Berkshire Taconic Community Foundation

Northeast Dutchess Fund May 7 Deadline

April 19, 2011

SHEFFIELD, MA—The Northeast Dutchess Fund today announced the next grant deadline is May 7, 2011. 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, NY.

Nonprofits, community organizations or public agencies may submit applications. Applications and guidelines are available online or by calling Berkshire Taconic Community Foundation at 413.229.0370. A committee of local residents will review applications and award grants based on quality of the proposed project or service, its impact on the organization or community, and the ability of the organization to carry out the project.

Last Spring, the fund awarded $44,750 to the following programs:

Art East: $1,000 to develop promotional materials for a free open studio tour.

Council on Addiction Prevention and Education: $3,000 to subsidize the Marathon Project which empowers youth through a distance running program and culminates with participation in the Hartford Marathon.

Dover Elementary School: $1,500 for art education and mural project.

Dutchess BOCES: $1,800 to educate students in sustainable agriculture and agribusiness through the development of a solar-powered, aquaponic laboratory.

Dutchess Community College Foundation: $5,000 for GED classes in English and Spanish.

Dutchess County Community Action Agency: $1,000 to develop a savings program for low-income families which provides matching 1:1 donations for savings deposits up to $500.

First Presbyterian Church of Millerton: $4,000 to expand the English as a Second Language program to promote quality of life for new immigrants.

Housatonic Valley Association: $1,400 to raise public awareness about the environmental health of the Swamp River and its watershed in Dover Plains and Pawling.

Hudson Valley Shakespeare Festival, Inc.: $2,000 for an artist residency workshop series at Millbrook High School, including two productions of Julius Caesar.

Little Nine Partners Historical Society: $750 to restore basement access in the Little Nine Partners Historical Society building.

Millerton Adopt-A-Family: $3,000 for warm clothing and educational toys and materials for low-income families.

North East Community Council, Inc.: $5,000 for the Family Support Program which provides parenting support and education to local families.

Northeast–Millerton Library: $800 for a series of free musical performances.

Rural & Migrant Ministry: $3,000 for the Overnight Leadership Camp, a youth empowerment program for children of migrant workers.

St. Thomas Church Food of Life Pantry: $5,000 to increase distribution of food supplies, including fresh vegetables, dairy and meats.

Susie Reizod Foundation: $1,500 for New Shoes Donation Program to Children In Need which provides new shoes to low-income families.

Town of Amenia: $2,000 to provide free after-school dance instruction to youth in the Webutuck School district.

United Presbyterian Church of Amenia: $3,000 toward the purchase of a new furnace for the United Presbyterian Church building.

Additionally, the Northeast Dutchess Fund gives $100,000 per year to NED CORPS, a mobile social service agency which provides bi-lingual client advocates to the residents of Amenia, Clinton Corners, Millbrook, Millerton, Pine Plains and Stanford on a regularly scheduled basis, and $10,000 per year to the Latino Outreach program of Grace Church in Millbrook.

The Northeast Dutchess Fund was founded in 2002 as a permanently endowed fund of Berkshire Taconic Community Foundation. To make a donation to the fund or to apply for 2011 grants, please contact Berkshire Taconic by e-mail at info@berkshiretaconic.org or visit www.berkshiretaconic.org.

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.

###