Community Foundation of the Tri-County Area

Our Family of Funds
 
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OUR FAMILY OF FUNDS

The Community Foundation of the Tri-County Area is dedicated to improving the quality of life and long-term well-being of our community by promoting philanthropy, supporting local nonprofit organizations, and building ongoing resources for the future.

The Community Foundation consists of many component funds, tracked individually, that are donated by individuals, families, businesses, and organizations to support their favorite charities and causes. Each fund reflects the interests and goals of its creator. Most funds require a minimum amount before distribution activity, but they may be built over time from regular donor contributions. The Community Foundation handles the administrative functions, and a local volunteer board of directors oversees the endowment, while continually responding to the community’s changing needs and opportunities.

THE COMMUNITY FUND: Unrestricted Named Funds

Unrestricted Named Gifts are very important to the growth of the Community Foundation and its ability to support a variety of programs that make our community richer for all. Donors may create unrestricted discretionary funds, often in someone’s honor or memory or to mark a special occasion, and allow us to distribute the grant money where it is most needed. Anyone may contribute an “in honor or memory” gift to named funds.

• Anonymous Donor Fund
• Big4/Radio Stations
• Camp Family Fund
• Ann Marie Cazel Fund
• Charles & Susan Seeman Fund
• Chelsea Groton Bank Fund
• David Anderson Fund
• Dime Saving Bank Fund
• Dorothy C. Goodwin Fund
• Eastern Connecticut Development Council Fund
• Eastern Federal Bank Fund
• Elsie A. Brown Fund
• Estelle & Harold Ross Fund
• Gorin's Furniture Fund
• Jerome & Marian Silverstein Fund
• Jewett City Savings Fund
• John & Kay Roan Fund
• Juliet Wilbur Long Teachers Fund
• Kathleen W. & John T. Roan Fund
• Liberty Bank Fund
• Manuel & Joan Kadish Fund
• Margaret Connelly Sullivan Fund
• Millie & Martin Shapiro Fund
• N L County Mutual Fund
• New London Day Fund
• Norwich Combined Gifts Fund
• Norwich Savings (People) Fund
• R.S. Gernon Trust Fund
• Savings Bank Manchester Fund
• Stella Shannon Fund

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ADVISED FUNDS

Advised Funds offer active participation in the grant process by allowing donors to suggest nonprofit grant recipients. Donors may establish a Donor-Advised or Family-Advised Fund, naming family members to serve as advisors and successor advisors. Corporate-Advised Funds are structured to meet the charitable and employee-involvement goals of the company. These funds can be started with cash or appreciated securities, and may or may not be permanently endowed.

• Colin & Loretta Rice Family Fund: A donor-advised fund in progress through the build-a-fund option to provide annual donations to charitable organizations recommended by the Rice family.
• Colonial Cooperative Care Charitable Fund: A corporate-advised fund to provide grants to charitable organizations.
• Jon Martenson Fund: A donor-advised fund established by Judith Hyde to support child welfare and violence prevention.
• John & Elizabeth Martin Fund: John and Elizabeth’s children established this fund in honor of their parents, who cared deeply about the Norwich community.
• Julia J. & Carl W. Lindquist, M.D. Fund: An advised fund to support charitable organizations recommended by the donors.
• Michael J. Gorman Fund for Persons with Disabilities: A donor-advised fund to support people with developmental and other disabilities east of the Connecticut River.
• Public Safety Fund: A donor-advised fund in progress through the build-a-fund option to support greater Windham’s public safety organizations for special items and projects.
• Pursuit Fitness Children’s Fund: This fund was established by Albert A. Lyman, Jr. to serve the region’s children who are seriously ill, disabled, or disadvantaged.
• Windham Public Schools Fund: A donor-advised fund to support programs for worthy schools, students, teachers, and parent/student/teacher organizations in Windham Public Schools.

