New & Noteworthy
Pomeroy-Brace Fund at the Hartford Foundation Announces Grants to Support Projects Serving Granby Residents
Fund awards more than $280,000 to 16 local nonprofits
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 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 for Public Giving to support organizations serving the residents of Granby.
This month, the Fund provided 16 grants totaling more than $280,000 to local nonprofit organizations. Among those receiving grants is The Connecticut Invention Convention Inc. (CIC) whose $15,000 grant will be used to expand the existing Granby Middle School based program to engage Granby Parks and Recreation afterschool and summer program participants.
The program will run from June 26 to August 11 and offer seven weeks of programming with approximately 12 different inventors (Grades 1-5) participating each week. The program will be integrated into the overall programming of the Parks & Rec Department's "Salmon Brook Park Day-Camp" to help bring an educational component to the camp and address summer learning loss in the community. Participating students will be eligible to compete for spaces in the CIC's Summer Finals competition which will be held at the CT Science Center on August 26. The CIC will be distributing a prizes and experiences to recognize student creativity and perseverance.
"The Connecticut Invention Convention is dedicated to serving Granby's Community Based Organizations and the students they serve,” said CIC Executive Director Nick Briere. “The Pomeroy-Brace grant is instrumental in bringing Invention Convention programs to the Granby Parks & Recreation Department and, of equal importance, in helping us develop a scalable model of supporting communities and their students in varied ways. The grant also allows us to provide supplies, student prizes, and other supports to the Department at no cost. Collectively, this support will help the CIC bring a crucial element of STEM and creative problem solving to the summer experience to Granby youth."
In addition to The Connecticut Invention Connection, the following organizations were awarded Pomeroy-Brace grants.
| Organization Name | Project Name | Project Description | Grant |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ancient Healing Paths, Inc | Free Alternative Healthcare Day | To support a free Alternative Healthcare event held monthly in Granby. The event will provide free access to alternative healing modalities such as: yoga, massage therapy, acupuncture, reiki, sound healing, hypnosis, meditation, breath work, etc. | 14,000 |
| Citizens for a Better Granby | Upgrading Production Technology | To support the purchase of new computers and a large format color printer. The new equipment will enhance the digital and physical production of the Granby Drummer, a volunteer produced, community-based monthly newspaper. The print edition is distributed free to all Granby residents, and the digital edition has no paywall. | 10,000 |
| Community Health Resources, Inc. | General Operating Support | To provide outpatient mental health services including individual and group therapy or intensive residential services to approximately 190 Granby residents of all ages yearly - primarily through their Enfield offices. | 14,000 |
| Families United Serving and Embracing | Certify R.A.W. Farm Capital Improvement Project | Capital project to upgrade existing plant growing equipment to a vertical hydroponics array. The upgrade will allow the upscale of production from microgreens to include leafy greens and herbs. The new equipment will allow FUSE to cultivate a larger number of plants in a smaller footprint expanding production from 35 pounds of produce per week to 140 pounds of produce per week. | 28,000 |
| Granby Grange #5 | Phase 1: Grange Hall Renovation | To support renovation of the historic grange hall to continue to serve as a public meeting place. Phase 1 focus is improving accessibility, updating the electrical system, energy efficient lighting, and needed maintenance work on the building and grounds. | 20,000 |
| Granby Racial Reconciliation | Granby Celebrates Juneteenth | For an arts festival designed to increase the community's comfort level with acknowledging and discussing racism and to celebrate Juneteenth. In addition to outreach in Granby and surrounding communities, Granby Racial Reconciliation group will reach out to Hartford Open Choice students and their families to promote inclusion in the Granby community beyond the school day. | 19,000 |
| Hartford Public Library | All History is Local: Maximizing Access to Hartford Times Photographic Print Collection | To support a project to digitize the Hartford History Center's collection of photographs from The Hartford Times. The project will digitize 5,000 Hartford-specific prints, transforming them into digital assets that can be accessed through the Library’s website and through the Connecticut Digital Archive (CTDA). Protecting the photographs and increasing their accessibility. | 28,000 |
| Holcomb Farm, Inc. | Growing Fresh Access's Sustainability | To provide general operating support to support the Farm's strategic priorities for 2023. Priority focus will be placed on installation of solar panels to improve sustainability, increase CSA access for nonprofit partners including winter access, and increase community engagement. | 28,000 |
| New England Air Museum | Kidsport Exhibit Renovation | To support the continuing Kidsport Exhibit renovations with the addition of an Augmented Reality Wall. The interactive wall provides children with the ability to see the impact of air flow through a hands-on display using different airfoil shapes. Enhancing the learning experience with a visual airflow simulation in getting a sense of the aviation concepts they have seen throughout the museum. | 14,000 |
| Salmon Brook Historical Society Incorporated | Continuing Wilcox House Restoration | To support the continuing restoration of the Wilcox (c. 1800). The current focus is restoration of the first floor pantry and the second floor. The restoration will utilize period appropriate materials and finishes, restoring the rooms back to as close to original as possible. | 28,000 |
| The Friends of the Granby Public Libraries, Inc. | F.H. Cossitt Library: Phase 1 Exterior Repairs Continuation | To support continuing restoration work on historic F.H. Cossitt Library (c. 1891). Current restoration work will focus on the wood siding, wood windows, and trim of the south and west sides of the building. | 28,000 |
| Town of Granby | Parks and Recreation Program Inclusion and Enhancement Plan | To support the implementation of the Parks and Recreation Departments Inclusion and Enhancement Plan. The focus of the grant would be the Summer Program, which is Park & Rec's biggest program. Funds would support inclusion facilitators, preschool consultant, staff, and training. | 27,000 |
| Valley Pre-School, Inc. | Valley Pre-School Community Playground Update | To support the repair and update the play area located at Valley Pre-School. The play area is utilized by the pre-school and public. The current play structure will be replaced with new one to improve safety and enhance play. | 10,000 |
The Hartford Foundation for Public Giving is the community foundation for Hartford and 28 surrounding towns. Through partnerships, the Foundation seeks to strengthen communities in Greater Hartford by putting philanthropy in action to dismantle structural racism and achieve equity in social and economic mobility. Made possible by the gifts of generous individuals, families and organizations, the Foundation has awarded grants of more than $948 million since its founding in 1925. For more information, visit www.hfpg.org or call 860-548-1888.