First of all, our Foundation encourages all of the communities in our service area and beyond to follow all local, state, and CDC guidelines to keep you, your family, and the community safe.
Since 1941, the Community Foundation of Greater New Britain, through the generosity of our donors and consistent leadership, has been the area’s signature resource for those who, like us, aspire to make our community a better place. We will continue to operate throughout the crisis, albeit remotely, so that we can provide grants, resources, sponsorships, and virtual educational workshops for nonprofits, and scholarships to students to the best of our ability.
At the bottom of this message we have shared with you the pledge our Foundation signed onto a few days ago, joining dozens, if not hundreds of other Foundations by now, to pledge their commitment to more flexible funding to help grantee partners meet emergency needs prompted by the COVID-19 crisis. In partnership with the Council on Foundations, it is a call to action everywhere to address the unanticipated effects of this global crisis as its social and economic implications unfold so grantees can move quickly to serve the communities most impacted. Thank you for your support so that we can respond where it’s needed.
If you are a Fund Representative for a Donor-Advised Fund
with our Foundation, you will receive an email on or around April 1
st
informing you of the funds available for grants you can make this year and how to inform us about which grants to nonprofits you wish to make. Here are a few other operational notes;
Our Foundation Center at 74 Vine Street in New Britain will be closed for the time being; however, our staff is working remotely and can be reached at their respective phone extensions and by email. Our main number is
860.229.6018
and our general email address is
info@cfgnb.org
Online gifts at
www.cfgnb.org
are encouraged while in-office operations are interrupted. The mailing of gift acknowledgement letters will take place once a month rather than weekly.
All committee and board meetings will take place; however, they will take place by phone on our conference line only. Materials to review for the meeting will be provided ahead of time in electronic format only.
Go to our
Facebook
page, LIKE it if you haven’t already to ensure that you will receive regular posts about our efforts and the efforts of other organizations in our community. Go to our website at
www.cfgnb.org
for official notifications and updates.
How You Can Help Others
- Support local food collection efforts when you can.
- Contribute directly to nonprofit organizations that are serving the most vulnerable in our communities.
- If you are not sure who to contribute to consider supporting the following;
Gifts to our
Community Foundation’s Civic Leadership Fund
allow our Foundation to respond to the areas of greatest need in our service area of Berlin, New Britain, Plainville and Southington.
Click here to make a gift
. We’ve already begun to devote significant resources to support nonprofit organizations operationally and programmatically, and with your generous support we can further strengthen the organizations that care for thousands of our neighbors throughout greater New Britain.
The
Main Street Community Foundation in Bristol has established a COVID-19 Response Fund
to help local communities mobilize the necessary resources to support the current emerging needs. This Fund is designed to give added support to those community organizations meeting the basic needs of local residents in Bristol, Burlington, Plainville, Plymouth, Southington and Wolcott. Because Main Street’s service area overlaps into our service area with Plainville and Southington we wanted to share this option for your charitable gift with you. More information about this fund can be found at
their website
The
United Way of Central and Northeastern Connecticut has launched their United Way Neighbors in Need Fund
to assist individuals and families in central and northeastern Connecticut with food; emergency assistance; and, childcare. A portion of the funds will also support statewide efforts for food and emergency assistance through the Connecticut United Ways COVID-19 Response Fund, a collaboration among local United Ways. Learn more
here.
A Call to Action: Philanthropy’s Commitment During COVID-19
Our Pledge
Over the days, weeks, and months ahead, each of our foundations pledges to:
- Loosen or eliminate the restrictions on current grants. This can include: converting project-based grants to unrestricted support; accelerating payment schedules; and not holding grantees responsible if conferences, events, and other project deliverables must be postponed or canceled.
- Make any new grants as unrestricted as possible, so that nonprofit partners have maximum flexibility to respond to this crisis. We will also support organizations created and led by the communities most affected that we may not fund currently.
- Reduce what we ask of our nonprofit partners, postponing reporting requirements, site visits, and other demands on their time during this challenging period.
- Contribute to community-based emergency response funds and other efforts to address the health and economic impact on those most affected by this pandemic.
- Communicate proactively and regularly about our decision-making and response to provide helpful information while not asking more of grantee partners.
- Commit to listening to our partners and especially to those communities least heard, lifting up their voices and experiences to inform public discourse and our own decision-making so we can act on their feedback. We recognize that the best solutions to the manifold crises caused by COVID-19 are not found within foundations.
- Support, as appropriate, grantee partners advocating for important public policy changes to fight the pandemic and deliver an equitable and just emergency response for all. This may include its economic impact on workers, such as expanded paid sick leave; increasing civic participation; access to affordable health care; and expanded income and rental assistance. It should also include lending our voices to calls to action led by grantee partners, at their direction and request.
- Learn from these emergency practices and share what they teach us about effective partnership and philanthropic support, so we may consider adjusting our practices more fundamentally in the future, in more stable times, based on all we learn.
If You or Someone You Know Needs Help
During The COVID-19 Public Health Crisis
Please Call 2-1-1
Governor Ned Lamont announced that the State of Connecticut is partnering with United Way of Connecticut to launch an information hotline for questions from the public regarding issues related to the spread of coronavirus (COVID-19). People who have questions can
call 2-1-1
or
text “CTCOVID” to 898211
.
Anyone experiencing symptoms is strongly urged to contact their medical provider to seek treatment.
Access Health CT Special Enrollment
As the Coronavirus (COVID-19) continues to threaten public health, Access Health CT announced a
NEW Special Enrollment Period
for qualified uninsured Connecticut residents. This Special Enrollment Period will be open from
March 19 to April 2, 2020.
To see if you are eligible
call 855-805-4325 (TTY: 1- 855-365-2428). Enrollment is available by phone only.
The Access Health call center will be helping people enroll
Monday through Friday, from 8am to 5pm.
To learn more, visit
learn.accesshealthct.com.
