Lee Bank Foundation Distributes $83,750 in First Grant Funding Round of 2022 

  

LEE — Lee Bank Foundation has awarded $83,750 to 12 Berkshire area organizations and an additional grant to Pittsfield Public Schools in its first-round of 2022 community funding. 

Recipients were awarded grants ranging from $1,000 to $16,000 to support their local programming. Included in the awards are a series of Arts Access Grants for arts and culture organizations to expand access to programming for underserved audiences. 

The following organizations received funding: 

• Berkshire Center for Justice; 

• Berkshire Community Diaper Project; 

• Berkshire Concert Choir; 

• Berkshire County Arc; 

• Berkshire Historical Society; 

• Berkshire Family YMCA; 

• Central Berkshire Habitat for Humanity; 

• Community Access to the Arts; 

• Great Barrington Public Theater; 

• Greenagers; 

• Roots Rising; and 

• The Mahaiwe Performing Arts Center 

  

Arts Access Grants of $1,000 each were awarded to Berkshire Concert Choir, Berkshire Historical Society, and Great Barrington Public Theater. Additionally, Lee Bank Foundation announced a $16,000 grant to the Pittsfield Public Schools — $1,000 for each school serving children and adults in Pittsfield, to coincide with the groundbreaking of the new Lee Bank branch on South Street.  

The deadline for the next round of 2022 Foundation funding is June 1. The application and more information can be found on the Community Impact section of Lee Bank’s website (https://www.leebank.com/community-impact/donations-sponsorships.html) 

To be considered for grant awards, applicants must be a (501)(c)(3) nonprofit organization. The Foundation is focused on funding programs that work to bridge income and opportunity gaps in our region. Funding requests should reflect one or more of Lee Bank Foundation’s primary focus areas: education and literacy; food security and nutrition; economic growth and development; health and human services; mentorship, internship and “school to work” initiatives; and arts and culture 

Applicants are only eligible for funding once in a 12-month period. 

Lee Bank Foundation was established in 2021 to support Lee Bank’s long-standing mission of community reinvestment. In its first year, the Foundation awarded a total of $228,610 in grants and the Bank contributed an additional $84,000 in sponsorships.