Valley Community Foundation awards 1-year grants to 28 nonprofits

DERBY - Through its $3,000 and under Community Grants process, the Valley Community Foundation has awarded nearly $50,000 in one-year grants to 28 nonprofit and grassroots organizations serving the Valley region. 

"We are so very pleased to have received such wonderful applications to support such a wide variety of projects," said Sharon Closius, President /CEO of The Valley Community Foundation.

 "Our Community Grants Review Committee, comprised of dedicated local citizens throughout our Valley communities and chaired by board member Liz Kennard, did an outstanding job of thoughtfully reviewing each application and making recommendations to our full Board," she said.  "Their comments and input were invaluable as we made the final decisions in our 2013 Community Grantmaking process."  

"VCF's grant dollars will fund programs such as "Read and Grow: 1,000 Books before Kindergarten," to support the cost of books, puzzles, games, and book bags for 100 Shelton children to help and encourage their families to read 1,000 books to them before they enter kindergarten.  
"Additional funds will support "Project Family Hope" in Ansonia, which focuses on activities and experiences designed to strengthen family bonds and relationships. 
"And thanks to VCF's Community Grant program, the Seymour Historical Society will now be able to purchase a software program to digitize handwritten archival records that are currently on file cards so that Seymour's valuable history can be preserved and passed down to new generations for years to come," Closius said.

 The Community Grant program is one of several grant programs VCF offers, including:

  *   Revolving Response Grants, which range from $250-$5,000 and meet nonprofit organizations' emergency or urgent needs
  *   Responsive Grants, which generally address an organization's operating, programmatic or capacity building needs at the $5,000 or more level.
VCF plans to distribute $665,000 in grants to community organizations from unrestricted funds this year. 

The Valley Community Foundation was established in 2004 to serve Ansonia, Derby, Oxford, Seymour and Shelton.  Since then, it has dedicated itself to making the Naugatuck Valley a better place to live and work, both now and in the future.  

VCF's Community Grants Program (formerly known as Valley Small Grants) is rooted in The Community Foundation for Greater New Haven's Neighborhood Leadership Grant Program. It provides funding to assist organizations in carrying out their civic agenda, and to support the development and implementation of worthy projects throughout the Valley.

Thanks to the generosity of Valley donors, hundreds of thousands of grant dollars each year are distributed from the Foundation. 
In addition to grant-making, VCF works in strong partnership with The Community Foundation for Greater New Haven toward building a stronger community by: working closely with donors to grow and deepen the impact of their philanthropy; identifying and supporting grassroots leadership; and strengthening nonprofits and promoting philanthropy through technical assistance programs.

To learn more about 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, contact Sharon Closius at <mailto:sclosius@valleyfoundation.org><mailto:sclosius@valleyfoundation.org> or 203-751-9162.  

For a complete list of 2013 community grant recipients or for additional information, visit VCF's website at www.valleyfoundation.org<http://www.valleyfoundation.org>.


This is a press release from the Valley Community Foundation.