
REPORT TO THE COMMUNITY 2019
Our Work > |
Message from Our Leadership
Since March, our focus has been on supporting our neighbors hardest hit by the pandemic and the nonprofits that serve them. We have also sharpened our resolve to work with others to create a more equitable future for all our region’s residents, especially our growing communities of color.
We are all changed by recent events, and as a result, our lens has changed. Yet as we look back on our work together just one year ago, we accomplished important milestones for our strategic priorities of community engagement, economic opportunity and educational attainment throughout our four counties. And they remain crucial areas for leadership and investment as we move forward in this new landscape.
We are inspired by the critical organizations and generous donors and partners who made this work possible. To honor their efforts and our commitment to financial transparency, we now share a scaled-down and online-only review of 2019.
Our networks and relationships are especially crucial in moments of uncertainty. As your community foundation, we are uniquely positioned to help identify and address the immediate needs of our communities, and channel generosity to where it is needed most. Facing challenges and finding solutions together is our shared enterprise – this year and every year.
Thank you for being a part of it.
Peter Taylor, President Bob Norris, Chair, Board of Directors
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Grants & Gifts > |
Investments > |
Financials > |
New Funds > |
Professional Advisors > |
Legacy Circle > |
Board of Directors > |
Our Region > |
Highlights of Our Work in 2019

We connect donors to causes, leaders to ideas, and people and organizations to resources. Our partnerships have helped promote early literacy, expand school enrichment, make college more affordable, advance the arts, prevent substance abuse, increase access to healthy food, stabilize our neighbors in times of crisis, and strengthen the nonprofits working to improve our communities. In the face of persistent and emergent challenges, we will pursue with new determination our vision of the Berkshire Taconic region as a community of opportunity for all—through philanthropy and leadership. Below are highlights of our work last year.
BERKSHIRE COUNTY
Entrepreneurship for All (EforAll) Berkshire County launched last year to support the untapped potential of diverse residents as they seek to turn their promising ideas into successful businesses. A group of partners that includes Berkshire Taconic and several of our donors raised over $1 million for the first three years of operation to help transform communities into inclusive and thriving entrepreneurial ecosystems. Women-owned businesses won prizes in October during EforAll’s first pitch contest, where aspiring business owners shared their ideas for new startups. An intensive 12-week accelerator program launched in the winter to provide a class of local entrepreneurs with a full year of guidance from mentors and other local experts. Due to the pandemic, pitch contests and a fall accelerator program are being held virtually. Statewide, EforAll alumni have created over 500 new startups and over 720 jobs, raised nearly $35 million in capital and generated more than $25 million in revenue. EforAll startups are 74% women owned, 58% people of color owned and 46% immigrant owned.
Our effort to increase community engagement through the arts in Berkshire County expanded in 2019. The Barr Foundation committed a $1 million investment over three years to our Arts Build Community initiative, which is a partnership of arts and culture nonprofits, schools and students, donors, and residents of diverse incomes, ethnicities and ages. A resident-led research investigation found that many low-income, immigrant and minority communities feel little connection to the arts, and they named social discomfort as a major barrier. Despite this, nearly 80% of respondents expressed a desire to have the arts or creative expression be more a part of their lives. These findings fueled the design of a yearlong learning cohort for arts and culture nonprofits, a new community-led vision for arts education in schools, and a robust grants program that awarded nearly $320,000 last year to arts- and community-based nonprofits so they can test new ideas and collaborate on projects that involve diverse residents in the arts. In response to the far-reaching impact of the pandemic on many local arts organizations, the Barr Foundation has worked with us to provide operating support for cohort members.
Additional highlights: Jane McEvoy, an English teacher at Lee Middle and High School, was awarded the 11th annual James C. Kapteyn Prize for excellence in teaching. She received a $10,000 award for study and travel to enrich her teaching, and the school was given a $2,000 grant in her name. Jessica Piazza and Colin Channer were recipients of the Amy Clampitt residency, which provides poets and literary scholars with the time and opportunity to focus exclusively on their work at Clampitt's former home near Lenox. Among the many artists awarded funding was mixed media painter Ali Herrmann of Lenox, who received grants from the Martha Boschen Porter Fund and the Artist’s Resource Trust (A.R.T.) Fund to focus her time and energy on large projects that feature a diverse range of materials, as well as participate in a month-long residency at the Millay Colony for the Arts. The Honorable James P. Dohoney Scholarship Fund marked its 20th anniversary of supporting students in south Berkshire County with nearly $200,000 in scholarships since its inception.
