VCF Community Grants Support Valley Programs
Grants will improve museum exhibitions, distribute food to families in need, assist the hearing impaired, enable students to tour college campuses, and provide creative summer experiences for children throughout the Valley
June 15, 2015
Grants will improve museum exhibitions, distribute food to families in need, assist the hearing impaired, enable students to tour college campuses, and provide creative summer experiences for children throughout the Valley
Derby, CT (June 15, 2015) - The Valley Community Foundation (VCF) announces that $33,295 has been awarded through its Community Grants program to 15 community groups serving the Valley. Applications for VCF's Community Grants Program are considered through a request for proposal process that occurs in the Spring of each year for groups or organizations that serve Ansonia, Derby, Oxford, Seymour and/or Shelton and have less than 2 full-time or less than 4 part-time staff. Grants can be for new or recurring programs and support civic and community engagement efforts. Grants range from $250 to $2,500.
"VCF is proud to support these 15 organizations with more than $30,000 in Community Grants," said Sharon Closius, President & CEO of the Valley Community Foundation. "Community Grants are responsive to groups that are volunteer or nonprofit in nature with very limited staffing capacity and serve our five-town region. Using this grant support, these small, dedicated organizations can work on issues that make a big difference in our community."
The Valley Foundation 2015 Community Grants
| Organization | Description | Total Amt Awarded | Region |
|---|---|---|---|
| Annual Thanksgiving Basket Committee | to support the purchase of perishable and non-perishable food items for distribution of Thanksgiving baskets to fifty families in need. | $2,500 | Ansonia |
| Ansonia High School / AHS Quilting and Sewing Charity Club | to support AHS students to design and make quilts for charity. | $1,000 | Multi-town |
| Ansonia High School/Class of 2018 Advisories | to support all students of AHS Class of 2018 to work with an organization to develop a community service proposal, implement the proposal, document their efforts and showcase their project at an end of year celebration. | $2,500 | Ansonia |
| Ansonia School Readiness | to support a Kick-Off event for Kindergarten Registration in Ansonia. | $1,600 | Ansonia |
| City of Derby, Bureau | to support the Juvenile Review Board Supportive Education program that provides supportive education in a number of prevention areas for students who have been arrested, suspended from school or expelled from school. | $2,500 | Derby |
| College Access for All Kids Inc. | to support a college campus tour for 45 to 50 middle/high school students from Ansonia in April and May. | $2,500 | Ansonia |
| Colonial Youth Football & Cheer | to support the purchase of new uniforms and gear for the Colonial Eagles Inspiration (Special Needs) Cheer Team. | $2,500 | Multi-town |
| Derby Historical Society | to support a one-week summer day camp with a focus on local (Naugatuck Valley), State and National history for ages 6 - 15. | $1,500 | Ansonia |
| Friends of Derby Neck Library | to support the artistic and creative experiences to children in the valley during the summer. This program will correspond with the Derby Neck Summer Reading program. | $2,500 | Derby |
| North Star | to support the cost of North Star's Annual Picnic in late June/July, the North Star's Annual Holiday Party and North Star's monthly meeting. These events are for families throughout the Valley who have children/adults with disabilities. | $2,500 | All |
| Oil Drum Art Inc. | to support valley students who will paint prepped recycled 55-gallon oil drums with historical themes about their town. The completed artistic drums will be placed in town parks, civic buildings or schools to collect litter and provide public art that will help beautify the community. | $2,500 | Multi-town |
| Seymour Historical Society | to support the purchase of seven museum quality room darkening shades for the museum. | $2,500 | Multi-town |
| Southford Falls Quilt Guild | to support the cost of"Saturday Sews" which teaches beginning quilters and enhance experienced quilters techniques. Quilts will be donated to local non-profits. | $1,695 | Multi-town |
| Valley Deaf Club | to support the deaf/hard of hearing community by providing assistance for a recreational softball program and opportunities for social gatherings. | $2,500 | Multi-town |
| Youth to Youth Peer Advocates | to support the cost of sending as many high school students as possible to the Youth 2 Youth National conference in Rhode Island. The Conference focuses on four areas: drug education and information, personal growth, decision making environmental change and drug free fun. | $2,500 | Multi-town |
About the Valley Community Foundation:
Established in 2004, the Valley Community Foundation distributes hundreds of thousands of grant dollars each year to support the local nonprofit sector and the people it serves. In addition to grantmaking, VCF works in strong partnership with The Community Foundation for Greater New Haven, to promote philanthropy in Ansonia, Derby, Oxford, Seymour and Shelton. To learn how your gifts of cash, life insurance, appreciated stocks, bonds, real estate, and other assets can help to support the quality of life in the Valley, please visit the website at www.valleyfoundation.org or contact VCF President, Sharon Closius, at sclosius@valleyfoundation.org or 203-751-9162.
