years prior to joining the VCF.