The Guilford Foundation (TGF) recently awarded $68,400 to organizations serving Guilford. These grants were awarded through TGF’s annual competitive grant making process.

TGF received 33 applications for funding—reflecting a 21% increase from 2018 in the amount requested for funding.  TGF was able to support 20 of those requests, including grants that relate to the environment, affordable housing, basic needs, arts and culture, and youth.

The full list of awardees, the amount and the purpose of the grant follows:

• Bare Necessities: $2,000 to continue to supply diapers and wipes monthly to Guilford babies in the program.
• Clifford Beers: $3,000 for case management and care coordination services for Guilford children and their families.
• Community Dining Room: $3,000 to support nutritious meal programs, including daily lunch, Saturday breakfast, Tuesday family dinner (including Tuesday night dinners on the Branford Green in the summer), and Wednesday & Friday take-out dinner.
• Community Nursery School: $2,000 to help the renovation of its eroded and unsafe front walkway and steps.
• Guilford Before and After School Care: $3,500 for scholarships for students to attend the program.
• Guilford Center for Children: $5,000 to add a new classroom to be able to enroll 14 additional families from Guilford.
• Guilford Community Garden Hub: $2,600 to replace the deer fence at the gardens behind the Medad Stone Tavern.
• Guilford Community Television: $16,400 to upgrade aging studio technology including studio cameras, studio switcher and studio intercom system.
• Guilford Garden Club: $3,500 to help plant trees in the town center.
• Guilford Keeping Society: $500 to support the digitalization of GKS’s glass plate negatives, which will be made available to the public online.
• Guilford Performing Arts Festival: $10,000 to help stage over 50 events during 4 days (26^th-29^th) in September 2019. These events will all be free and include a mixed genre program.
• Guilford Special Education Parent Teacher Organization (SEPTO): $2,500 to host a series of events on anxiety, raising awareness and coping tools and techniques for anxiety.
• Orchard House: $1,500 for “heARTherapy” guided art therapy sessions.
• Shoreline Arts Alliance: $1,500 for a Safe Space Student Development Initiative.
• Shoreline Village: $1,000 to support publicity of a senior safety program that provides funding for home improvements to prevent falls and enhance safety.
• Special Olympics CT: $1,500 to purchase new equipment for the addition of new sports (and replace outdated/broken equipment) as well as cover the cost of certifying (new) and re-certifying (existing) coaches in the 10 sports currently offered by this program.
• St. George Resettlement Committee: $2,400 to provide one-year of rent subsidies for a family in transition.
• Town of Guilford Tree Advisory Board: $2,000 to improve safety of tree grates and the health of the trees on Whitfield Street.
• Vista Life Innovations: $1,000 to support Vista’s “A Shared Stage” productions of Sister Act.
• Women and Family Life Center: $3,500 to support expand the Guidance Assistance Program by making the Referral Navigator position permanent and adding a second Referral Navigator.

TGF is honored to support these critical services to Guilford. This support is only possible thanks to Guilford’s generous donors, volunteers and Board.