Connecticut

The Community Foundation of Eastern Connecticut in New London was awarded a $1 million grant that it will distribute to nonprofit organizations working to develop, expand, and support programming designed to aid local communities disproportionately affected by drug use, The Day reports. Awarded by the Connecticut Social Equity Council, the grant is derived from taxes on adult-use cannabis sales in the state. The foundation will regrant the funds to organizations focused on youth education, recreation and arts programming, and mental health and physical wellness issues.

Fairfield County’s Community Foundation in Norwalk will receive the 2023 Secretary’s Award for Public-Philanthropic Partnerships from the Council on Foundations and the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. The foundation was recognized for its critical role in the creation of the Fairfield County Center for Housing Opportunity (FCCHO), a partnership to address the county’s housing shortage through a coordinated regional response. FCCHO was founded in 2018 by the foundation, the Housing Collective, Partnership for Strong Communities, and Regional Plan Association, with seed funding from JPMorgan Chase.

Massachusetts

The Boston Foundation has unveiled new branding for the 108-year-old organization as part of an effort to recognize and build upon the foundation’s focus on equity. The new logo and visuals, designed in partnership with Boston-based branding and advertising firm Proverb, recognizes both TBF’s strength as an institution in the area and its efforts to move Boston toward a more equitable future.

Minnesota

The Minneapolis Foundation has announced that its Fourth Generation program awarded grants totaling $80,000 to eight organizations working to advance education equity. Recipients include All Square, Black Men Teach Twin Cities, Relentless Academy, and Way to Grow.

New Mexico

The Los Alamos Community Foundation (LACF) has announced grants totaling nearly $28,000 in support of nine local organizations. Recipients include the Family Strengths Network, Los Alamos Family Council, Los Alamos Youth Soccer League, and Coro de Cámara.

Rhode Island

The Rhode Island Foundation has announced grants totaling nearly $1.2 million to help improve student performance in Providence, Pawtucket, Newport, and Central Falls schools. The recipients of the grants—which are focused on attracting and supporting teachers of color—are Equity Institute, Rhode Island College, the University of Rhode Island, and the Central Falls School District.

Texas

The San Antonio Area Foundation (SAAF) has announced that its Legacy Scholarship program has doubled in size in just its second year, awarding 80 scholarships to Bexar County high school juniors. In 2022, it provided 40 students with scholarships of $10,000 for each of their four years of college. Founded in 2021 by an anonymous donor, the program will now offer scholarships to 100 high school juniors in Bexar and Webb counties.

The Communities Foundation of Texas has announced that the George W. Bush Institute awarded a total of $70,000 to 15 students as part of the 2023 Lindsay Lloyd North Korea Freedom Scholarship. Administered by the foundation, the scholarship is designed to help North Korean escapees and their children pursue higher education and build productive, prosperous lives. To that end, the program selects recipients based on merit and need and provides the funds for vocational school, community college, and university. To date, 75 scholarships totaling nearly $300,000 have been awarded.

Wisconsin

The Greater Milwaukee Foundation (GMF) has announced that the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development and the Council on Foundations awarded GMF—a founding partner and a principal funder of the Community Development Alliance (CDA)—the 2023 Secretary’s Award for Public-Philanthropic Partnerships. GMF helps develop strategy and align resources with partners in government and the nonprofit sector to advance shared goals, together with the other members of the CDA Funders Council—Bader Philanthropies, the Department of City Development, Northwestern Mutual Foundation, and Zilber Family Foundation.

West Virginia

The Parkersburg Area Community Foundation (PACF) has announced that longtime leader Judy Sjostedt Ritchie has been named executive director emerita. In July, Sjostedt Ritchie will return to private industry to assume a key leadership role with family businesses, as she and her husband focus on community and economic development in Ravenswood. During her tenure, PACF has grown from $7.6 million in assets in 1999 to $80 million and has substantially increased its annual grantmaking from nearly $342,000 to $3.6 million.