Lee Bank Foundation Awards $48,600 in Grant Funding

LEE, Mass. — Lee Bank Foundation has awarded $48,600 to sixteen Berkshire area organizations for their third-round of 2022 community funding.

Recipients were awarded grants ranging from $1,000 to $10,600 to support their local programming. Included in the awards are a series of Arts Access Grants for arts and culture organizations to expand access to programming for underserved audiences and Food Security Grants for organizations with a program focused on providing food to community members in need.

The following organizations received funding from Lee Bank Foundation:

• Berkshire Innovation Center
• Berkshire Regional Planning Commission
• Center for Peace Through Culture
• Chabad of the Berkshires
• CDCSB
• Dalton CRA
• E for All
• Good Work Institute (Alliance for a Viable Future)
• Housatonic Heritage (The Mastheads)
• Lee Historical Society
• Life Needs Co-Op (Stanton Home)
• Second Street Second Chances
• The Christian Center
• The People’s Pantry
• Volunteers in Medicine
• WAM Theatre

The deadline for the next round of 2022 Foundation funding is December 1st. The application and more information can be found on the Community Impact section of Lee Bank's website (https://www.leebank.com/community-impact/donations-sponsorships.html)

To be considered for grant awards, applicants must be a (501)(c)(3) nonprofit organization. The Foundation is focused on funding programs that work to bridge income and opportunity gaps in our region. Funding requests should reflect one or more of Lee Bank Foundation’s primary focus areas:

• Education and literacy
• Food security and nutrition
• Economic growth and development
• Health and human services
• Mentorship, internship and “school to work” initiatives
• Arts and culture

Applicants are only eligible for funding once in a 12-month period.

Lee Bank Foundation was established in 2021 to support Lee Bank’s long-standing mission of community reinvestment. In its first year, 2021, the Foundation awarded a total of $228,610 in grants and the Bank contributed an additional $84,000 in sponsorships.

Greenagers Founder Will Conklin Honored as Business Person of the Year

By Breanna Steele12:17PM / Saturday, October 03, 2026

Casey Pease of state Sen. Paul Mark's office presents William Conklin, right, with a state Senate proclamation.

EGREMONT, Mass. — The Southern Berkshire Chamber of Commerce honored a local businessman and nonprofit leader on Sept. 24 at Catamount Mountain Resort.

 

William Conklin was this year's Business Person of the Year, recognizing his work as founder and executive director of Greenagers, a nonprofit that helps youth and children engage in work in environmental conservation, sustainable farming, natural resource management, and vocational skills building. 

 

Conklin and his family also run Sky View Farm and he is a managing partner of Konkapot Tree and Timber, a small-scale forest products business.

 

"If you spent any amount of time in Southern Berkshire, chances are you've heard his name, whether you realize the connection at the time or not," said board member Sierra King Watson, who emceed the event. "You might be having a conversation about farming, a new barn or structure that was built, students learning hands-on skills in sustainable agriculture, or a family that receives donated firewood to help keep their home warm through a cold Berkshire winter, or maybe you're simply talking about one of those community leaders who somehow manages to show up, support everyone, and seemingly be everywhere all at once.

 

"Well, one name has a way of continuously popping up, and that is Will Conklin."

 

Board President Mark Rulison said the region has more than 1,200 nonprofits. One in four jobs in the county is in the nonprofit sector, which ranks 27th nationally for nonprofit employment. He said the economic impact on the community is huge, thanking those who help.

 

For the event on Thursday, Conklin requested that as much of the food as possible was sourced locally. Most of it came from Greenagers, Sky View Farm, Indian Line Farm and Fancy Feast Supper Club, creative dinner series.