COLUMBIA COUNTY
Our Fresh and Healthy Food for All initiative aims to create a more equitable food system in Columbia County. Thanks to the generosity of two anonymous donors, we awarded more than $173,000 to three critical partners in 2019. The Hawthorne Valley Association launched Rolling Grocer 19’s brick-and-mortar store in Hudson to give residents consistent access to wholesome, local food that is made affordable by tiered pricing based on income. Its staff continues to provide a safe and healthy shopping option during the pandemic, and offers delivery and curbside pick-up for homebound and high-risk customers. The Sylvia Center expanded its healthy cooking programs for students and their families in area school districts, and the New Lebanon Farmers Market helped low-income families and seniors double the purchasing power of their federal food and nutrition benefits to buy fresh, local food.
Last year, we granted $147,000 to our partners in the Early Literacy and Learning Network to ensure that more children in Columbia County reach their potential. Columbia Opportunities and Greater Hudson Promise Neighborhood launched the Talking is Teaching public awareness and action campaign to provide parents and caregivers with the tools to talk, read and sing more with their kids. These meaningful interactions can better prepare young children for school and encourage lifelong learning. Catholic Charities boosted the early literacy component of its home visiting program, and expanded its offerings to serve more families. The work of the Early Literacy and Learning Network is made possible by two anonymous donors.
Additional Highlights: For the first time, the Fund for Columbia County dedicated a portion of its grantmaking to projects that create a lasting and positive impact on older residents. Dozens of board members from area nonprofits participated in a learning and discussion session on diversity, equity and inclusion during our Board Leadership Seminar in Hudson. With support from our Community Development Collaborations initiative, one grantee, Philmont Beautification, developed plans to increase small-business ownership of mixed-use storefronts, with affordable housing on the upper floors. The Taconic Hills Education Enrichment Fund celebrated 20 years of enhancing the educational experience for students in the school district. Among the local artists receiving grants were visual artist Fern Apfel of Kinderhook and writer Julia Sedlock of Philmont, who received Martha Boschen Porter Fund grants to pursue their projects.
NORTHEAST DUTCHESS COUNTY
For more than a decade, the Northeast Dutchess Fund’s NEDCorps program has helped connect residents in poverty to health and human services. The fund expanded this initiative last year with multiple partners and funders, including the Carson Family Charitable Trust and the Walbridge Fund, to reach more residents and offer them a greater array of services. As part of NEDCorps 2.0, mobile case management workers are helping residents meet immediate basic needs—from housing and utilities to food and prescriptions—and achieve financial self-sufficiency. These social workers are helping immigrants navigate support systems, and NED awarded nearly $30,000 in grants to organizations that are developing new programs for the local immigrant community. NED also funded a career readiness coordinator to help high school students gain skills that can be transferable to local employment after graduation. The structure of NEDCorps 2.0 allowed these trusted social workers to immediately provide aid to individuals and families affected by the pandemic.
Our Community Development Collaborations initiative awarded a grant to Hudson River Housing last year to host a workshop in northeast Dutchess County to better understand the housing needs of the rural workforce and share innovative affordable housing models with local decision-makers, residents, nonprofits and business owners. That event led to the launch of a new group called the Northeastern Dutchess Tri-Town Coalition, which is a collaborative group of Amenia, Millerton and Pine Plains residents and stakeholders that actively works to advance solutions for affordable housing and inclusive economic development in the region. The group hosted multiple meetings in 2019 to receive community input on topics including infrastructure, financing and engagement. It is shifting to virtual meetings and will continue pursuing property acquisitions for affordable housing needs, which are exacerbated by the pandemic.
Additional highlights: Webutuck Quest for Excellence Fund committee chair Lynn Buckley attended a board of education meeting to highlight the fund's nearly $25,000 in grantmaking over the past five years and outline how the projects enhance the educational experience of Webutuck Central School District students and teachers. Webutuck High School graduate Danielle Cope spent two months in the Ecuadorian Amazon, living and working at Amazoonico Wildlife Rescue Center, thanks to a grant from the Violet H. Simmons Scholarship Fund’s Summer Enrichment Program. The Dover Education Enrichment Program (DEEP) and Sustaining Education Enrichment and Development (SEED) Fund for Pine Plains awarded a combined total of nearly $20,000 to support projects in their respective school districts, such as a geocaching history club and a makerspace area to collaborate on science, technology, engineering, arts and math activities.
