TORRINGTON, CT -- The Draper Foundation Fund, a fund of the Northwest Connecticut Community Foundation, recently awarded area nonprofits $800,037.50. The Fund awarded $574,087.50 to 19 designated nonprofits and $225,950 in donor-advised grants to nonprofits that provide essential programs and services for residents of Northwest Connecticut.
Noteworthy donor-advised grants include:
- $30,000 to Litchfield County Opiate Task Force (fiscal sponsor Charlotte Hungerford Hospital Administration) to support a study led by the Litchfield County Opiate Task Force to develop a system of recommended best practices related to recovery housing.
“The need to have a ‘Best Practices for Recovery Housing Owners’ is due to the current alarming state of Recovery Housing in NW Connecticut,” said Thomas Narducci, Administrative Director of Public Health at Charlotte Hungerford Hospital. “...Recovery housing is entirely unregulated and wide discrepancies exist from home to home...The unregulated status of these homes contributes to a lack of consistent safety standards and operational guidelines.”
- $50,000 to McCall Center for Behavioral Health to support the final phase construction costs for a fully integrated Medication Assisted Treatment unit at 58 High Street.
“Availability and acceptability of outpatient treatment, and MAT treatment, remain significant barriers for people with substance use, mental health and Opioid Use Disorders,” said Maria Coutant Skinner, Executive Director. “We believe that it is essential to integrate MAT care under the umbrella of our Outpatient Clinic. To that end we will challenge those barriers to treatment by providing modem facilities that respect the client’s privacy, dignity, and therapeutic needs.”
The following is a complete list of nonprofit organizations that received donor-advised grants from The Draper Foundation Fund:
Colebrook Historical Society $2,400 to support the publication of a book compiling 10 years’ worth of columns written by the Municipal Historian documenting the history of Colebrook.
CT Public Affairs Network $3,200 to support the 2019 Torrington Region Connecticut History Day Contest.
Educated Canines Assisting with Disabilities $50,000 to support the capital campaign to increase the size of the facility.
FISH of Northwestern Connecticut $24,100 to support the purchase of new computers, additional cameras for the existing security system and fund development software.
FISH of Northwestern Connecticut $17,500 to support the cost of repairs at the Brooker House Shelter for families.
Housatonic Valley Regional High School $750 to support the cost of transportation to the Financial Reality Fair in Torrington for the senior class.
Litchfield County Opiate Task Force (fiscal sponsor Charlotte Hungerford Hospital Administration) $30,000 to support a study led by the Litchfield County Opiate Task Force to develop a system of recommended best practices related to recovery housing.
Litchfield County Opiate Task Force (fiscal sponsor Community Health & Wellness Center of Greater Torrington) $1,000 to support the purchase of fentanyl test strips for the Harm Reduction Rover in service in Torrington.
McCall Center for Behavioral Health $50,000 to support the final phase construction costs for a fully integrated Medication Assisted Treatment unit at 58 High Street.
New Beginnings of Northwest Hills Litchfield County, Inc. $15,000 to support six months of operating expenses for The Gathering Place.
Northwest Connecticut Chamber Education Foundation, Inc. $18,000 multi-year grant to support of the Read Aloud Program in Northwest Connecticut.
RC Productions, LLC (fiscal sponsor Greenwoods Counseling Referrals) $5,000 to support the cost of final post production, marketing and distribution for “Uprooting Addiction,” a film exploring the roots of drug and alcohol addiction and how communities can play a role in providing lasting solutions.
Torrington Winsted Area Rotary Club $9,000 multi-year grant to support the Pet Parade.
The following nonprofits designated by the Draper Foundation Fund receive awards twice annually:
Beardsley & Memorial Library
Colebrook Associates, Inc.
Colebrook Congregational Church
Colebrook Historical Society, Inc.
Cornell University for the Cornell Feline Health Center College of Veterinary Medicine
W. L. Gilbert Trust Corporation
Greenwoods Scholarship Foundation, Inc.
Little Guild of St. Francis
Northwestern Connecticut Community College
Northwest CT YMCA
The Salvation Army
Tufts University, School of Veterinarian Medicine
The University of CT Foundation, Inc.
Vivisection Investigation League, a/k/a The Last Post
We Adopt Greyhounds, Inc.
Winchester Youth Service Bureau
Winsted Area Child Care Center, Inc.
Yankee Golden Retriever Rescue, Inc.
A $30‐million endowment from the estate of Jim and Shirley Draper of Colebrook, The Draper Foundation Fund represents the largest single gift in the Community Foundation’s history and one of the largest single gifts on record to a community foundation in the state of Connecticut. The Fund, which has grown to more than $35 million benefits mainly local charitable organizations by making yearly awards to nonprofits designated by the Drapers, as well as through annual donor‐advised grants, such as those listed above.
Established in 1969, the Northwest Connecticut Community Foundation serves 20 towns in Northwest Connecticut. Its total endowment, comprised of more than 280 funds, has grown from initial assets of $15,000 to more than $110 million. Last year, combined grants and scholarships totaled more than $3 million.
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Contacts:
Nicole Carlson Easley
Communications Director
Northwest Connecticut Community Foundation
860-626-1245
neasley@northwestcf.org
Christina Tranquillo
Program and Communications Associate
Northwest Connecticut Community Foundation
860-626-1245
ctranquillo@northwestcf.org
Website: www.northwestcf.org