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.

New Climbing Gym in Great Barrington Aims to Expand Access to Sport

By Sabrina DammsiBerkshires Staff
07:32AM / Sunday, November 15, 2026

Berkshire Boulders on Stockbridge Road also has fitness equipment and utilizes the Clift Climbing lighting system for mapping routes. 

GREAT BARRINGTON, Mass. — Berkshire County is known for its rolling mountains, scenic hiking trails and abundance of outdoor recreational opportunities. However, until recently, one thing was missing: a dedicated indoor space for the region's climbing community.

 

A new community-oriented climbing gym, Berkshire Boulder, is filling that gap by providing a year-round space for climbers of all skill levels to train, connect, develop their skills, and introduce newcomers to the sport. 

 

"The idea of a climbing gym in the area has been a multi-decade-long dream for a lot of people," said founder Nick Friedman. 

 

The closest gym is over an hour away and although the idea had been discussed for years, bringing it to fruition required several pieces to fall into place, he said. 

 

The facility was designed to accommodate climbers of varying experience levels while maximizing its approximately 4,000 square feet of space, general manager Austen McNulty. 

 

It features bouldering walls reaching 14 feet, designed with assistance from Dan Yagmin of Decoy Climbing, who also supplied many of the climbing holds. It also offers additional fitness equipment and an adjustable spray board that can be positioned from vertical to a 70-degree overhang, McNulty said.

 

The wall heights allow climbers to challenge themselves without taking on the risks associated with taller climbing structures, McNulty said.