Northeast Dutchess Fund Awards $22,000 in Grants to Nine Nonprofit Groups.
January 12, 2009
Great Barrington, MA—The Northeast Dutchess Fund announced today that it has awarded $22,000 in grants to nine nonprofit groups. A fund of Berkshire Taconic Community Foundation, the Northeast Dutchess Fund awards grants to nonprofit organizations serving Amenia, Clinton Corners, Dover Plains, Millbrook, Millerton, North East, Pine Plains, Stanford, Washington, Wassaic and Wingdale.
The fund awarded the following grants:
Dover Union Free School: $3,000 for a graduation coach to provide support for at-risk students in grades 9-12. The part time “coach” will meet one on one with students to provide academic support, career guidance, and reinforce the importance of graduating from high school.
St. James Episcopal Church: $1,000 for english as a second language classes at the church in Millerton.
Millbrook Rotary Foundation: $1,000 for marketing and advertising materials for the second annual Millbrook Book Festival, a community sponsored free event which promotes literacy among all age groups through book signings, author panels and a children’s parade.
Little Nine Partners Historical Society: $500 to restore the Graham/Brush house, an original log structure dating back to 1773 which may be the earliest house built in the hamlet of Pine Plains.
Hudsonia Limited: $2,750 to produce the Harlem Valley and Ridges Supplement to the Biodiversity Assessment Manual for the Hudson River Estuary Corridor. The supplement, used by planners and conservationists, will expand the manual’s coverage across Dutchess county.
United Way of Dutchess County: $3,000 to partner with Hudson Valley CASH Coalition to provide free volunteer tax support, and assistance towards financial literacy and stability.
St. Francis Health Care: $750 for Pulse Oximeters for home care nurses to use in the assessment of patients with cardiac and respiratory diseases.
North East Community Center: $5,000 for child care and a facilitator for the Family Support program, which helps parents develop parenting skills, overcome isolation, and obtain the services they need for their families.
Mental Health Association of America: $5,000 to support mentally ill adults and provide them with opportunities to reduce social isolation, learn life skills, and function in their communities through a non-clinical community based program of activities and classes.
A committee of local residents reviews applications to the fund and awards grants based on excellence of the proposed project or service, its impact on the organization or community, and the ability of the organization to carry out the project. The next deadline to apply for Northeast Dutchess Fund grants is April 1, 2009. Applications are available online at www.berkshiretaconic.org/grantseekers or by calling 413-528-8039.
Berkshire Taconic Community Foundation builds stronger communities and improves the quality of life for all residents of Berkshire County, MA; Columbia County and northeast Dutchess County, NY; and northwest Litchfield County, CT. Thanks to its generous donors, in 2008 Berkshire Taconic distributed nearly $9 million in scholarships and grants for programs in the arts and education, health and human services, and environmental protection. Berkshire Taconic is a 501 (c)(3) charitable organization.
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