Hardman Fund Awards $14,300 in Grant Money
GREAT BARRINGTON, Mass. - The Robert and James Hardman Fund, an endowment of Berkshire Taconic Community Foundation, announced that it has awarded grants totaling $14,300 to 12 nonprofit organizations in North Adams, Clarksburg, Florida and Stamford. This year the fund gave priority to supporting programs that sustain the community in difficult times.Six grants were awarded to:
Elder Services of Berkshire County: $4,000 for the Meals on Wheels program, which provides over 37,000 hot, nutritious meals to seniors in North Adams, Clarksburg and Florida.
Berkshire Food Project: $2,500 to provide meals to North Adams residents five days a week and teach young parents the importance of good nutrition through the People Helping Other People program.
St. Anthony of Padua: $1,000 to offer meals to the elderly and house-bound residents of North Adams.
Clark Art Institute: $1,400 for interns at Kidspace MASS MoCA, an arts education program that is managed collaboratively by the Clark, MASS MoCA and Williams College Art Museum.
Church Outreach To Youth Project: $750 for the Kids Upward Bound Academy, which provides children in North Adams with a non-traditional model of education.
North Adams Historical Society: $500 for third-graders from surrounding towns to visit the North Adams Museum of History and Science to enhance social studies and science classes.
Inkberry: $1,000 for “The Write Stuff,” a creative writing program that connects North Adams School District sixth and seventh-graders with mentors from the Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts.
Brien Center for Mental Health: $500 for services including nursing, counseling and rehab care at the Adult Day Health Center in North Adams.
North Berkshire Community Coalition: $1,500 to continue the UNITY Youth Leadership Program, a science-based youth development curriculum preventing teen pregnancy, dropouts and school failure.
North Berkshire YMCA: $750 to support the Summer Campership Program, which provides educational, character building and motor skill development programs.
Drury Drama Team: $200 for three theatrical productions at Drury High School over the course of the school year.
Trova Theatre Arts: $200 for the summer production of William Shakespeare’s “Twelfth Night” at Main Street Stage in North Adams.
The Hardman Fund for North Adams was established in 2000 by members of the Hardman family in honor of James A. Hardman, Jr. (1909-1990) and Robert Hardman (1911-1978). The purpose of the Fund is to enrich the lives of residents of North Adams, Florida and Clarksburg, Mass., and Stamford, Vt. Applications are reviewed by a committee of local residents, and grants are awarded based on excellence of the project or service, impact on the community and the applicant’s ability to carry out the project. The next deadline for Hardman Fund grant proposals is May 1, 2010. Applications are available online at www.berkshiretaconic.org/grantseekers or by calling 413.528.8039.
Berkshire Taconic Community Foundation builds stronger communities and improves the quality of life for all residents of Berkshire County, MA; Columbia County and northeast Dutchess County, NY; and northwest Litchfield County, CT. Thanks to its generous donors, in 2008 Berkshire Taconic distributed nearly $9 million in scholarships and grants for programs in the arts and education, health and human services, and environmental protection. Berkshire Taconic is a 501 (c)(3) charitable organization.
