CONTACT:
Cynthia Gorey, Executive Director
New Canaan Community Foundation
(203) 966-0231
cgorey@newcanaancf.org
PRESS RELEASE
For Immediate Release – June 5, 2014
Community Foundation Awards Grants and Scholarships
Representatives from local not-profit organizations serving clients with special needs
accept their grant checks and handprints symbolizing a connection to local children at the
Community Foundation’s award coffee. Photo Credit: Valerie Stryker
The New Canaan Community Foundation (NCCF) made $882,000 in charitable
investments in the local community this spring, culminating with their annual grant award
event on May 30th. At that meeting, grant checks totaling $686,000 were presented to 62
local non-profit organizations working to improve the quality of life in the New Canaan
area. Dave Hunt, President of the Board of Directors, welcomed over 125 guests and
explained that NCCF hosts the event each year “to highlight the importance of community
philanthropy and the local not-for-profit organizations whose work is so important to the
vibrancy of our Town.” Since 1977, the Foundation has awarded over $9 million in grants
to local nonprofit organizations. In 2013 alone, for the first time in their history the
Foundation awarded over $1 million in high-impact grants and life-changing scholarships.
In addition to this event, the Foundation held a Youth Philanthropy gathering on May 7th at
which local high school students awarded $18,500 in grants to ten area non-profits that
provide services to elderly residents in our community. Finally, the Foundation announced
scholarship funds of over $178,000 including awards to 65 New Canaan students and
$20,000 to seven organizations with scholarship programs.
Lindsey Heron, the Foundation’s VP of Distributions, awarded the grants with Cynthia
Gorey, Executive Director. Mrs. Heron thanked the 53 dedicated volunteers who worked
with the Board of Directors to form grant review and financial evaluation teams. They
volunteered many hours of their time and added important insight and expertise to the
careful and thorough grant evaluation process. Grant applicants are submitted in
February and 17 review teams of board members and volunteers visit every one of the 70
applicant organizations. They evaluated the proposals and made funding
recommendations which are presented to the entire Foundation board in the decisionmaking process. This method is at the core of NCCF’s work and makes them unique as a
volunteer based foundation. NCCF is committed to representing the interest of their
donors and to making careful and considered investments in organizations that support our
community.
Every year, NCCF’s grant-making goal is to provide funding for a wide range of important
programs that have an impact in our community and improve our quality of life. This year’s
62 grants support activities in six broadly defined categories: Arts, Culture, & Community
Resources, Elderly, Health Care, Human Services, Special Needs, and Youth/Education.
Cynthia Gorey explained that this year the Foundation started a new tradition of
“symbolically connecting some of the younger charitable residents in New Canaan with our
grant recipients”. Earlier in the year, NCCF staff visited the Kids Care group at West
School and a Girl Scout troop, and talked to them about the meaning of philanthropy.
They spent part of the time helping them create handprints with benevolent messages on
them. Those hands were presented with the grants to organizations working with children
and families who were asked to tell their clients the story behind them. Mrs. Gorey noted
that “kids in New Canaan care about their neighbors and send their best wishes to nonprofits helping their peers in our area”. NCCF asked the recipients to have these symbols
displayed and share photos of the hands at their organizations.
Detailed grants were made as follows:
Arts, Culture, & Community Resources: $104,000 to 13 organizations

Carriage Barn Arts Center

Cultural Alliance of Fairfield County

Merrie Bee Cabin, New Canaan Girl Scouts

New Canaan Historical Society

New Canaan Library

New Canaan Nature Center

Norwalk Symphony

Shakespeare on the Sound

Silvermine Guild for the

Stamford Museum and Nature Center

Stamford Symphony Orchestra

Summer Theater of New Canaan

Wildlife in Crisis
Services for the Elderly: $49,500 to 5 organizations

Elder House

Getabout

Meals on Wheels

New Canaan’s Department of Health and Human Services

Staying Put in New Canaan
Health Care: $84,500 to 7 organizations

AmeriCares Free Clinic

Child Guidance Center of Mid-Fairfield County

Child Guidance Center of Southern CT

Laurel House

Liberation Programs

Visiting Nurse & Hospice Care

Waveny LifeCare Network
Human Services: $207,500 to 17 organizations.

American Red Cross

The Center

Child Advocates of SW CT

Children’s Connection

Domestic Violence Crisis Center

Exchange Club Center for the Prevention of Child Abuse

Family and Children’s Agency

Family Centers

Family ReEntry

Inspirica

International Institute of CT

Kids in Crisis Neighbors

Open Door Shelter

Person-to-Person

Shelter for the Homeless

Workplace
Special Needs: $95,700 to 7 organizations.

Abilis

Arts for Healing

Camp Horizons

New Canaan Mounted Troop

St. Catherine’s Academy

South Avenue Cottage

STAR
Youth and Education: $144,300 to 13 organizations.

ABC

Carver Center

Child Care Learning Center

Domus

Earthplace

Future 5

Horizons Student Enrichment Program at NCCS

Mercy Learning Center

New Canaan CARES

Norwalk Grass Roots Tennis

REACH Prep

Voices of 9/11

Young Mariners
NCCF promotes community philanthropy and helps donors achieve their charitable goals.
The Foundation helps all residents make their charitable giving personal, simple, and
powerful. Local donors make a difference in New Canaan through the Foundation’s highimpact grants and life-changing scholarships. For more information call (203) 966-0231 or
visit www.newcanaancf.org.