TORRINGTON, CT -- The Northwest Connecticut Community Foundation Draper Foundation Fund recently awarded area nonprofits $778,900. The Fund awarded $546,750 to 19 designated nonprofits and $232,150 in donor-advised grants to nonprofits that provide essential programs and services for residents of Northwest Connecticut.
Noteworthy donor-advised grants include:
• $100,000 to Litchfield County Opiate Task Force (fiscal sponsor: Charlotte Hungerford Hospital) to support a pilot program that provides a community case manager for evening and weekend hours to improve connections to care for clients suffering from substance use disorder.
“The staff person will meet clients ‘where they are at,’ and help them to identify the next steps for their wellbeing, no matter what stage of use or recovery they are in,” said Lauren Pristo of Litchfield County Opiate Task Force.
• $8,500 to Junior Achievement of Southwest New England to support financial literacy, workforce readiness, and entrepreneurship programming for 600 students in Colebrook, Harwinton, Litchfield, Torrington and Winsted.
“All students need to understand the world of work and how their education and career choices will affect their lives; and employers need talented, prepared workers...,” said Amanda Teti of Junior Achievement of Southwest New England. “JA programs encourage students to be responsible citizens and to earn and save money. They also demonstrate why life-long learning is the ultimate key to a successful future.”
The following is a complete list of nonprofit organizations that received donor-advised grants from the Northwest Connecticut Community Foundation Draper Foundation Fund:
Community Kitchen of Torrington $11,000 to support replacement flooring
Junior Achievement of Southwest New England $8,500 to support financial literacy, workforce readiness, and entrepreneurship programming for 600 students in Colebrook, Harwinton, Litchfield, Torrington and Winsted
Litchfield County Opiate Task Force (fiscal sponsor: Charlotte Hungerford Hospital) $100,000 to support a pilot program adding a community case manager for evening and weekend hours to improve connections to care for clients suffering from substance use disorder
Little Guild of Saint Francis $6,000 to support the cost of spay and neuter vouchers for low-income clients attending a free dog vaccine clinic in Torrington
New Beginnings of Northwest Hills Litchfield County $22,500 to support electrical renovations to improve energy efficiency; office supplies and shades; bus passes for clients; and six months of operating support
Prime Time House $22,500 to support repairs for the Clubhouse to ensure safety, accessibility, comfort and use by Clubhouse members
Torrington Area Youth Service Bureau $23,150 to support operations
Town of Colebrook $5,800 to support the purchase of a commercial refrigerator and commercial freezer for the Colebrook Senior and Community Center
Winchester Youth Service Bureau $28,200 to support replacement of the camp bus used by Rising Star Camp
Winsted Senior Center and Senior Enrichment Program $4,500 to support the cost of new tables for the No Senior Left Behind program
The following nonprofits designated by the Northwest Connecticut Community Foundation 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 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 almost $102 million. Last year, combined grants and scholarships totaled $4 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