Berkshire Taconic Funding Opportunities Across Four Counties

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SHEFFIELD, Mass. — Berkshire Taconic Community Foundation is offering nearly 20 grant opportunities and 80 scholarship programs in its winter funding cycle, providing support for nonprofits, students, and community organizations across four counties.
 
Eligible applicants in Berkshire County, Mass.; Columbia and northeast Dutchess Counties, N.Y.; and northwest Litchfield County, Conn., are encouraged to explore funding opportunities that address a range of needs, from environmental initiatives and the arts, to education and food security.
 
Berkshire Taconic's streamlined scholarship application process connects students with nearly 80 scholarship funds, offering financial support for higher education. The deadline to apply is March 15, and early applications are encouraged, as some scholarships require additional materials. Awards will be announced in June. In 2024, scholarship awards totaled $898,000 through our programs.
 
For details and to apply, visit berkshiretaconic.org/scholarships.
 
This winter's grant cycle includes funding for projects that expand access to fresh food, strengthen the arts, advance environmental initiatives, and support nonprofit innovation.
 
Key opportunities include:
 
  • Planning and Technical Assistance Grants (Deadline: Feb. 15) Provides flexible funding to help nonprofits improve programs and strategy.
 
  • Fund for Columbia County: Grants for Community Impact (Deadline: Feb. 15) Supports youth development, elder services, civic engagement, education, and the arts.
 
  • Fund for Columbia County: School-to-Work Grants (Deadline: Feb. 15) Funds innovative programs that help high school and college-age students transition into the workforce.
 
  • Fresh and Healthy Food for All in Columbia County (Deadline: Feb. 15) Supports efforts to ensure equitable access to fresh, healthy food.
 
  • Northeast Dutchess Fund (Deadline: Feb. 15) Invests in programs serving underserved children and adults in northeast Dutchess County.
 
  • Crane Family Fund (Deadline: Feb. 15) Supports innovative projects that advance environmental sustainability and community health in Berkshire County.
 
  • Arts Build Community: Incubation Grants (Opens Feb. 1, Deadline: Mar. 15) Provides support for Berkshire County arts and cultural organizations to pilot new approaches to engaging residents.
 
A full list of grant opportunities and eligibility details is available at berkshiretaconic.org/winter25.
If you would like to contribute information on this article, contact us at info@iberkshires.com.

Dalton Police Facility Report Complete; Station Future Still Uncertain

By Sabrina DammsiBerkshires Staff
DALTON, Mass. — The Public Safety Facility Advisory Committee's final report is complete but the future of the station remains uncertain. 
 
Several members of the committee attended the Select Board meeting last week, as co-Chair Craig Wilbur presented four options delineated in the presentation — build on town-owned land, build on private land, renovate or repurpose the existing buildings, and do nothing. The full report can be found here
 
According to the report, addressing the station's needs coincides with the town facing significant financial challenges, with rising fixed costs and declining state aid straining its budget. 
 
These financial pressures restrict the town's ability to fund major capital projects and a new police station has to compete with a backlog of deferred infrastructure needs like water, sewer, roads, and Americans with Disabilities Act compliance.
 
In June 2024, Police Chief Deanna Strout informed the board of the station's dire condition — including issues with plumbing, mold, ventilation, mice, water damage, heating, and damaged cells — prompting the board to take action on two fronts. 
 
The board set aside American Rescue Plan Act funds to address the immediately dire issues, including the ventilation, and established the Public Safety Facility Advisory Committee to navigate long-term options
 
Very early on it was determined that the current facility is not adequate enough to meet the needs of a 21st-century Police Facility. This determination was backed up following a space needs assessment by Jacunski Humes Architects LLC
 
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