BTCF announces 2016 grant deadlines for Berkshire County
Sheffield — Berkshire Taconic Community Foundation (BTCF) has announced the fourth and final round of deadlines for competitive grants in 2016. Covering the period from Saturday, Oct 1 – Saturday, Dec.31, the fall cycle of deadlines is open to regional nonprofits, schools and individuals.
Nonprofits
The William J. and Margery S. Barrett Fund for Adams, Cheshire and Savoy supports nonprofits, public agencies or community organizations that provide services to the residents of Adams, Cheshire or Savoy. The fund has up to $100,000 to grant out this year. Applications are due Tuesday, Nov. 1.
The Central Berkshire Fund supports nonprofits, public agencies and community organizations serving the residents of Becket, Cummington, Dalton, Hinsdale, Peru, Washington and Windsor. The fund has up to $85,000 to grant out this year. Applications are due on Monday, Oct. 10.
Nonprofits and Individuals
The Wassermann-Streit Y’diyah Memorial Fund supports projects that encourage learning about Judaism and dispel religious intolerance. Grants of up to $500 will be awarded. Applications are due Tuesday, Nov. 1.
Schools
Four education enrichment funds will award grants between $100 and $3,000 to support extracurricular projects in specific schools and school districts in Berkshire County:
- Berkshire Hills Fund for Excellence (Berkshire Hills Regional School District) – Saturday, Oct. 1
- Williamstown Elementary School Endowment Fund (Williamstown Elementary School) – Friday, Oct. 7
- Lee Fund for Educational Enrichment (Lee-Tyringham School District) – Sunday, Oct. 30
- Lanesborough Initiative for Excellence (Lanesborough School District) – Thursday, Dec. 1
Individuals
The Tupelo Award Fund provides grants of up to $1,000 to Berkshire County residents ages 16 to 36 to research a topic of demonstrated interest. Applications are due Saturday, Oct. 15.
There is an online application process for all grants. For more information, contact BTCF at (413) 229-0370 or info@berkshiretaconic.org.
–E.E.
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The Mount receives Massachusetts Cultural Council designations
Lenox — Edith Wharton Restoration, the nonprofit that oversees the Mount, has been awarded a Massachusetts Cultural Council (MCC) Gateway Grant in the amount of $3,000. This news came days after the Mount learned it had been accepted in the MCC’s Universal Participation Inclusive Design Initiative (UP) and received UP designation.
The Gateway Program is a competitive grant program that provides two years of unrestricted operating support and is the prerequisite to move into the MCC’s Cultural Investment Portfolio (CIP). The CIP provides unrestricted general operating project support grants to nonprofit organizations that provide public programs in the arts, sciences, and humanities in Massachusetts and have an established record of programmatic service and administrative stability.
The UP Designation is applied to organizations that have made a commitment to learn, take action and embrace inclusivity as a core institutional value. According to the MCC, over 80 organizations applied to the CIP Gateway program and only 17 grants were awarded.
–E.E.
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October Mountain Financial Advisors to hold grand opening
Lee — October Mountain Financial Advisors will hold a grand opening celebration and ribbon cutting ceremony on Friday, Sept. 16 at 5 p.m., followed by an open house. The public is invited to attend the event, which will feature remarks by State Rep. William “Smitty” Pignatelli, Lee Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Colleen Henry, Lee Bank President Chuck Leach, and St. Germain Investment Management President and Director Michael Matty.
As part of the ribbon cutting ceremony, October Mountain Managing Director Gary Schiff will present checks totaling $10,000 to the Lee Food Pantry, the Lee Senior Center, the Lee Youth Association, the Literacy Network of South Berkshire, Berkshire South Regional Community Center, and the Boys & Girls Club of the Berkshires.
–E.E.
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Celebrate the Berkshires
Lenox — 1Berkshire has selected Tanglewood and the Boston Symphony Orchestra (BSO) to receive the 2016 Putting the Berkshires on the Map award in recognition of the substantial contribution they make to the economy of the Berkshires. The recognition will be presented at the sixth annual Celebrate the Berkshires event from 6 – 8 p.m. on Thursday, Sept. 15, at Tanglewood.
Hailed as America’s premier summer music festival, Tanglewood has been the summer home of the BSO since its creation in 1937, providing high-quality musical performances amidst the pastoral beauty of the Berkshires. The 2015 Tanglewood season drew more than 315,000 visitors from around the world. The Tanglewood Music Center, which celebrated its 75th anniversary in 2015, offered an array of performances. The Days in the Arts program immersed urban, suburban, and rural middle school students in a variety of activities designed to create a lifelong appreciation of music and the arts, while special promotions and ticket programs made Tanglewood more accessible to all. In addition to honoring Tanglewood, Celebrate the Berkshires will showcase Berkshire-based individuals and businesses via the Trendsetter Awards.
Tickets to Celebrate the Berkshires are $60 each and $500 for a group of 10. Day-of-event tickets will be purchasable by check at the door. For tickets and more information, see the Berkshire Edge calendar or contact 1Berkshire at (413) 499-1600 or info@1berkshire.com.
–E.E.
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Grants and nominations for WAM Theatre
Lenox — The seven-year-old WAM Theatre has received three competitive grants (a Massachusetts Cultural Council Cultural Investment Portfolio Gateway Grant, a Mass Humanities project grant and a Berkshire Bank Foundation, Inc. grant), has been honored by the National Philanthropy Day committee, and has been nominated for a Berkshire Trendsetter Award and a Nonprofit Awareness Day Excellence Award over the summer. Additionally, WAM Theatre Artistic Director Kristen van Ginhoven recently attended the Women’s Leadership Conference in San Francisco.
Said van Ginhoven, “We feel lucky that our double philanthropic mission has received such esteemed recognition. As a young, fast growing company, we are incredibly grateful for these votes of confidence in our work and look forward to our continued impact into the future.”
–E.E.
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Salisbury Bank to hold Shred Day
Sharon, Conn. — Salisbury Bank & Trust Company will sponsor a free Community Shred Day on Saturday, Sept. 17, from 9 a.m. – noon at its Sharon location. Each person may bring up to four boxes of paper (paper only; no binders) for shredding.
Salisbury Bank is proud to offer this service as a way of enriching the communities it serves. All shredded paper will be recycled.
–E.E.
