Through its recent competitive grant cycle, Main Street Community Foundation awarded $161,830 in grants to 47 local organizations representing a broad range of programs and projects in Bristol, Burlington, Plainville, Plymouth, Southington and Wolcott.

“These grants will support exciting and important initiatives provided by nonprofits that strengthen our local communities and inspire, affect and touch the residents living and working in this area,” said Susan Sadecki, President & CEO of the Community Foundation. Most of the grants were awarded from endowed funds established at the Foundation by donors to support the causes they care about.

Organizations receiving grants include social service agencies, along with historic preservation, arts, educational, health, animal welfare and recreation organizations.

Sadecki also acknowledged the 24 local residents that comprise the Community Foundation’s volunteer Distribution Committee. “The Distribution Committee reviews all proposals, conducts site visits and makes the final funding recommendations to the Board of Directors,” stated Sadecki. “They thoughtfully review all applications to ensure feasibility and alignment with donor intent.”

Since its establishment in 1995, MSCF has awarded grants and scholarships totaling more than $21.3 million and is now one of the leading grantmakers in the region. The organization stewards $58.5 million in assets, comprised of 261 named funds that support a wide range of charitable causes.

The following grants were awarded in the 2021 General Grant Cycle as described below:

• American Clock & Watch Museum - $1,652 - Installation of UV window filters for artifact protection (Pat & Bob Wollenberg Family Fund for the Community)
• American Red Cross Connecticut Chapter - $4,000 - Disaster Relief Services for residents of the Foundation’s service area (Bristol Savings Bank Fund, James R. Parker Trust, Jaspersohn Family Memorial Fund)
• Animal Rescue Foundation, Inc. - $1,680 - Medical care for cats and kittens rescued from hoarding situations in Wolcott and Plainville (Elizabeth I. and Louis J. Matt Animal Protection Fund)
• Boys & Girls Club of Bristol - $6,000 - Careers for Cambridge job-readiness and career exploration program for teens (Douglas and Noreen Schumann Special Interest Fund, Dumont Family Charitable Fund)
• Bristol Adult Resource Center - $5,000 - Outdoor seating for new patio to serve clients and customers of the Hidden Café (Jim & Eleanor Frawley Community Fund, Bristol Brass General Grant Fund)
• Bristol Eastern High School Music Department - $1,950 - Masterworks Concert in collaboration with Nutmeg Symphony Orchestra (Pat & Bob Wollenberg Family Fund for the Community, Margaret Haberman Memorial Fund for Music)
• Bristol Firefighters IAFF Local 733 - $3,000 - Granite monument to commemorate lives lost on 9/11 (Bristol Brass General Grant Fund, Stephen and Katherine Saman Memorial Fund)
• Bristol Family Resource Centers - $3,000 - W.O.R.K.S. (Working Parents Options Resources and Key Supports) program to help parents build collaborative relationships with their children’s schools (Bristol Brass General Grant Fund, Angela and Al Caruso Family Charitable Fund)
• Bristol Garden Club - $2,000 - Blue Star By-Way Marker on Memorial Boulevard honoring military service (Bristol Brass General Grant Fund, Karen and Kim Murphy Family Charitable Fund)
• Bristol Historical Society - $1,000 - A Day in the Principal’s Office – A Pictorial display of Bristol Schools Past and Present (Stephen and Katherine Saman Memorial Fund)
• Bristol Preschool Child Care Center, Inc. - $1,500 - STEAM Play Lab (Fuller and Myrtle Barnes Fund for Education, Tedesco-Gallant Charitable Fund)
• Bristol Recovery Club - $2,000 - Purchase of floor buffer for use in community meeting space (Bristol Brass General Grant Fund, Ronald F. & Emilie P. Duhaime Family Fund)
• Chrysalis Center, Inc. - $4,000 - Community Supportive Housing in the towns of Bristol, Plainville and Southington (Gnazzo/Reidy Charitable Fund, Bristol Brass General Grant Fund)
• Connecticut Humane Society - $2,500 - Medical Support Program for pets brought to the Society from animal control officers in the Foundation’s service area (Elizabeth I. and Louis J. Matt Animal Protection Fund)
• Connecticut Storytelling Center, Inc. - $2,500 - Start with Stories arts-based program to improve literacy of elementary school age students in the Bristol Public Schools (Fuller and Myrtle Barnes Fund for Education, Formagioni-Lodovico Family Fund)
• Early Childhood Collaborative of Southington - $4,000 - Launch of “Sparkler” application in Southington for Early Childhood Developmental Screening and Referrals (KAWFY Memorial Fund)
• Friends of the Bristol Connecticut Animal Shelter, Inc. - $1,500 - Medical care of animals in the shelter’s care (Elizabeth I. and Louis J. Matt Animal Protection Fund, Terry and Marguerite Fletcher Family Fund)
• Gloria Dei Lutheran Church - $2,100 - Shelving and food supplies for the Food Pantry (Bristol Brass General Grant Fund, COVID-19 Response Fund)
