New London Organizations Benefit From Community Foundation Grants

Part of this article was written by Eastern Connecticut Regional Editor Corey Fyke.

The Community Foundation of Eastern Connecticut last week announced that it has distributed $1.5 million in grants to nonprofit organizations throughout southeastern Connecticut and Windham County during the first three months of 2013, including many for New London.

"The first-quarter awards were a wonderful mix of donor advisor recommendations, a very competitive open grants process, annual support to specific nonprofits thanks to designated endowments, and disbursements to other nonprofits that have established their own endowments at the Community Foundation," foundation President Alice Fitzpatrick said in a news release. "It's exactly the way a community foundation is supposed to work."

Most of the grant monies were disbursed in southeastern Connecticut, where many people have established charitable funds over the past 30 years, Fitzpatrick said. About half of those dollars went to groups who applied for money through a competitive grant process.

Fitzpatrick praised a handful of "donor advisers" who added nearly $200,000 to the available grant funds for the first quarter of 2013.

Arts organizations in New London benefiting from the grants included the Eastern Connecticut Symphony Orchestra, Expressiones, Flock Theatre, Garde Arts Center, Hygienic Art, Lyman Allyn Art Museum, New London Community Orchestra, Public Library of New London, Riverside Park Conservancy, and Writers Block Ink.

Community organizations receiving grants included the Child and Family Agency of Southeastern Connecticut, Connecticut College's Child Learning Center and STEM program for the New London Public Schools, FRESH New London, Mitchell College's scholarships for local students, New London Community Boating, the New London Maritime Society, and New London Youth Affairs.

Social service agencies receiving grants included Alliance for Living, Catholic Charities, the Covenant Shelter, Habitat for Humanity of Southeastern Connecticut, Ledge Light Health Center, New London Community Meal Center, and Safe Futures.

A number of New London organizations also received funds through donor-advised grants, including the College Access Program, Friends of Science and Technology Magnet High School, the Interdistrict School for Arts and Communications, Heavy Hitters USA, the Kiwanis Club of New London, the New London Beautification Committee, the New London County Historical Society, New London Main Street, and Shiloh Baptist Church.

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