Andover nonprofits garner grant funds

Traci Hastings, The Chronicle, Willimantic, Conn.
·2 min read

Oct. 1—ANDOVER — Five local nonprofit organizations have benefitted from the community grant funding in Andover.

The Andover Greater Together Community Fund Advisory Committee awarded grants this month in its first cycle of giving, made possible by the Hartford Foundation for Public Giving.

In 2019, the foundation established Greater Together funding for each of its 29 member towns, with $100,000 each.

Each town keeps $ 50,000 in an endowment and formed committees to accept applications from local agencies in order to disburse the other half.

Agencies must provide services that directly benefit Andover residents to be eligible for funding.

The funding was established to encourage civic engagement and was funneled through each municipality's committee as local residents could best identify the greatest needs in their own towns.

The Andover PTA received the largest grant, of $6,000, to build an outdoor learning space that could also be utilized by the community.

The Andover Veterans Affairs office received $ 3,000 to purchase flag poles for the town's Veterans Monument Park.

The Andover Friends of the Library group was awarded $1,082 to build an outdoor event space with tenting and a portable public address system.

The Andover Sustainable CT Committee received $ 411 to establish a community garden and outdoor classroom, which will have 16 garden beds for local residents to rent out as well as demonstration space.

Finally, the Andover Historical Society was granted $250 for the purchase of brass plaques to identify local landmarks, including the original Meeting House and Baptist Church stones and a former papermill dam.

" The Andover Greater Together Community Advisory Committee is excited to make these awards and is planning a second grant cycle in early 2022," said committee co- chair Dianne Grenier.

For more information on the application process for the next round of grant awards, visit the Hartford Foundation for Public Giving's website, www.hfpg. org/ andovercf.