NORTHWEST LITCHFIELD COUNTY
Valerie Lenis of Lakeville started her freshman year on campus at Cornell University this fall thanks to the Margaret Derwin scholarship. This $105,000 award supports a Housatonic Valley Regional High School junior who demonstrates a strong commitment to achieving his or her dreams. Valerie will receive up to $25,000 annually toward college tuition and other costs. An additional $5,000 allowed her to travel to the Dominican Republic last year to assist with public health and water sanitation efforts. “This scholarship means so much to me,” Valerie said. “It means opportunity. It means a weight lifted off my shoulders. It’s so valuable, and I want to put it to full use.”
For the fourth year, our Northwest Corner Fund partnered with the McCall Center for Behavioral Health and the Foundation for Community Health to combat substance abuse in northwest Connecticut. We have invested in two strategies to address a crisis that greatly affects the families and communities in our region. Last year, approximately 300 Region One School District students in grades six through eight participated in the Botvin LifeSkills program, an evidence-based class that aims to delay the first use of harmful substances and promote healthy personal development. We also support a local coalition of school staff, community members, and health and human service providers known as the Northwest Corner Prevention Network. These dedicated volunteers plan community events to prevent substance misuse. In 2019, their first family costume skate party reached a record number of participants; their drug take-back event collected 72 pounds of unused prescription medication; and they helped hundreds of students pledge to stay drug free during the national Red Ribbon Week. Residents are invited to their monthly meetings, which are currently held virtually due to the pandemic. Students are now accessing their Botvin classes remotely.
Additional highlights: Our Community Development Collaborations initiative provided grants to the Northwest Hills Council of Governments to launch pop-up hubs in North Canaan, Warren and Cornwall to engage residents on ways to support their town centers, and the Foundation for Norfolk Living to host a conference on affordable housing. More than 50 board members from area nonprofits attended our Board Leadership Seminar in Lakeville to learn how to make smarter fundraising decisions. Our Neighbor-to-Neighbor Fund awarded Northwestern Connecticut Community College a grant to help students in northwest Litchfield County face unexpected expenses that challenge their ability to continue their studies. The Arts Fund for Regional One gave fourth-graders the opportunity to enjoy a day of performances and workshops with artists.
Grants and Gifts

Investments
Generous donors have entrusted their philanthropy to Berkshire Taconic Community Foundation for more than three decades. We take seriously our responsibility to steward their gifts with prudent, long-term financial strategies that maximize grantmaking and preserve and grow resources for the future.
Berkshire Taconic Community Foundation provides effective stewardship of charitable assets to preserve and enhance fund values over time for our charitable fund holders. Our investment program offers a stable framework for long-term investment growth of our endowment portfolio and a marketable socially responsible investment portfolio. When the COVID-19 crisis hit in early 2020, our defensive positions provided the protection we expected against that unprecedented market volatility. The foundation’s managed pool continues to outperform our investment policy benchmark and a passive index over time periods of three years or longer. In addition, the managed pool ranked in the top quartile of U.S. community foundations our size reporting returns over those time periods.
The investment objective of Berkshire Taconic Community Foundation is to maximize returns from its portfolios, preserve capital and liquidity, and produce long-term growth for its charitable funds. The foundation’s investment program is led by a committee of volunteer investment experts, working with its professional staff and independent consultant, Prime Buchholz Associates of Portsmouth, N.H. The foundation strives to produce long-term returns that offset grants, administrative fees and inflation to maintain the real spending power of funds over time. It achieves those objectives by deploying a diversified asset allocation measured against industry and peer benchmarks. The foundation works with over 50 investment managers in several portfolio strategies, including long-term endowment, social impact, income, money market and trusts. Berkshire Taconic complies with the Uniform Prudent Management of Institutional Funds Act (UPMIFA) in the management of its funds.
To view documents related to our investment strategy, go to our investments page.
Financials
Berkshire Taconic Community Foundation net assets grew $26.3 million last year due to strong investment returns and growth in charitable giving. Investment returns grew by 19.1% in both the managed pool and the socially responsible investment pool, adding $26.3 million in net returns. Contributions rose to $13.4 million as gifts and bequests grew by $3.7 million. Grants and scholarship awards also grew to $10.7 million, an increase of $2.4 million.
