New Canaan Community Foundation announced the fourth round of grants awarded through their COVID- 19 Response Fund and related efforts. Grants this week invest specifically in child care and summer options for youth.

New Canaan Community Foundation’s COVID-19 Response Fund was launched on March 18th, and mobilizes private resources to: support the emergency financial needs of New Canaan families and workers; help nonprofit organizations adapt to changing client needs, as well as shifts in operations; and support critical services in lower Fairfield County. Since its launch, the fund has rapidly invested over $440,000 in community partners.

With the country experiencing its greatest level of unemployment in years, it was pertinent for the New Canaan Community Foundation to invest dollars in helping parents and families return to work, by providing funding to organizations who are focusing on child care needs and summer camp options for many essential workers and working families. Notably, women have experienced job loss and unemployment and disproportionately higher rates. In addition to support for New Canaan youth and families, targeted support is also ensuring child care options for our neighbors in Norwalk and Stamford.

The fourth round of grants awarded include:

• A.B.C. of New Canaan: $2,500 to support summer online classes for rising freshmen and

  sophomore ABC students.

• All Our Kin: $20,000 to support the most urgent and evolving needs of family child care providers in

  Stamford and Norwalk during the COVID-19 crisis.

• Carver Foundation of Norwalk: $5,000 to support PPE and other equipment and supplies for

  children of Norwalk and staff at Carver Summer Camps at the Carver Community Center and

  Columbus Magnet School.

• Children's Learning Centers of Fairfield County: $20,000 to support early childhood education

  programs, enabling families to return to work as the State re-opens.

• Family Centers: $2,500 to support the Bettering Opportunities and Outcomes in Stamford (BOOST)

  summer program, which provides campers with fun and academics to reduce the summer slide, and keep the campers engaged, while promoting healthy socialization opportunities.

• INTEMPO: $5,000 to support the INTEMPO Summer Music Camp, which will teach children from Stamford and Norwalk in grades K-12 how to play various musical instruments as well as provide math and reading tutoring to students.

• LiveGirl: $1,500 to support Camp LiveGirl @ Home activity books that take girls on a fun leadership development adventure to live brave, live kind, live her true self, and live her power.

• New Canaan Community YMCA: $5,000 to support Camp Y-Ki, the Y’s traditional full-day summer camp program held each summer at Kiwanis Park for ages 5-15. The program provides a nurturing, caring, and inclusive environment for our community's children, while also making available a fun and engaging childcare option for working parents.

• Women's Mentoring Network: $5,000 to support the First Generation Achievement Program, which provides workshops and one-on-one services to students of all different ages.