The Berkshire Bank Foundation Cultural Enrichment Program provides funding to support cultural programming for students in schools, local museums and other cultural institutions in the Bank’s market area. The Bank recognizes the financial challenges that schools and area cultural organizations face with this difficult economy. Berkshire Bank feels that arts education is an important part of a child’s education and wants to help ensure that it is still available to as many students as possible. As a result, the Berkshire Bank Foundation has established a Cultural Enrichment Program to benefit both schools and cultural institutions in its service area. The program has two components:

1. Schools Program – Schools can apply for a grant of up to $1,000 to sponsor an arts or cultural program in their school.  Schools must partner with an outside cultural organization or artist to run a program in the school.

2.  Cultural Organizations - Non-profit 501(c)3 cultural organizations can apply for a grant of up to $2,500 to sponsor educational programming in their venues for elementary or middle school children. The grant can cover transportation costs to the museum or venue, programming, staffing and materials costs.

A school or cultural organization must submit a Letter of Interest to the Foundation’s office. The letter must include a description of the proposed program, the school or cultural partner(s) involved, number of students expected to participate, age of students receiving free or reduced cost lunches in the school(s), when the program will take place and other cultural funding received.  Only one grant will be awarded annually per organization.

Applications will be judged based on the program’s originality, the number of students who will benefit from the program relative to grant size, the percentage of lower-income students that will be served and the amount of funds the school has available for cultural programs. Organizations may be asked to submit additional information before final grant awards are made. Organizations that receive funding from the Berkshire Bank Foundation for another project in a given year will not be eligible to apply for funds from this Initiative. Organizations that have received funds for three consecutive years from the foundation and are not allowed to apply for a grant in 2009 or 2010 according to Foundation guidelines, can apply for these special funds. Applications will be accepted on a rolling basis during 2010.

For additional information contact:

Peter J. Lafayette, Foundation Executive Director at plafayette@berkshirebank.com
Mary Ellen Puntin, Foundation Administrative Assistant at mpuntin@berkshirebank.com
A. Rima Dael, Foundation Associate at ardael@berkshirebank.com

IMPORTANT… Protect yourself from possible e-mail fraud threats.
Berkshire Bank will never request your confidential information through an email. Contact us at 800-773-5601 to verify any email request or to report suspicious emails.