ASF Announces Spring Community Grant Awards

July 16, 2025

New Britain, CT – The American Savings Foundation Board of Directors recently awarded 28 Community Grants totaling $82,050.  These grants are designed to meet a wide range of local needs throughout the Foundation’s 64 town service area, including current grants to Burlington, Clinton, East Hartford, Manchester, Plainville, Seymour, Torrington, Wethersfield and Wolcott.

In keeping with the Foundation’s mission, Community Grants support programs that strengthen the community through education, human services, and the arts, with a special emphasis on the needs of children, youth, and families.

“Our Community Grants support non-profits that are making a difference in their community,” said Maria Sanchez, director of grantmaking and community investment.  “These grants are designed to support a wide range of direct service programs including diaper and food distribution, support for the arts, youth programs, and community health and wellness, across all the towns we serve.”  

The Foundation accepts Community Grants applications twice a year. The next deadline is October 9, 2025, for decision in December. Applications for up to $5,000 and can be submitted using the online application available at https://www.asfdn.org/grants/community-grants.  

The Community Grants announced in the 2025 spring cycle include:

• $2,500 for Adelbrook Behavioral & Developmental Services’ Food Pantry, which provides food and hygiene products to clients in need.
• $3,000 to Autism Families CONNECTicut for the Leisure Explorers program, which supports autistic teens as they try new activities and skills such as tennis, yoga, and golf.
• $4,000 to the Booth & Dimock Memorial Library for a Youth PC Builders program, which will include a series of learning computer science workshops for teens to research, select parts and build 4 custom PCs.
• $2,500 to the Burlington Volunteer Fire Department to purchase 4 portable Automated External Defibrillators (AED) for use by emergency responders.
• $1,500 to the Clinton Arts Council for the Mural Project, which helps prevent cyberbullying through art therapy and a community mural.
• $2,500 to Community Health Resources for their School Based Therapy program to purchase supplies for their school-based behavioral healthcare services in local schools in Manchester.
• $5,000 to Covenant to Care for Children, Inc to help families meet the immediate basic needs for their children in order to stabilize their household.
• $2,300 to the Friends of the Wolcott Public Library for a family concert series at the library.
• $5,000 to the Gentle Love Diaper Pantry to provide 324 children in Manchester and East Hartford with baby diapers.
• $3,500 for Gifts of Love in Avon, to help meet basic needs for families in the Farmington Valley and greater New Britain. 
• $750 for the Greater Bristol Historical Society for a walking tours program called History is All Around Us, to create materials for two self-guided walking tours of local historic cemeteries and  Bristol's Cultural Historic District.
• $2,500 to the Hill-Stead Museum for their From the Porch Series, which brings a diverse selection of musical, dance and educational performances to the museum.  
• $3,000 to the Hospital of Central Connecticut (HOCC) for their Breast Cancer Early Detection Program, which provides breast cancer screening for uninsured, under-insured or high-deductible health insurance patients from the greater New Britain area.
• $1,500 to Lumibility,  to provide evidence-based services to families with birth-to-three children experiencing intellectual and developmental delays, disabilities, and autism.  
• $2,000 for the Music Series at South Church, to support their 53rd season of bringing world-class musicians to New Britain in their free concert series.
• $5,000 for the New Britain Police Explorers to support local cadets attending a week long leadership program.
• $1,000 to the Plainville Wind Ensemble for their 2025 -26 Concert Series.
• $4,000 to Quilts that Care, to purchase materials to make quilts that provide comfort for cancer patients. Since 2012 they have donated more than 7,000 quilts across 18 cancer facilities in CT including the 3 in Waterbury and HOCC in New Britain.  
• $3,500 to Read to Grow, Inc for Books for Babies, a family’s literacy program for children through the first year of life working in partnership with Manchester Memorial Hospital.  
• $4,500 to RIBA Aspira Career Academy’s English Literacy Program, which helps adults train for career growth.
• $2,000 to the Richard M. Keane Foundation for their Musical Theater Program, an after-school musical theater program for elementary students in Wethersfield.
• $3,000 to Seymour Food2Kids to expand food support into Oxford schools beginning in April 2025.
• $3,000 to Shine Your Light CT’s Summer Youth Program, which works in partnership with East Hartford Public Schools to offer creative experiences for youth during the summer, fostering emotional well-being, creativity, and social skills.
• $2,500 to the Southbury Junior Women's Club, Inc. for their Diaper Distribution Project, which provides free diapers and related infant care supplies quarterly to low-income families experiencing financial hardship.
• $5,000 to St. Vincent de Paul Middletown for their Soup Kitchen’s Meals & Community Assistance Program.
• $1,500 to the The Friends of Kycia Farm in Wethersfield, to support a Summer Music Concert series of free live outdoor music concerts, safe and accessible to all, at the Kycia Farm.
• $2,500 to UR Community Cares for their Empowering Seniors with Technology program, which provides trainings for seniors to boost their digital literacy.
• $3,000 to the Wethersfield Historical Society to showcase exhibits and programs honoring Wethersfield's diverse and forgotten Revolutionary War patriots.

American Savings Foundation is a permanent charitable endowment which provides grants to local nonprofit organizations, and college scholarships to area students.  Since its inception in 1995 the Foundation has contributed over $77 million in total grants and scholarships in central Connecticut.  For more information, call 860-827-2556 or visit the Foundation’s website at www.asfdn.org.  

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