Berkshire Taconic Community Foundation

First Grants Awarded from the Kent Education and Learning Foundation

January 5, 2011

SHEFFIELD, MA—Berkshire Taconic Community Foundation announces the first grant awarded from the Kent Education and Learning Foundation. Anonymous donors committed $20,000 to launch the endowment building campaign, with a challenge to match the gift by 2013. Additionally, $10,000 is available for grantmaking for the next 3 years.

The fund will enhance and enrich the educational experience of students and teachers of Kent Center School by providing access to resources that emphasize excellence, innovation and creativity. Grants are made to projects that are outside of the school curriculum and not covered by tax dollars.

The first grants awarded included $1,000 for a mobile lab demonstration table which will be used to enhance science lessons with hands-on interactive learning; and $1,000 for the ELMO document camera and projector for Kindergarten, allowing teachers to make books and lessons easily viewable by all students simultaneously.

“Thanks to our donor’s extraordinary generosity, Kent Center School students will have greater opportunities to expand their creativity and cultivate the skills necessary to attain the highest possible level of achievement,” stated Dr. Rima McGeehan, principal of the school. “These endowed funds will provide much-needed permanent resources for public school children in the community.”

“We’re very pleased to serve as steward for this important new fund,” said Jennifer Dowley, president of Berkshire Taconic. “The education enrichment funds are at the core of creative community thinking and a vital part of the foundation’s work.”

The next deadline for grant applications is February 1, 2011. Information and applications are available online.

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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