To view audited financial statements, Internal Revenue Service filings and other materials from which this information is obtained, go to our financials page.
New funds

At Berkshire Taconic Community Foundation, we use a collaborative approach to philanthropy that connects donors to the causes they care about. The new funds listed below channel generosity to where it is needed. Working with partners throughout our four counties, our emergency response funds help nonprofits and our neighbors affected by the pandemic.
Ball Stick Bird Fund
BEC Succ3ss Idea Jam
Becket Athenaeum Children's Endowment Fund
Berkshire Hills Emergency Food Distribution Fund
Emory Fund
John Brett Legacy Fund
Music Mountain Fund
Orion Fund for Women Writers
Out of School Time Fund
Roger T. Knollmeyer Scholarship Fund
Tom Giddings Memorial Scholarship Fund
Learn how to establish a fund
with Berkshire Taconic >
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Columbia County Business Continuity Fund
in partnership with the Fund for Columbia County, Columbia Economic Development Corporation, Columbia Chamber of Commerce and Hudson Business Coalition
Columbia County COVID-19 Emergency Response Fund
in partnership with the Fund for Columbia County
COVID-19 Emergency Response Fund for Berkshire County
in partnership with Berkshire United Way, Northern Berkshire United Way and Williamstown Community Chest
Northeast Dutchess COVID-19 Relief Fund
in partnership with the Northeast Dutchess Fund and a generous anonymous donor
Northwest Corner COVID-19 Emergency Response Fund
in partnership with the Northwest Corner Fund and Northwest Connecticut Community Foundation
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We welcomed the new funds listed above between Oct. 31, 2019 and Aug. 31, 2020.
Professional Advisors
We thank the professional advisors who partner with us to fulfill their clients' charitable visions.
Molly Ackerly, Esq.
Ackerly Brown LLP
Paula K. Almgren
Almgren Law
Andrea Doyle Asman
Litwin Asman PC
Alexander W. Bloomstein, Esq.
Baldwin & Bloomstein LLC
Jennifer M. Boll, Esq.
Bond, Schoeneck & King PLLC
Louise F. Brown, Esq.
Ackerly Brown LLP
Michael Bucci
Pattison Koskey Howe & Bucci PC
J. Peri Campoli, Esq.
Campoli, Monteleone & Mozian PC
Matthew Chester, CFP
RBC Wealth Management
Michael Citrin
Drury, Patz & Citrin LLP
Janice J. Cook, Esq.
Donovan O’Connor & Dodig LLP
Thomas A. Curtin
Alexandra Dest
Alexandra Dest Capital Management
Jason Dohaney, MBA
MountainOne Investments
Edward F. Downey
Downey, Haab and Murphy PLLC
Geoffrey Drury
Drury, Patz & Citrin LLP
Keith J. Flint, Esq.
Flint Law Firm
Mark S. Gold
Smith Green & Gold LLP
Pamela R. Green
Smith Green & Gold LLP
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Mitchell I. Greenwald
Law Office of Mitchell I. Greenwald
Sherwood Guernsey II, Esq.
Law Offices of Sherwood Guernsey
Martin L. Huban III
Brazee and Huban CPAs
Ellen Janis, MBA
Commonwealth Financial Group
Ira J. Kaplan, Esq.
Attorney at Law
Katherine Kiefer, Esq.
Richard P. Koskey
Pattison Koskey Howe & Bucci PC
James M. Lamme III
Lamme and Linscott
Wendy Linscott
Lamme and Linscott
Thomas Malinowski
Renaissance Investment Group LLC
Robin A. Markey
Smith, Watson & Company LLP
John J. Martin, Esq.
Martin & Oliveira LLP
William E. Martin, Esq.
Martin & Oliveira LLP
Michael McCarthy
George, Massimiano & McCarthy PC
Kathleen McCormick
McCormick, Murtagh & Marcus
Ronda G. Parish
Law Office of Ronda G. Parish
Linda Patz
Drury, Patz & Citrin LLP
Lucy Prashker
Cain Hibbard & Myers PC
Holly Rogers
Law Office of Holly Rogers
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Keith Salisbury
Walsh, Wicks & Salisbury
Gary Schiff
October Mountain Financial Advisors
Brooks Sherman
RBC Wealth Management
James J. Sisto, Esq.
