Berkshire Taconic Community Foundation

Hardman Fund Awards over $45k to Nonprofit Groups Serving North Adams, Clarksburg, Florida and Stamford

April 25, 2011

SHEFFIELD, MA—The Robert and James Hardman Fund, an endowment of Berkshire Taconic Community Foundation, announced that it has awarded grants totaling $45,434 to nonprofit organizations in North Adams, Clarksburg, Florida and Stamford. This year the fund gave priority to supporting programs that sustain the community in difficult times.

“I am very pleased that this year the Fund was able to distribute funding that allowed a return to the level of grant making that marked the years immediately prior to the recession of 2008”, said Mary LaPorte, Hardman Fund Committee Chair. “The family, although living from coast to coast, continues to be committed to the welfare of North Adams and the surrounding area.”

19 grants were awarded to:

CATA: $700 to support six acting workshops to Adult Day Health Center in North Adams (operating under the umbrella of the Brien Center for Mental Health & Substance Abuse), culminating in an informal public performance.

Berkshire Food Project: $5,000 to provide meals to North Adams residents five days a week. The Berkshire Food Project is the only free noon time meal site in north Berkshire.

Elder Services of Berkshire County, Inc.: $4,000 to help defray the basic operating costs of providing the over 34,000 hot, nutritious, noontime meals served to North Adams, Clarksburg, and Florida seniors through our Nutrition/Meals on Wheels program between October 1, 2011 and September 30, 2012.

Brayton Elementary School Library: $2,784 to go towards automating the Brayton Elementary School library for ease of book distribution; to purchase three new computers for the library and to acquire appropriate books for sixth and seventh graders who joined the school in 2009 when Conte Middle School closed.

North Adams Historical Society: $600 for third-graders (and in the case of smaller schools additional grades) from North Adams, Clarksburg, and Florida elementary schools to be bused to the Museum for tours of over 25 exhibits on local history, flora and fauna.

North Adams Public Library: $750 to support the library’s Museum Pass program in order to purchase additional museum passes for those who do not have the means to go and see these attractions due to fiscal constraints.

BNRC: $2,900 to support its outreach programs on the Hoosac Range Trail in North Adams. The grant will support the intern and work/study engagement with Mass College of Liberal Arts, as well as service-learning and after school enrichment programs with the North Adams Public Schools.

Child Care of The Berkshires, Inc.: $3,000 to expand existing support services to teen parents, up to age 20, to enable them to continue education, job training, obtain their GEDs or to find and continue employment. The program offers child care and transportation to encourage the teens to reach their goals.

Develop North Adams: $2,000 to help restore a pocket park on the corner of Ashland and Main Street for community use and to help renew the greenspace, install benches and a chess table for community members to enjoy.

Northern Berkshire Community Coalition: $3,000 to continue to support the work of the UNITY Youth Leadership Program. YLP is guided by an evidence-based youth development curriculum. After youth participants conduct a community needs assessment and receive training, they participate in 20 hours of community service-learning.

Hoosac Harvest Community Supported Agriculture: $2,500 to Hoosac Harvest Community Supported Agriculture which provides low-income residents in north Berkshire access to locally grown food.

Caleb Foundation/Mohawk Forest: $1,200 to the Positive Energy Program (PEP) which serves the 400 low-income residents of Mohawk Forest Apartments in North Adams by providing accessible social and educational programs for youth, family and adults: on site and off site day and evening programs, a computer lab, field trips, and community events.

Drury Drama Team: $3,000 to support a major fall production as well as other smaller shows, focusing on various theatre skills. The students will also be focusing on the discipline needed for stage combat.

Williamstown Theatre Festival: $2,000 to support the 2011 Greylock Theatre Project (GTP). The Festival’s leading education initiative, GTP is a mentoring arts program for materially disadvantaged youth from North Adams, MA.

Church Outreach To Youth Project, Inc.: $1,000 to Kids Upward Bound Academy (KUB), an alternative educational program for children in Grades 1-5, that focuses on literacy, math, technology, and life skills. KUB caters to youth from low income families and those in the bottom 10% of their class. KUB uses new experiences to stimulate the children and engage them in learning.

Sterling & Francine Clark Art Institute: $3,000 to Kidspace which will create Teenspace, a gallery showcasing the work of North Adams high school students, who will also run the gallery as part of the annual DownStreet Arts festival (June – October, 2011).

Northern Berkshire YMCA: $3,000 to help support the Summer Campership Program. The Summer Campership Program is designed to support families whose children wish to attend one of our 30 different summer camp experiences, but cannot afford its tuition.

Partnership for North Adams: $3,000 to help fund an education and innovation center near downtown. This grant would fund the planning for acquisition and rehabilitation of key properties.

Barrington Stage Co., Inc.: $2,000 to help sustain Playwright Mentoring Project (PMP) in order to serve young people who struggle with emotional stress, depression and severe at-risk behaviors.

The Hardman Fund for North Adams was established in 2000 by members of the Hardman family in honor of James A. Hardman, Jr. (1909-1990) and Robert Hardman (1911-1978). The purpose of the Fund is to enrich the lives of residents of North Adams, Florida and Clarksburg, Mass., and Stamford, Vt. Applications are reviewed by a committee of local residents, and grants are awarded based on excellence of the project or service, impact on the community and the applicant’s ability to carry out the project. The next deadline for Hardman Fund grant proposals is March 1, 2012. Applications are available online or by calling 413.229.0370.

Berkshire Taconic Community Foundation builds stronger communities and improves the quality of life for all residents of northwest Litchfield County, CT; Berkshire County, MA; and Columbia County and northeast Dutchess County, NY, acting as an agent for positive change in the region. Since 1987, Berkshire Taconic has managed a growing collection of charitable funds created by individuals, families and businesses. Each year, the foundation distributes over $7 million through grants and scholarships for programs in the arts and education, health and human services and environmental protection, helping thousands of donors achieve their philanthropic goals and hundreds of nonprofits carry on their good work. Berkshire Taconic is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit public charity.

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