TORRINGTON, CT -- The Draper Foundation Fund, a fund of the Northwest Connecticut Community Foundation, recently awarded area nonprofits $714,145. The Fund awarded $546,750 to 19 designated nonprofits and $167,395 in donor-advised grants to nonprofits that provide essential programs and services for residents of Northwest Connecticut.
Noteworthy donor-advised grants include:
- $35,000 to Northwestern Connecticut Community College to support the purchase of equipment for a Makerspace that will enhance the college’s STEM curriculum
“There is a gap between the industry demand and availability of skilled workers and the number of students in STEM programs is not enough to meet these needs,” said Northwestern Connecticut Community College.
“This proposal aims to broaden the participation of students from area high schools in STEM classes and careers, thus empowering them to take advantage of jobs offered by the STEM-based companies and businesses in Northwestern Connecticut or prepare them to transfer to STEM-based bachelor degrees in Connecticut. These companies can provide good paying jobs to high school and college graduates with technical skills.”
- $10,250 to Partners for Sustainable Healthy Communities to support the cost of a consultant to establish a long-term relationship between EdAdvance, the Food Hub, and area farmers in order to provide fresh local food for schools in the Draper Foundation’s service area
“PSHC’s mission is to cultivate healthier communities by nurturing and supporting programs that connect and support sustainable agriculture, local food and active, healthy lifestyles,” said Partners for Sustainable Healthy Communities.
“This farm to-school initiative does just that by getting healthy, locally grown food on the plates of children in schools across our region, especially those receiving free and reduced price lunches due to financial need. At the same time, we will be supporting small family farms across the region by providing them access to a market that they otherwise would not have access to.”
The following is a complete list of nonprofit organizations that received donor-advised grants from The Draper Foundation Fund:
FISH of Northwestern Connecticut $8,000 to support upgrades to commercial kitchen equipment serving shelter residents
Helping Hands Chore Service $1,500 to support medical transportation services
KidsPlay Children’s Museum $17,500 to support the cost of a public-address system for the entire facility
LARC $17,300 to support the cost of a new multi-site phone system
Litchfield County Opiate Task Force (fiscal sponsor Greenwoods Counseling Referrals) $48,000 to support the development of a recovery-resource website, including website maintenance, and staff training, as well as marketing to community members
New Beginnings of Northwest Hills Litchfield County $12,845 to support a wall-mounted first aid kit, conference room furniture, and three months of operating expenses
Northwestern Connecticut Community College $35,000 to support the purchase of equipment for a Makerspace that will enhance the college’s STEM curriculum
Partners for Sustainable Healthy Communities $10,250 to support the cost of a consultant to establish a long-term relationship between EdAdvance, the Food Hub, and area farmers in order to provide fresh local food for schools in the Draper Foundation’s service area
Warner Theatre $9,500 to support the purchase of a refurbished replacement forklift
Winchester Youth Service Bureau $7,500 to support the replacement of three computers, and the purchase of a new iPad and a new printer
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 $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