A WORD ON DONOR ADVISED FUNDING The Community Foundation is happy to help our donors in identifying compelling projects to support. The Foundation can “screen” the many proposals received for donors’ specific interest areas and criteria. For example, a donor may be interested in supporting projects that serve at-risk youths in northeastern Connecticut. We will forward copies of appropriate grant requests for the donor’s consideration. Through this process, we are able to respond together to the more pressing needs than could be met through the Foundation’s limited discretionary funds alone. Our donors can expect personal services that help them maximize the impact of their philanthropy.

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DESIGNATED FUNDS

Donors who establish Designated Funds specify one or more organizations to receive grants year after year. The Community Foundation monitors these grants to ensure that the donor’s original objective is fulfilled.

• Almond Paine Fund: A bequest from the estate of Almond M. Paine supports protestant Sunday schools in Killingly.
• Catherine Melling Fund: A fund established through a bequest from the estate of Mae Drescher, in memory of Catherine Melling, to benefit the New London County 4-H.
• EASTCONN (ACT) Fund for Arts at the Capitol Theater: A non-endowed fund to support annual need-based student scholarships as well as special performances and other opportunities.

FIELD OF INTEREST FUNDSthe promise of youth

Restricted funds support causes of particular interest to the donors, such as youth programs, services for the elderly, the environment, animal welfare, or arts organizations. The Community Foundation selects the best grant recipients annually, considering the donor’s area of interest.

• Arts in Education Fund: A fund being built by local individuals and businesses to build support and provide grants for special arts projects in Norwich area public schools.
• Business Industry Children’s Fund: This field of interest fund is being built by Norwich Area Chamber of Commerce members to benefit children.
• George L. Holt Public Welfare Fund: The Willimantic Welfare Bureau was established in 1932 to provide relief for the town’s poor. It received a bequest from the estate of George Holt in 1940, including 17 shares of the Willimantic Trust Company, which by 2002 had become 10,450 shares of Fleet stock. The Bureau had become dormant over the years, and the assets were eventually transferred to the Community Foundation in May of 2002. The largest Community Foundation fund to date, it provides grants for need-based human services and health programs in the Windham area.
• Greater Norwich Education Fund: This Community Foundation initiative builds a fund to provide grants to explore children’s special talents in the broad areas of the arts, sciences, and civics.
• Norwich Area Physicians’ Fund: A fund established by Norwich physicians to support gaps in the health field that affect eastern Connecticut’s residents. Typical grants provide clinical equipment to health facilities and to patients who need financial assistance.
• Women & Girls Fund: Launched in 2004 by caring community members, the Women & Girls Fund is a Community Foundation initiative that brings diverse women together through charitable giving, and empowers its donors with the opportunity to pool their resources in order to respond to the health, nutrition, safety, shelter, and educational needs of women and girls. The Women & Girls Fund committee makes recommendations for community grants from this field of interest fund on an annual basis.
• Louise Guarnaccia Fund for Non-Traditional Students: This fund was established with a gift of stock, and is part of the Women & Girls Fund, Windham Chapter. It will help women in various stages of life participate in educational opportunities that will enhance their futures.
• The Larry Pontbriant Athletic Safety Fund. The fund supports training and equipment to prevent death from sudden cardiac arrest.

AGENCY ENDOWMENTS

Agency Endowment Funds, typically established by board members of nonprofit organizations, are permanently endowed to provide ongoing annual support to the organizations. Anyone can contribute to an existing agency endowment.

• Community Foundation Administrative Fund: Donors who believe in our goal to create permanent resources for our community support the ongoing growth of the Community Foundation with donations that may be general or targeted to a particular region.
• NDPU Fund: Established by Norwich Public Utilities to serve as a safety net for those who find themselves in emergency situations in which assistance is needed to sustain their utilities. Community members are invited to help grow this fund.
• Windham Theatre Guild: An Agency Endowment fund that will support programs at the Windham Theatre Guild annually and into the future.

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SCHOLARSHIP FUNDS

Scholarship Funds enable a donor to establish a named fund to benefit a particular school or group of students. They are a thoughtful way to establish a permanent legacy in memory of a loved one, to honor family members, or provide educational incentives for future community leaders.