• Grace Baptist Church Food Pantry - $3,000 - Food supplies for the pantry (COVID-19 Response Fund)
• Healing Meals Foundation - $3,000 - Healthy Meals program providing nutritious meals to those impacted by a serious health crisis in the Foundation’s service area (Bristol Brass General Grant Fund)
• Junior Achievement of Southwest New England, Inc. - $3,500 - JA Career Ready program at Bristol Central High School, Bristol Eastern High School, Lewis Mills High School and Southington High School (Fuller and Myrtle Barnes Fund for Education, James R. Parker Trust)
• Kelly's Kids, Inc. - $4,000 - Interactive Therapeutic Farm program primarily for DCF involved youth from the Foundation’s service area (Douglas and Noreen Schumann Special Interest Fund, JoAnn & David Mills Family Fund)
• Margaret C. Griffin Child Development Center of Southington, Inc. - $3,689 - Technology upgrades in classrooms and office (KAWFY Memorial Fund)
• Memorial Military Museum - $600 - Military Uniform Preservation (Stephen and Katherine Saman Memorial Fund)
• Nutmeg Big Brothers Big Sisters - $4,000 - Community Based Mentoring in the Foundation’s service area (James R. Parker Trust, Douglas and Noreen Schumann Special Interest Fund)
• Operation Fuel, Inc. - $6,000 - Emergency energy assistance in the Foundation’s service area (Bristol Brass General Grant Fund, James R. Parker Trust)
• Plainville Community Food Pantry - $4,428 - Food supplies and case management services (Edward W. and Audrey K. Mink Memorial Fund, Bristol Brass General Grant Fund)
• Plainville High School - $3,500 - Construction of a sustainable, educational greenhouse at Plainville High School (Fuller and Myrtle Barnes Fund for Education, Merriman Family Fund)
• Plymouth Community Food Pantry - $4,000 - Healthy Options Program Plus to provide non-perishable dairy and produce to program clients (COVID-19 Response Fund)
• Prudence Crandall Center, Inc. - $2,470 - Partnership to Promote Healthy Relationships program in the Foundation’s service area (Paige Wartonick Laferriere Memorial Fund, Douglas and Noreen Schumann Special Interest Fund, Becker Family Fund)
• Quota International of Bristol, CT - $3,500 - New shoes for children enrolled in the Boys & Girls Club of Bristol afterschool program at Cambridge Park (Bristol Savings Bank Fund, Bristol Brass General Grant Fund)
• Rebuilding Together Litchfield County, Inc. - $2,500 - Building materials for home repairs in Plymouth (Bristol Brass General Grant Fund, Turkus Family Fund)
• Southington Community Cultural Arts - $6,000 - The Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Mural Project in Southington – MLK39 (KAWFY Memorial Fund, Southington Arts Council Legacy Fund)
• Southington Public Schools – Family Resource Center of Southington - $5,000 - Full STEAM Ahead school readiness program (KAWFY Memorial Fund)
• Southington Girls Softball League - $2,000 - Field 3 renovation at Panthorn Park to fix poor drainage (KAWFY Memorial Fund)
• St. Vincent DePaul Mission of Bristol - $7,261 - New computers and related technology for the Emergency Homeless Shelter (Smith Family Charitable Fund)
• Sustainable CT, Inc. - $2,700 - Sustainable CT 2021 Fellows program to provide technical support to MSCF towns pursuing certification (Bristol Savings Bank Fund, James R. Parker Trust)
• Tabernacle Christian Church - $3,000 - Giving Back Food Pantry program to provide groceries and fresh foods to food-insecure residents of Southington and surrounding areas (KAWFY Memorial Fund)
• The Agape House - $5,000 - Part-time Administrative Coordinator for homeless outreach center (Ciccarelli-Vitale Community Advancement Fund, Bristol Savings Bank Fund)
• Terryville Public Library - $2,000 - Library Maker Space: Sew So Fun Project (Bristol Brass General Grant Fund)
• The Children’s Law Center, Inc. - $3,800 - Legal Representation of low-income children in family court, residing in the Foundation’s service area (Bristol Savings Bank Fund, James R. Parker Trust)
• The Children’s Museum, Inc. - $2,500 - Science Achievement for All program for K-8th grade students in Bristol public schools (Bristol Brass General Grant Fund, Fuller and Myrtle Barnes Fund for Education)
• The Family Center/Imagine Nation - $5,000 - Learning:Reimagined program featuring virtual and in-person museum activities (Bristol Brass General Grant Fund, Jay & Elizabeth Tyrrell Fund for the Arts)
• The Salvation Army - $4,000 - Creative Arts and Music (CAM) Academy for Bristol youth (Bristol Brass General Grant Fund, Pat & Bob Wollenberg Family Fund for the Community)
• United Way of West Central Connecticut - $5,000 - Research, development and implementation of an online volunteer platform (Bristol Brass General Grant Fund, Bristol Savings Bank Fund)
• Veterans Strong Community Center - $5,000 - Case Management Software (Bristol Brass General Grant Fund, Bristol Savings Bank Fund)
• Zion Lutheran Evangelical Church - Meals for Neighbors - $6,000 - Fresh produce and a commercial freezer for the soup kitchen (COVID-19 Response Fund)