The Guilford Foundation’s Youth Advisory Group (YAG) recently granted the following awards:
Recent Headlines
Guilford Foundation Awards $10,850 in Grants In June
The Guilford Foundation (TGF) is pleased to announce grant awards to five organizations serving Guilford. The awards ranged from $500 to $4,550 and support youth, case management for children and families, and the environment.
Guilford Foundation Awards $16,300 in Grants in March 2016
The Guilford Foundation (TGF) is pleased to announce grant awards to six organizations serving Guilford. The grants ranged from $1,200 to $5,000 and support kids, the environment, and basic needs.
Guilford Foundation Hosts Press Conference on Guilford’s Housing Needs
The Guilford Foundation assembled local leaders, service providers and community members on January 12, 2016 at the Guilford Free Library to review work to date on efforts around housing in Guilford. The event concluded with the premiere screening of an informational video that shows testimonials of real citizens who are impacted by the lack of housing diversity in Guilford.
Sandy Ruoff, Chair of the Town Committee on Housing For Economic Development; Mary Jo Kestner, GF Board of Directors; Liza Janssen Petra, Executive Director of GF; and James Mancini, Board President of GF
The Guilford Foundation (GF) works to connect people who care with causes that matter to them to improve the quality of life in Guilford now and for generations to come. GF does this by pooling contributions from like-minded citizens, managing these funds with professional guidance, and then carefully granting a portion of the income generated to organizations that serve the community. GF’s efforts are more than just about grants, however, as is demonstrated through the efforts around housing. GF also works to identify emerging or unmet needs in the community and address those issues proactively.
Community Survey Shows that Guilford Needs More Affordable Housing
Guilford needs more affordable housing, particularly low-priced, single-family homes, and housing that provides more options for seniors and young families would improve the town, a survey conducted by the Guilford Foundation and Guilford Interfaith Housing found.
The survey distributed last summer drew responses from nearly 400 residents, with a strong level of agreement on several points. Nearly 70% of respondents said more affordable housing would be a benefit to Guilford, with the same proportion listing “modest single-family homes” as the most important priority. The next highest priority was two-bedroom rentals, at 45%.
Guilford Housing Needs ~ Video
Guilford Housing Video – 2016 Final
Please click the link above to watch the video on YouTube.
Guilford Foundation 40th Anniversary Fund Drive for the Future
As the Guilford Foundation celebrates its 40th anniversary, a pair of local philanthropists has pledged a major gift that will help fund the town’s changing needs as they arise.
Guilford Foundation Vice President Roger Joyce and Director Dee Lundberg have each committed $20,000 toward the Guilford Foundation 40th Anniversary Fund Drive, a total of $40,000 that the Foundation hopes will be matched by donors in the community.
Dee & Bruce Lundberg
Since it was founded in 1975 to plant and maintain trees on the Guilford Green, the Foundation has grown to more than $1.9 million in assets and will distribute over $87,000 this year. It has a number of separate funds dedicated to causes such as education and the environment, but Joyce and Lundberg want to make sure the Foundation also has general-purpose funds to address emerging needs.
Lundberg, a longtime community volunteer, joined with Joyce, Vice Chairman of Bilco Manufacturing in New Haven, to commemorate the anniversary in an attention-grabbing way.
“We want to celebrate the 40th anniversary in a special way—we thought $40,000 between the two families was a good number,” said Lundberg, whose husband Bruce is a Yale oncologist.
Roger & Connie Joyce
“We are sponsoring this fund for two reasons,” added Joyce, who made the pledge with his wife, Connie. “We want to recognize the vision of the founders (some of whom we knew personally) who created a place for local philanthropy. Also, after 40 years, the needs of Guilford and its residents have grown dramatically.”
Youth Philanthropy at Work: YAG Year in Review
The Guilford High School Interact Club Youth Advisory Group (YAG), an initiative of the Guilford Foundation to promote youth philanthropy, raised over $10,000 in donations during the 2014-15 school year, awarded grants totaling $7,475 to six organizations serving Guilford, and invested $7,000 into their permanent endowment fund.
Guilford Foundation Provides $11,600 Worth of Scholarships to 12 College Bound Graduates
The Guilford Foundation recently presented scholarship awards totaling $11,600 to twelve Guilford High School graduates to help offset the costs of their education. The records of these remarkable students reflect their hard work and commitment to personal development and inspire hope in the future citizenry of our great town.
The twelve students (as well as their colleges) are as follows:
- Elizabeth C. Adams Fund: Krisandra Cusanelli (Wheaton College) & Jessie Pelosi (University at Buffalo)
- Carl A. Balestracci, Jr. Humanitarian Fund: Joseph Iassogna (University of Virginia) & Emma Munson (North Carolina State University
- Al and Gene Bishop Fund for Vocational & Industrial Arts: Samantha Zuniga (Johnson & Wales Providence
- Stuart D. Burt Fund: Edward Gresham (Loyola Marymount University
- Stephen A. Looney Fund: Madeline Weil & Noah Rattet (Eastern Connecticut State University)
- Jake Penman Memorial Fund: Kay Horan (University of South Carolina)
- Ralph Schipani Scholarship Fund: Mackenzie Iasparra (Quinnipiac University) & John Suchy (Bridgewater State University)
- Elizabeth M. “Lizzie” Schwanfelder Scholarship Fund: Olivia Watrous (Northeastern University)
The Guilford Foundation salutes these community members and their families for this special recognition. TGF also gratefully acknowledges the Guilford High School Guidance Office for their assistance in identifying these students. For more information about the scholarships or the Guilford Foundation, go to www.guilfordfoundation.org.
Guilford Foundation Awards $8,100 in Grants in March 2015
The Guilford Foundation is pleased to announce grant awards to four organizations serving Guilford. The grants ranged from $750 to $5,000 and support youth, affordable housing and the arts.
The largest grant went to Lifelinx, Inc., an addictions recovery support organization that helps people who are in or seeking recovery from substance use disorders. Lifelinx recently established a sober residential program and is building four units of affordable permanent housing for families so that program participants can reconnect with the community in a healthy and resilient fashion. The $5,000 grant from Guilford Foundation funds architectural and engineering services, and supports existing funding awarded from the Connecticut Housing Investment Fund. Housing diversity remains a key focus of the Guilford Foundation as we work to education and address the lack of available housing stock in our town.