TORRINGTON, CT -- The Draper Foundation Fund, a fund of the Northwest Connecticut Community Foundation, recently awarded area nonprofits $757,978. The Fund awarded $546,750 to 19 designated nonprofits and $217,228 in donor-advised grants to nonprofits that provide essential programs and services for residents of Northwest Connecticut.
Noteworthy donor-advised grants include:
Connecticut Food Bank - $10,000 to support the Kids' BackPack Program, which provides meals to 112 food insecure children in Torrington and Winsted when school is not in session. Weekend food packets are distributed discreetly to children whom school personnel identify as exhibiting behaviors associated with hunger and inadequate nutrition.
“Connecticut Food Bank's Kids' BackPack Program seeks to enhance nutrition and reduce childhood hunger in communities with high rates of poverty and food insecurity,” said Beverly Catchpole, director of fund development operations. “The Kids' BackPack program helps children get the nutrition they need to thrive in school, at home, and in life.”
Charlotte Hungerford Hospital - $10,000 to support a Medical Protocol and Competency Development initiative of the Litchfield County Opiate Task Force with the goal of increasing the number of MAT (Medication Assisted Treatment) providers for Litchfield County residents, and organizing and supporting a corps of Recovery Support Specialists.
“We believe that we can decrease the rate of overdoses with improved access to MAT care,” said Thomas Narducci, administrative director for behavioral health. “The utilization of Recovery Support Specialists is a front line strategy focusing on the very highest risk of our population. We will work to encourage local sober home owners, law enforcement officials, social service providers, and the community at large to seek out Recovery Support Specialists to help engage those struggling with addiction, and engage them in MAT services as they become increasingly available.”
The following is a complete list of nonprofit organizations that received donor-advised grants from The Draper Foundation Fund:
Charlotte Hungerford Hospital - $10,000 to support a Medical Protocol and Competency Development initiative of the Litchfield County Opiate Task Force
Colebrook Preservation Society, Inc. - $24,000 to support the final phase rehabilitation costs for the historic Colebrook Store building
Connecticut Food Bank - $10,000 to support the Kids' BackPack Program, which provides meals to 112 food insecure children in Torrington and Winsted when school is not in session.
FISH of Northwestern Connecticut - $8,800 to support replacement flooring in the shelter and the food pantry
LARC, Inc. - $100,000 to support the capital campaign to upgrade and improve Camp MOE for year-round use
New Beginnings of Northwest Hills Litchfield County, Inc. - $9,000 to support replacement of the hot water heating unit and the air conditioning system
Northwest Connecticut Chamber Education Foundation, Inc. - $6,000 to support the Read Aloud Program in Northwest Connecticut
Northwest Connecticut Community Foundation - $10,000 to support improvements to the organization’s air-handling system serving communal spaces
Partners for Sustainable Healthy Communities - $8,128 to support the purchase of start-up equipment for the regional Food Hub located in Torrington
Winsted Area Child Care Center - $31,300 to support structural improvements to the BASE building
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 $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 250 funds, has grown from initial assets of $15,000 to more than $94 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