Berkshire Bank Foundation
/OVERVIEW: The Berkshire Bank Foundation supports education and economic development in New York, Connecticut, Vermont, New Jersey, Pennsylvania and Massachusetts.
FUNDING AREAS: Education, economic development
IP TAKE: This bank funder has been increasingly interested in nonprofit capacity building lately, which is good news for Northeast nonprofits in need of a boost.
PROFILE: The Berkshire Bank Foundation is the grantmaking arm of Berkshire Bank, which was founded in 1846. Today, the foundation has 115 full-service branch offices in the Northeast. The foundation aims “to strengthen and improve the quality of life in communities served by Berkshire Bank and its subsidiaries.” The primary grantmaking areas of interest include education and economic development.
The foundation’s education grantmaking focuses on attaining grade-level reading by the third grade, access to post-secondary opportunities, financial literacy and out-of-school programs. The foundation supports programs that offer reading success, financial capabilities, job readiness, workforce development, and student support as part of its education program. Meanwhile, economic development grants focus on affordable housing, homebuyer education, small business support, and neighborhood revitalization. The foundation offers community building grants, as well, but these are by invitation only.
Foundation grants range between $5,000 and $10,000. Each year, the funder awards at least $2 million to nonprofits. Grantmaking focuses on the bank’s home state of Massachusetts and in the following Massachusetts counties: Berkshire, Hampden, Hampshire, Franklin, Worcester, Middlesex, Essex, Suffolk, and Norfolk. In Vermont, the foundation supports Bennington, Rutland and Windsor counties. Berkshire also supports select counties in New York, New Jersey, Connecticut and Pennsylvania. As a general rule, this funder supports programs and projects that benefit more than 51 percent low- to moderate-income individuals.
The Berkshire Bank Foundation accepts unsolicited grant inquiries from first-time applicants. The application deadlines are April 1, July 1 and October 1, and the application process is online. Grantseekers will find the online form to request financial support on the funder’s website. The general phone number for the bank is 800-773-5601.
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