A national foundation dedicated “to help children face the future with confidence” has awarded $1 million to the Hartford Foundation for Public Giving to strengthen its successful initiative to prepare children in Hartford for school and support them in the early grades.
The two-year grant from the W.K. Kellogg Foundation is for the Brighter Futures Initiative, a $25 million program begun in 1990 by the Hartford foundation.
“This grant from the Kellogg Foundation, which is highly regarded nationally for its early childhood funding, will help us strengthen and expand services for Hartford’s children from birth to age 8,” said Linda J. Kelly, president of the Hartford Foundation. “It will also strengthen collaboration on issues affecting school readiness and quality of life for Hartford’s children and their families.”
Five family centers in city neighborhoods each serve approximately 200 families a year, said Richard Sussman, director of the Brighter Futures Initiative. The centers provide educational activities and support services in seven areas: home visiting; parent education and support; parent-child interaction; adult education; parent advocacy and leadership development; basic human needs and quality care and education.
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YWCA Hartford Region is accepting applications for the Young Women’s Leadership Corps Summer Institute, a free program that gives young women grades 7-12 in the Greater Hartford area the power to persevere both personally and academically. The Summer Institute will run Monday through Thursday, 9 a.m. -4 p.m., from July 12 through Aug. 13 at the YWCA Hartford Region. For registration materials and more information, please call Susan Dawson, Youth Development Director at (860) 525-1163, ext. 317 or go to www.ywcahartford.org.
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Bank of America recently launched its 2010 grassroots philanthropic initiative, the Neighborhood Excellence Initiative, which honors and awards nonprofits and community leaders that are producing positive change through service, helping to revitalize their communities and tackling critical social issues ranging from hunger and housing to workforce development. This year, this initiative will allocate a total of $20 million in 45 markets across the U.S. and in London, and has already awarded $110 million globally. Applications are available online at http://www.bankofamerica.com/foundation/index.cfm?template=fd_grantapp. The deadline for applications is June 1 for Neighborhood Builders and Local Heroes.
