Berkshire Taconic Community Foundation Summer Grants Top $2M

SHEFFIELD — The board of directors of Berkshire Taconic Community Foundation announced the recipients of the second round of grantmaking for 2016. The foundation distributed a total of $430,378 in grants to individuals and nonprofits in the four-county region it serves, $496,786 in scholarships to graduating high-school seniors, and grants totaling over $1.1 million from donors with charitable funds at the foundation.

In Berkshire County, the foundation awarded grants from Fund for Williamstown, James and Robert Hardman Fund, New World Fund, Simple Gifts Fund, five education-enrichment funds, and 41 scholarship funds.

Education and enrichment grants to regional schools, school districts, and education programs in Berkshire County totaled $45,247. Select grant recipients include Berkshire County Head Start ($7,000) for a “Lunch and Learn” summer program for students in the Pittsfield Public School District, Flying Cloud Institute ($3,000) to enhance STEM programming at Undermountain School and Mount Everett High School in Sheffield, and Williamstown Elementary School ($4,000) for its math club.

A total of $303,986 in scholarships was awarded to Berkshire County students. Of that total, $86,750 was awarded by the Zenas and Winthrop Crane Scholarship Funds, which support graduates of Wahconah Regional High School, $72,500 by the McLaughlin-Wilson Scholarship Fund for residents of Monterey, and $17,000 by the Hon. James P. Dohoney Scholarship Fund for high-school seniors in southern Berkshire County. To view a full list of 2016 scholarship recipients, visit www.berkshiretaconic.org/scholarships.

Grants to arts organizations and programs in Berkshire County totaled $45,610. Select grant recipients include Berkshire Pulse Inc. ($1,000) for an after-school dance program at Undermountain Elementary School, Community Access to the Arts ($2,000) to exhibit paintings and artwork by artists with disabilities at the Clark Art Institute, and WilliNet ($2,500) for a website project.

Nonprofits and individuals providing social and human services across the county received $45,706 in grants. Select grant recipients include Volunteers in Medicine ($5,000) to provide care and interpretation services to immigrant patients; Berkshire Food Project ($3,000) to serve free, hot meals during the week and provide emergency food assistance on weekends; and yoga instructor Connie Wilson ($400) to teach basic skills to elementary-school students at New Marlborough Central School.

Finally, grants to environmental organizations and programs totaled $20,855. Select grant recipients include Hoosac Harvest ($2,500) for its Subsidized Shares program, which connects lower-income community members with farms, farmers, and locally grown food; Mass Audubon ($1,200) to offer an earth-science program at Morris Elementary School; Williamstown Rural Lands Foundation ($800) to provide transportation to its Sheep Hill conservation property; and Greenagers ($3,000) for its environmental-education projects.

A full list of regional grants can be found at www.berkshiretaconic.org/summergrants.