Berkshire Elder Law Center
Benjamin Smith
Benjamin Smith & Associates Legal Counsel PC
George Smith, CPA
Smith, Watson & Company LLP
Susan M. Smith, Esq.
Virginia Stanton Smith, Esq.
Smith Green & Gold LLP
David R. Stack
McLaughlin & Stern LLP
Donna Turner
Smith, Watson & Company LLP
John N. Umlauf
Umlauf & Dunn PC
Charles C. Vail
Ackerly Brown LLP
Emily Vail
Ackerly Brown LLP
Donna D. Vincenti
Law Offices of Donna D. Vincenti
Carl G. Whitbeck Jr., Esq.
Whitbeck Benedict & Smith LLP
Douglas F. Wicks, Esq.
Walsh, Wicks & Salisbury
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Legacy Circle
We thank the legacy donors below who have made a commitment to strengthen the future of our region and have chosen Berkshire Taconic as the vehicle for their generosity.
Eunice Agar
Dr. Nicholas Boraski
Christine and Tack Burbank
Duncan Calhoun and Russell Gibson
Ted Cobden
Kevin and Jean Decker
Sally Eagle and Dan Mead
Norma Edsall* and Alice Corbin
Monroe England
Sheldon Evans and Martha McMaster
Fred and Nancy Fagelman
Brian Fairbank
Ralph D. Fedele
Charlie and Betty Frank
Renee Fuller*
Pamela R. and Jay R. Green
Joan Griswold
Donald Grody*
Ed and Lisa Bouchard Hoe
Thomas and Barbara Joseph
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Francoise Kelz
Dave Klausmeyer
Peter Krysa*
Lael Locke
Eleanor Lord
Priscilla J. McEwen and Charles A. Garman
Phil and Kathy McKnight
James and Catherine Miller
David Wilson Milne and Joyce Harris Milne
Kelly A. Morgan
Carol Perkins
Ralph Peterson
Elizabeth and Wynn* Sayman
Mary Silks
Sam and Elizabeth Smith
John and Jid Sprague
Lawrence Strauss
Laurel Trahan
Vera V.J. Weintraub
Anonymous (28)
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*Deceased
The funds below are designated to receive a bequest from a generous donor.
Dr. Bernard and Eleanor Auge Family Fund
Crofut Family Fund
Dorsoduro Family Fund
Ferris Burtis Scholarship Fund
Fund for Mt. Washington
JB2 Fund
Mario Fund
McCarthy Family Fund
Pine Grove Cemetery Fund
Whistler's Brother
Learn how to build your legacy through planning giving >
Board of Directors
Our board members care deeply about our communities and bring knowledge, passion and commitment to their work.
Bob Norris was elected as our new board chair last year. The Great Barrington resident, who was a longtime teacher at the Rudolf Steiner School, joined our board in 2013. He has been critical to the launch and leadership of a range of nonprofit organizations, including BRIDGE and Berkshire South Regional Community Center. He replaced Sarah Stack, who served as chair for three years and is currently co-chair of our Northeast Dutchess Fund.

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Bob Norris
Chair
Great Barrington, MA
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Dr. Richard B. Weininger
Vice Chair
Claverack, NY
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Emilie M. Pryor
Secretary
West Cornwall, CT |
Jodi K. Rathbun-Briggs
Treasurer
Great Barrington, MA
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Ellen C. Boyd
West Stockbridge, MA
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Dr. Peter Dillon
Stockbridge, MA
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Sheldon Evans
Ghent, NY |
Peter Frank
Hudson, NY |
Thaddeus Gray
Lakeville, CT
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Pamela R. Green
Pittsfield, MA
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Nancy N. Hathaway
Millbrook, NY
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Elizabeth R. Hilpman
Norfolk, CT
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Nancy Humphreys
Lakeville, CT |
Jane Iredale
Great Barrington, MA
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Suzette Brooks Masters
Canaan, NY
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Kelly A. Morgan
Pine Plains, NY
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David Offensend
Wassaic, NY |
Henry Putzel III
Sharon, CT |
Eleanore Velez
Lee, MA
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Our Region
Berkshire Taconic serves a four-county area where New York, Connecticut and Massachusetts meet. Our region is home to nearly 250,000 people, spread out across 2,200 square miles in 70 towns and three cities. Throughout our communities, we draw on the deep local knowledge of hundreds of volunteers who serve on grantmaking committees and direct resources to achieve impact.