• David J. Calchera EASTCONN/ACT Scholarship Fund: This fund was established in 2005 to honor departing executive director David J. Calchera, and is designated to annual tuition costs for EASTCONN/ACT students.
• John F. Root Jr. Scholarship Fund: Established in the memory of John Root to benefit college-bound students of Windham High School.
• John T. Savage Memorial Scholarship Fund: (in development)
• Paul N. Carpenter Athletic Memorial Scholarship Fund: Established by Gregory P. Carpenter in memory of his father, and by his grandmother, Nina Carpenter, to provide scholarships to college-bound Griswold High School students who strive to do their best in academics and athletics.

SPECIAL INTEREST FUNDS

On occasion, the Community Foundation will consider holding a fund for a special project that will benefit the community. Special Interest Funds exemplify a foundationís versatility, in serving as a charitable repository for funds that may be short-term in nature, or are funneled through the Foundation for a specific purpose.

• Bailey’s Garden Fund: The Shifrin Family established this fund to support the building of an accessible playground in Lebanon in loving memory of Bailey Shifrin, who died from Edwards Syndrome at the age of six. The Fund closed in 2007, following the completion of Phase I.
• Cultural Heritage Fund: The Connecticut Humanities Council provides pass-through funding for grants to encourage and support the sharing of the rich heritage of eastern Connecticut towns served by the Community Foundation. Individuals who want to increase support to cultural organizations are encouraged to contribute to this Fund.
• Greater Windham Community Business Fund: This fund was initiated in 2003 by the Treiber, Guarnaccia, & Connors Law Firm, The O.L. Willard Co., Inc., Keeper Corporation, and the Savings Institute Back & Trust to support the Community Foundation’s work in the greater Windham area. Local business make named gifts to this fund annually.
• The Ossen Fund for the Arts: Established by Jeffrey P. and Eileen M. Ossen, this fund is designated to Windham’s four elementary schools to increase programs that provide meaningful experiences in the arts.
• The Larry Pontbriant Athletic Safety Fund: This fund promotes awareness that, although rare, sudden cardiac arrest may occur without warning, even in well-conditioned athletes. The timeframe between onset of the cardiac event and beginning of brain damage due to lack of oxygen is measured in minutes. Contributions to this fund are used for AED acquisition and training, to promote the on-site availability of AED devices and trained volunteers during athletic events.
• Veteran's Memorial Greenway Fund: In 2004, a memorial to honor fallen veterans, was designed by Windham Middle School students and built on the corner of Jackson and Union streets in Willimantic. This temporary fund will continue to be held by the Community Foundation for the Veteran's Memorial Greenway Association in consideration of our service men and women currently serving our Country.

DEFERRED GIFT FUNDS AND TRUSTS

Deferred Gift Funds are created by different types of planned giving vehicles, such as charitable remainder trusts, charitable gift annuities, and pooled life income funds, which offer substantial tax benefits and, in some cases, income for life.

• Fred Cazel Charitable Gift Annuity pays income to Mr. Cazel for life, and then becomes a Community Foundation fund in his name.

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LEGACY CIRCLE

The Legacy Circle enables those who are willing and able to plan ahead to support their favorite causes or charities through the Community Foundation. By their generosity and leadership, Legacy Circle donors will make an incredible impact on the future of our community. Our Legacy Circle encompasses those who have made, or intend to make, planned gifts to benefit the Foundation. Bequests, trusts, and gift annuities are the usual vehicles for such generous consideration of the future. We encourage you to let us know if you should be included in our Legacy Circle, even if you wish to remain anonymous in our materials. The Community Foundation ensures that your wishes are carried out year after year.

Legacy Circle Contributors

Rheo Brouillard
Fred Cazel
Mildred Devine
Judith Hyde
Janet Jones
Lee Ellen Terry
Carol Williams

Every community has needs. Every community has people who want to give back. The Community Foundation of the Tri-County Area works to connect the two.

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