Grants Available to Nonprofits Serving the Valley

DERBY- The Valley Community Foundation (VCF) is accepting grant applications from nonprofits that serve its 5 town region covering Ansonia, Derby, Seymour, Shelton and Oxford, CT. Grant amounts, application deadlines and eligibility requirements vary by grant process; details and applications are available on the VCF website at www.valleyfoundation.org/grants.

 

Grantseekers are encouraged to attend an informational orientation session about the types of competitive grants available on February 3, 2016 from 9:30 – 11:30 am at the Derby Public Library, 313 Elizabeth Street in Derby CT. Participants will learn the criteria required for applications and the timelines for submission for VCF’s Community Grants (application due 5:00 pm on March 4), Sponsorships (open year-round), Responsive Grants (application due 5:00 pm on Mar 31) and Needs & Opportunities Grants (open year-round) processes.

 

A Nuts & Bolts Workshop for Needs & Opportunities and Revolving Response Grants is being scheduled for early February for those who want more, in-depth guidance on completing the application. Registration is required for all sessions; for more information and to register, please contact Beth Colette at 203-751-9162 or bcolette@valleyfoundation.org.

 

Thanks to the generosity of Valley donors, hundreds of thousands of grant dollars each year are distributed from the Foundation. In addition to grantmaking, 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, please contact Sharon Closius, President & CEO, at sclosius@valleyfoundation.org or 203-751-9162 or visit VCF’s website at www.valleyfoundation.org or follow VCF on Twitter at www.twitter.com/vcf_ct.

 

(This is a press release from Valley Community Foundation)

Barber shop in Shelton starts monkey love drive

By Patricia Villers, New Haven Register

Posted: 12/27/13, 10:55 PM EST  

Love comes in all shapes and sizes, especially the kind that comes from plush monkeys.

It’s time again for the Monkey Love Drive, started eight years ago by owners of the now closed Luther’s Garage auto-repair business in downtown Shelton.

The idea is simple: Collect monkeys to be distributed to less fortunate children on Valentine’s Day.
A growing pile of stuffed simians has already taken over a large table at J-Cuts Barber Shop at 505 Howe Ave., Shelton.

Jennifer Sneider surrounded by stuffed monkeys.

Owner Jennifer Sneider said Thursday the drive started earlier this month and that’s why she already has so many in her shop.

“It’s always so much fun,” said Sneider. “The kids (who come into the shop) get a little confused. They think the monkeys are for sale or they can take them, like the lollipops.”

Sneider said most of the ones already collected were donated by members of the Milford Fire Department.
She said she doesn’t really set a collection goal. “It’s always just a challenge to beat (the number collected) last year, and that’s what keeps us going.”

This is the fourth year she has spearheaded the drive at her shop.
Sneider said, “It is an amazing feeling to know each and every one of these monkeys will find comfort in the arms of a child in need and the children will find comfort in these monkeys. Each year, we hope to have an even more successful drive to create miles of smiles on the faces of precious children in great need.”

Additional drop off locations include Minuteman Press, 427 Howe Ave., Suite 2, and the Greater Valley Chamber of Commerce office, 10 Progress Drive, second floor, both in Shelton.
For the fourth year, Topside Cafe, 333 Boston Post Road, Milford, is a drop-off site. Last year, the business collected about 50 plush monkeys.

Members of the Keith Urban “Ville” fan club and Facebook page send stuffed monkeys to Connecticut from all over the world. Last year, Urban’s fans collected more than 1,160 of the toys.

A total of 1,628 children received monkeys last Valentine’s Day.
The children were clients of TEAM, Inc. in Derby, BHcare in Ansonia, and Griffin Hospital in Derby, among others.
For health reasons, the monkeys must be new and clean with tags.


Have questions, feedback or ideas about our news coverage? Connect directly with the editors of the New Haven Register at AskTheRegister.com.

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.

Conroy rallies for safety-net services

State Rep. Theresa Conroy, D-Seymour, joined more than 800 nonprofit service providers, their clients and advocates at a rally on the steps of the State Capitol calling on Connecticut to preserve safety-net services for poor and disabled residents.

“Thousands of our friends, family members and neighbors depend on these programs,” Conroy said.

During the rally, Gov. Dannel Malloy proposed a new $20 million state bond pool specifically designated for nonprofit, community-based providers that provide health and human services through contracts with state agencies. 

“The Governor’s commitment to the safety net is impressive,” Conroy said. “But with a billion dollar hole in next year’s budget, I am very worried that cuts will impact seniors, the disabled and the poor.”

Connecticut relies on private nonprofits to provide the most of its social services for abused children, the mentally ill, people with developmental disabilities, those suffering from addiction, prison inmates and others.

Conroy is a member of the legislature's Public Health, Government, Administration & Elections and Education committees.

The above is a press release from Conroy's office. 

United Way grants to Valley nonprofits top $31G

Funds to aid programs for children, seniors

    Valley United Way has announced 17 grants to area nonprofits covering a wide range of issues in the Valley.
    The Special Needs Grants Program is a small grants program created with funds that donors have designated to address needs in the community.
    The funds are separate from the traditional United Way funding program which takes place each year.
    Grants awarded in this round of funding total more than $31,000.
   
    In making the announcement of the awards, United Way Board Chair Fred Ortoli and Allocations Committee Chair Adrian Cabral said, “Valley agencies requested funding that was more than double the dollars available for a wide variety of needed and innovative programs.
    “The Allocations Committee and the Board of Directors were impressed by the quality of the requests and wished that more of the programs could have been funded. However, we are pleased to see that the 17 programs selected will make a measurable difference in the Valley area this year.”
   
       The programs in this year’s cycle include a series of workshops for senior caregivers, before and after school programs for children, and resources for literacy programs.
    Grants for training in mental health first aid and reducing school based arrests are also in this year's mix.
    The full list includes:
         
    Ansonia Community Action: Before and After School Program, $1,600; Area Congregations Together, Bus Token Assistance, $1,000; BHcare Antoinette's Angel's House, $500; BHcare Mental Health First Aid Training of trainees youth program, $2,000; Boy Scouts, BSA Technology, $1,500.

    Bureau of Youth Services/Derby, Reducing school based arrests, $1,500; Discovery Project, Valley Early Childhood Task Force Play and Learn Fair, $2,390.70; Junior Achievement of Western CT,  Achievement Middle School Graduation Pathway Programs, $3,000; Literacy Volunteers, Literacy volunteers test books for literacy volunteers, students and teachers, $1,777.

       Salvation Army, Family night and kids' club, $2,000; Shelton Youth Services Bureau, Remedial tutors, $400; TEAM, Inc. Caregivers’ Workshops; $1,750; TEAM, Inc. Early head start diapers by the dozens program, $4,320; TEAM, Inc., Volunteer caregivers shoveling for seniors program, $1,560.

    United Way Community Gardening $972.25; Griffin Hospital's Valley Parish Nurse program, Children restraint seats; $1,102.21; Valley YMCA, Members in residence, $4,000.


    Valley United Way, based in Shelton, is the leading philanthropic resource for the Valley towns of Ansonia, Derby, Oxford, Seymour and Shelton matching the needs of the community and the interests of donors to improve the quality of life in the community.
    United Way supports and creates initiatives addressing youth, families and people in crisis. Each year Valley United Way funds programs and organizations that make a measurable difference in the lives of people living and working in the Valley.


This information is from a press release from Jack Walsh, President/Chief Operating Officer, Valley United Way.