Anne Sanford Legacy Fund to Provide Leadership Training Scholarships for Women
GREAT BARRINGTON, Mass. – Berkshire Taconic Community Foundation announces the establishment of the Anne Sanford Legacy Fund. This fund will provide scholarships ranging from $100 to $1500 to enable women to attend political or professional leadership training programs.The fund was established by The Women’s Times to honor the memory of Anne Sanford, a pioneering businesswoman and community activist, who for ten years shared her varied business expertise with The Women's Times, serving as a consultant and sales director for the regional monthly.
Jennifer Dowley, president of Berkshire Taconic Community Foundation, says, “We are proud that the Anne Sanford Legacy Fund will inspire local women to pursue creative and challenging educational opportunities to develop their leadership skills.” Applicants must be women of 18 years or older and currently living or working in the Berkshire Taconic region (Berkshire County, MA, Northwest Litchfield County, CT, Columbia and Northeast Dutchess Counties, NY) or in the Pioneer Valley, Massachusetts. All women are welcome to apply; women of color and those from underrepresented or disadvantaged groups are especially encouraged to apply.
Applications can be found online at www.berkshiretaconic.org/grantseekers or by calling 413-528-8039. Completed applications must be received at Berkshire Taconic by 5p.m. on May 15th. A committee of community members with demonstrated expertise in the field of education and leadership development will select the candidates that best meet the vision of the fund based on the combined criteria of: quality of the training program; potential impact of the program on the applicant’s life and studies/work; and evidence of the applicant’s ambition to apply this training.
Anne Sanford worked at NYNEX for 30 years. Her areas of expertise were marketing, strategic planning and business development. After taking early retirement from NYNEX, she founded Sanford Consulting, which she ran for a decade. In her civic life, she served as president of the Amenia Free Library Association and the Board of The Harlem Valley Partnership, a regional economic development agency. She was a member of the Town of Amenia Planning Board and the Dutchess County Planning Board, as well as the Dutchess County Economic Development Corporation Board. She was also a co-founder of the Business Women's Network, a tri-state organization for women in business, as well as a founding member of ImagineAmenia, a grass roots organization promoting civic engagement and social capital.
Eugenie Sills, publisher of The Women’s Times, says, “Anne Sanford loved life. She loved her family, her friends and her community; she loved business and politics. She achieved remarkable professional success during her corporate career—at a time when there was little support for women in business. We can think of no better way to honor her legacy than by helping other women to follow in her footsteps.”
Berkshire Taconic Community Foundation builds stronger communities and improves the quality of life for all residents of Berkshire County, MA; Columbia County and northeast Dutchess County, NY; and northwest Litchfield County, CT. Thanks to its generous donors, in 2008 Berkshire Taconic distributed nearly $9 million in scholarships and grants for programs in the arts and education, health and human services, and environmental protection. Berkshire Taconic is a 501 (c)(3) charitable organization.
