Berkshire Taconic Community Foundation

May 20 Deadline for Anne Sanford Legacy Fund

April 6, 2011

SHEFFIELD, MA—Berkshire Taconic Community Foundation announced today that May 20 is the deadline to apply for scholarships from the Anne Sanford Legacy Fund. This fund provides scholarships ranging from $100 to $1500 to enable women to attend political or professional leadership training programs. The fund was established by The Women’s Times to honor the memory of Anne Sanford, a pioneering businesswoman and community activist, who for ten years shared her varied business expertise with The Women's Times, serving as a consultant and sales director for the regional monthly.

Applicants must be women of 18 years or older and currently living or working in the Berkshire Taconic region (Berkshire County, MA, Northwest Litchfield County, CT, Columbia and Northeast Dutchess Counties, NY) or in the Pioneer Valley, Massachusetts. All women are welcome to apply; women of color and those from underrepresented or disadvantaged groups are especially encouraged to apply. Applications can be found online or by calling 413.229.0370. Completed applications must be received at Berkshire Taconic on May 20.

A committee of community members with demonstrated expertise in the field of education and leadership development will select the candidates that best meet the vision of the fund based on the combined criteria of: quality of the training program; potential impact of the program on the applicant’s life and studies/work; and evidence of the applicant’s ambition to apply this training.

Anne Sanford worked at NYNEX for 30 years. Her areas of expertise were marketing, strategic planning and business development. After taking early retirement from NYNEX, she founded Sanford Consulting, which she ran for a decade. In her civic life, she served as president of the Amenia Free Library Association and the Board of The Harlem Valley Partnership, a regional economic development agency. She was a member of the Town of Amenia Planning Board and the Dutchess County Planning Board, as well as the Dutchess County Economic Development Corporation Board. She was also a co-founder of the Business Women's Network, a tri-state organization for women in business, as well as a founding member of ImagineAmenia, a grass roots organization promoting civic engagement and social capital.

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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