New & Noteworthy
Pomeroy-Brace Fund at the Hartford Foundation Announces $192,000 in Grants
Ten organizations received grants to support residents of Granby and the region.
The Farmington Valley YMCA’s Teen Lounge is a space where local teens can spend time together and access a variety of resources including computers, interactive games and other activities intended to support their social, emotional, academic and emotional growth.
In an effort to improve the space, the Y successfully applied and received a $27,805 grant from the Pomeroy-Brace Fund at the Hartford Foundation for Public Giving. This grant will be used to make a variety of enhancements to the lounge, turning it into a more vibrant, multi-purpose hub. The grant will also provide 18 free memberships to Granby teens.
“Teens are so often overlooked, and we wanted to make sure they have a fun, safe place where they can truly be themselves,” said Farmington Valley YMCA Executive Director Brian Lis. “This grant allows us to remove financial barriers, build meaningful programs, and create a teen lounge that supports both learning and connection. Whether they are doing homework or just hanging out with friends, we want every teen to feel like they belong here. We are incredibly grateful for this support and what it means for the young people in our community.”
Seth Pomeroy Holcombe and Lucy Eaton Holcombe were longtime residents of the village of North Granby in the Town of Granby. Both were active in their community, enthusiastically supporting the culture and history of the town they loved. Seth and Lucy served on many local boards and committees, and shared a passion for Morgan horses, giving a home to many horses over the years and founding the Granby Horse Council. To continue their lifetime of giving back, the Holcombe’s established the Pomeroy-Brace Fund at the Hartford Foundation to support organizations serving the residents of Granby and the region.
This month, the Fund provided 10 grants totaling nearly $192,000 to local nonprofit organizations.
In addition to the Farmington Valley YMCA, 2025 Pomeroy Brace grants provided to:
| Organization Name | Project Description | Grant |
|---|---|---|
| Generation Power CT | Utility and Fuel Assistance for Granby Residents To support Emergency Energy Assistance grants to low- to moderate- income Granby residents for about a year or until the funding is expended. Grants will range from $250 to $500, paid directly to utility vendors. | $10,000.00 |
| Goodwin University Magnet Schools | Advanced Manufacturing Capital Infrastructure ProjectTo support the overhaul and modernization of the underutilized space in the manufacturing training facility. This school year, the Early College Advanced Manufacturing Program (ECAMP) is supporting a select number of high school seniors enrolled in Granby Public Schools who participate in the program and take BMM175 CNC Machining I throughout the school year. Grant funds would be used to replace obsolete manufacturing machinery with up-to-date manufacturing machinery. | $28,000.00 |
| Granby Homes for Senior Citizens, Inc | Efficient heating/Cooling System for Stony Hill Village Community Room Building To support upgrading the existing Stone Hill Village Community Room building and creating a warming and cooling center in case of emergencies, benefitting the residents at Stone Hill village whom are low-income seniors and/or people with disbailities. The focus of this project will be to upgrade the building’s heating and cooling capacity by installing energy efficient mini splits. The project also requires removing and disposing of the inoperable fan system and upgrading the electrical to current code. | $25,250.00 |
| Hartford Public Library | Preserving Our Hartford History To support the development and installation of specialized archival art and artifact storage. The recent flooding brought to light how vulnerable the Hartford History Center’s collection is to environmental and other damage. This initiative will ensure the long-term preservation of a diverse and historically significant collection of art and artifacts that reflect the City of Hartford’s rich cultural legacy. The proposed storage solutions includes custom archival cabinetry and flat files for broadsides, maps, and manuscripts; textile storage systems with acid-free materials and rolling racks; and shelving and mounts for sculptural and three-dimensional works. | $28,000.00 |
| Holcomb Farm, Inc. | Securing the Winter Food Supply To support improving winter storage capacity. The project would cover the prefab cooler panels of Holcomb Farm's storage room with Trusscore PVC panels, install a commercial refrigeration unit, and obtain stackable macro bins. This project will eliminate the primary risk to the growing winter vegetable production and provide consistent, reliable and, optimal storage temperature. | $25,525.00 |
| Salmon Brook Historical Society Incorporated | To support Phase 4 of the continuing restoration of the Wilcox House (c. 1800) and Barn (c. 1857)To support replacing the barn roof and finishing stabilization needs and interpretation with signage for the barn. | $16,500.00 |
| The Friends of the Granby Public Libraries, Inc. | F.H. Cossitt Library: Phase 1- Part 3 Exterior Repairs Continuation To support continuing restoration work on historic F.H. Cossitt Library (c. 1891). Current restoration work will focus on critical repairs to the lower level North and East sides in order to prevent further water damage. Work will be carried out over the course of 6-9 months, with contractors on site regularly and library staff providing monthly updates. | $28,000.00 |
| Valley Pre-School Inc. | VPS Summer Community Playgroup To support a free summer playgroup for families with young children. The playgroup will be held once per week for children aged 18 months- 4 years old and their caregivers. This will provide time for families with young children to get to know each other and create a greater sense of community. | $2,650.00 |
| YMCA of Metropolitan Hartford, Inc. | Teen / Youth Experience at the Farmington Valley YMCA - To support transforming the Farmington Valley YMCA’s Teen Lounge into a vibrant, multi-purpose hub. The work will combine enhancements designed to support the social, academic, and emotional growth of teens, program supports, and 18 free Teen Memberships for Granby teens. | $27,805.00 |
| $191,730.00 |
The Hartford Foundation for Public Giving is the community foundation for Hartford and 28 surrounding communities. Made possible by the gifts of generous individuals, families and organizations, the Foundation has awarded grants of more than $1 billion since its founding in 1925. For more information about the Hartford Foundation for Public Giving, visit www.hfpg.org or call 860-548-1888.