2026 Mid-Year Letter to the Community

June 29, 2026

In April, American Savings Foundation celebrated 30 years of philanthropy in the community, first as a bank foundation, and now as a permanent, independent charitable endowment. Throughout our history, the Foundation has invested more than $80 million in grants and scholarships to support the people and organizations that make our communities strong.

Over the past 30 years, the communities we serve have weathered many storms. Through it all, we have seen local nonprofits and our Scholars show tremendous resiliency and strength. That resiliency inspired the theme of our 30th Anniversary Event. Our Keynote Speaker Alex Sheen, founder of the nonprofit because I said I would, offered engaging, often humorous stories about the importance of keeping promises. His talk resonated with nonprofit leaders, students, and community members navigating today’s complex world.

Recognizing that local nonprofits continue to face unique and evolving challenges, we recently partnered with the Community Foundation of Greater New Britain to host a workshop “How Nonprofits Can Strengthen their Governance and Operations During a Time of Uncertainty.” Speakers Sara Taylor from Pro Bono Partnership and Jen Fournier of Racebrook Consulting offered timely and practical perspective on the basics of board compliance, financial oversight, employment law, and issues to consider when planning for an uncertain future. Pro Bono Partnership offers webinars, trainings, and free legal assistance to Connecticut nonprofits.

Learning from the past, the Foundation has established practices for how we respond during times of exceptional need and/or unusual constraints on resources. While we do not accept requests to replace lost funding, we will consider one-time funding requests from agencies to support new strategic partnerships, mergers, or other “out-of-the-box” ideas to sustain essential services. As always, we will continue to accept applications for direct service programs that meet our grantmaking guidelines within our priority areas of Education, Human Services, and Arts & Culture. We recognize that there will be new challenges and new opportunities in the years ahead, and will continue to listen, learn, and adapt.

Our Board of Directors continues to evolve as well. This June, long-time board member Michael Carrier ended his term on the board. Michael also served for 20 years on our Grants Committee and chaired the Nominating and Governance Committee. He will be very much missed at our quarterly Board and Committee meetings.

At the same time, we are excited to welcome new board member José Feliciano. Currently director of grant programs at Chamber Music America, José brings professional expertise in grantmaking, as well as current and past experience as a nonprofit consultant, educator, and college lecturer. José currently serves on the American Savings Foundation’s Grants Committee. As a past American Savings Foundation Scholar, José is excited to join our 16-member board, which now includes five alumni of the American Savings Foundation Scholarship program!

As we enter our fourth decade, the Foundation’s staff, board, and committees strive to honor our legacy while continuing to evolve to meet the changing needs of the communities we serve.

This is our lasting commitment.

Charles J. Boulier III Maria Falvo
Chairman of the Board President & CEO

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2026 Mid-Year Letter to the Community

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