Local Impact

Berkshire Taconic established the Fund for the Northwest Corner in 2000 to improve the quality of life for the residents of northwest Litchfield County in Connecticut. Created to serve the needs of the community long into the future, the fund’s endowment began with gifts in honor of four local residents who were founding board members of Berkshire Taconic: Robert Blum, Dana Creel, William Olsen and Donald Warner.

The Fund for the Northwest Corner supports strategic initiatives that can have a lasting impact on its communities. The fund supported an ambitious five-year program led by the McCall Center for Behavioral Health to prevent substance use among the young people, which subsequently received federal funding. It has also prioritized support for the foundation’s board leadership activities that provide training and networking opportunities, especially for the region’s small nonprofits.

$714K

Total amount of grantmaking since 2000

124

Total number of grants since 2000

  • AHA After School Program, General operating expenses, $5,000
  • Fishes & Loaves, General operating expenses, $2,500
  • Hazon, Distributing fresh local produce to emergency food pantries, $3,000
  • Housatonic Child Care Center, General operating expenses, $5,000
  • Housatonic Valley Association, Wages for four seasonal multilingual outreach interns in 2022, $3,250
  • Housatonic Valley Association, Wages for two seasonal multilingual outreach interns in 2021, $3,150
  • Housatonic Youth Service Bureau, Facilitated educational videos to complement telehealth counseling sessions, $2,100
  • McCall Center for Behavioral Health, Speaker program for people in early recovery in McCall's residential homes, $2,500
  • McCall Center for Behavioral Health, General operating expenses, $1,500
  • Music Mountain, New sound reinforcement, recording and livestreaming system for Gordon Hall, $3,500
  • Noble Horizons, Wi-Fi upgrade across facility campus, $2,000
  • Northwest Connecticut Arts Council, Honoraria for speakers for the Haystack Book Talks literary festival, $2,000
  • Northwest Connecticut Land Conservancy, Technology upgrades to improve remote work, $1,000

“With your assistance, we will continue our strong protection of the land, waters and wildlife for present and future generations.”

- Catherine Rawson, Northwest Connecticut Land Conservancy

Advisory Committee

Janet André Block, Chair, Salisbury

Betsy Childs Gill, Norfolk

Thaddeus Gray, Lakeville

Nancy Humphreys, Lakeville

Linda Patz, Canaan

Emilie Pryor, West Cornwall

David Rich, Lakeville

Kimberly Rock, Falls Village

Mark Shearer, Taconic

Donate to the Fund for the Northwest Corner

Make a secure online gift to the Northwest Corner Fund on our donate page.

Are you 70 ½ years old or older? A qualifying charitable distribution (QCD) allows you to donate up to $100,000 per year to the Northwest Corner Fund (or any eligible charitable organization) directly from your IRA and exclude it from your income. Please email our Philanthropic Services team at PS@BerkshireTaconic.org to learn more.

Double the size of your gift! Many employers offer matching gift programs, allowing you to double the amount you give just by filling out a simple form. Check with your employer to learn more. Berkshire Taconic’s tax ID # is 06-125-4469.