Danbury, CONN. (July 15, 2025) – The Union Savings Bank (USB) Foundation recently awarded $560,000 in funding to 61 local organizations in Connecticut as part of the 159-year-old community bank’s ongoing effort to give back to those it serves.
The 2025 grant recipients offer a wide range of community services, including education and literacy programs, youth enrichment and developmental activities, the arts, health and wellness, mentorship, and support for food pantries, and more.
“We are proud to support organizations that deliver meaningful contributions to the well-being of communities across Western Connecticut and beyond,” said Union Savings Bank President and CEO, Chelen Reyes. “Their dedication to providing essential services that educate, enrich, and support individuals of all ages plays a vital role in enhancing quality of life. Union Savings Bank and the USB Foundation are honored to assist in furthering their important missions.”
Organizations receiving 2025 grants are:
- After School Arts Program, Inc. (ASAP!)– (Washington Depot) The $18,000 grant will support scholarships for New Milford and Torrington children to attend ASAP!’s Educational Summer Camp.
- Ann’s Place Inc.– (Ridgefield) The $25,000 in funding will go to their cancer wellness and workshop series.
- Bedrock Credit America Inc. – (Southbury) The $4,000 grant will be used for their community credit education presentation.
- Boys & Girls Club of the Lower Naugatuck Valley – (Shelton) The $10,000 grant will fund their after-school program.
- Brave Enough to Fail – (New Milford) The $15,000 in funding will support the organization’s BOSS Academy, which provides a Social-Emotional Learning (SEL) curriculum for middle and high school students.
- Bridgeport Neighborhood Trust Inc., dba Building Neighborhoods Together – The $15,000 grant will be used for SmartStart: Bridgeport Financial Futures.
- Bristol Adult Resource Center – The $4,500 funding will be used towards their Recreation/Respite program.
- Catholic Charities of Fairfield County, Inc. – (Danbury) The $10,000 grant will provide funding for programs that feed the hungry, shelter the homeless, strengthen families, assist with physical and mental health, and deliver consultation and assistance to immigrants.
- CJR, Inc. – (Litchfield) The $10,000 grant will support improving education in Litchfield County Schools through school-based behavioral health services.
- Danbury Grassroots Academy, Inc. – The $15,000 grant will be used for education, enrichment, health, and mentoring.
- Danbury Music Centre, Inc. – The $5,000 grant will help fund the summer enrichment programs, which allow opportunities for people to continue their music skills.
- Danbury Students and Business Connection – The $25,000 in funding will go towards increasing awareness and the impact of the DSABC Mentorship Program, which pairs one supportive adult with a student to assist them in school and daily life.
- Danbury Youth Services, Inc. – The $15,000 grant will support Teaching and Reaching Gaining Excellence Together (TARGET), an after-school program at Pembroke Elementary School.
- Families Network of Western CT – (Danbury) The $20,000 grant will be used for their Home Visiting Program, which provide parenting education and support to new and expecting parents through personal visits.
- Family & Children’s Aid – (Danbury) The $10,000 grant will fund the improvement of educational support for the Extended Day Treatment Program.
- Five Ducks Foundation – (Danbury) The $4,000 in funding will go towards their Brain Boost Summer Learning Program.
- Flanders Nature Center & Land Trust – (Woodbury) The $7,500 grant will help support achieving district-wide Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) education program in Urban school districts.
- Friends of the Roxbury Library, Inc. – (Roxbury) The $2,000 grant will fund their Summer Reading 2025 & After School Programs for 2025-2026.
- Hall Neighborhood House Inc. – (Bridgeport) The $5,000 grant will be used for HNH L.E.A.D.S., a program that provides support and guidance to high school students as they complete college applications, apply for financial aid, and learn how to budget.
- Housatonic Habitat for Humanity – (Danbury) The $15,000 in funding will support their Financial Foundations: Empowering Communities for Stability program.
- Jane Doe No More, Inc. – (Naugatuck) The $6,500 grant will be used for their Escape Alive Survival Skills® Program.
- Jericho Partnership, Inc. – (Danbury) The $10,000 grant will go toward their summer learning program.
- Junior Achievement of Greater Fairfield County – (Shelton) The $25,000 in funding will support the Financial Literacy Program for Fairfield County Youth.
- KidsPlay Children’s Museum Inc. – (Torrington) The $7,500 grant will fund the large-scale building kit, Rigamajig.
- Life Health and Wellness Center – (Ansonia) The $3,000 grant will be used for their community education program.
- LifeBridge Community Services – (Bridgeport) The $5,000 grant will go toward their Trauma-Informed Multi-Tiered System of Support (TI-MTSS).
- Literacy Volunteers on the Green – (New Milford) The $5,000 in funding will be used for their volunteer group.
- LVA School Inc. – (Danbury) The $10,000 grant will help with teaching English as a second language to adults.
- Malta House – (Norwalk) The $5,000 grant will be used for their workforce development program.
- Maria Seymour Brooker Memorial – (Torrington) The $2,500 grant will support their dental hygiene education for Head Start children.
- McCall Behavioral Health Network – (Torrington) The $6,500 in funding will be used for McCall “Hope After Loss” Grief Support Group Training.
- Mercy Learning Center – (Bridgeport) The $5,000 grant will be used for their Literacy and Life Skills Program.
- MVPSOS Foundation, Inc. – (New Milford) The $5,000 grant will help provide financial assistance to New Milford children participating in school-related or after-school sports.
- Newtown Community Center– The $5,000 grant will support various community programs.
- Newtown Youth and Family Services– (Sandy Hook) The $6,000 grant will go toward Safety Town, a one-week safety education camp developed to teach kindergartners and first graders important life-saving lessons.
- Northwest Conservation District – (Torrington) The $5,000 in funding will be used for the Forestry Education Program in Northwest Connecticut.
- Northwest CT YMCA – (Torrington) The $10,000 grant will support their Early Learning Program.
- Norwalk Housing Foundation – The $10,000 in funding will go toward the organization’s College Scholarship Program.
- Pratt Nature Center – (New Milford) The $7,500 grant will be used for their educational outreach program.
- Reach Western CT – (Brookfield) The $18,000 grant will help fund “Reach Ascend”, a year round program for children 8-18 years old.
- RVNA Health – (Ridgefield) The $7,500 in funding will support community dementia education and training.
- Saint Joseph Parenting Center – (Danbury) The $15,000 grant will go toward their General Parenting Program.
- SCORE Association – Western Connecticut Chapter – (Danbury) The $5,000 grant will help fund educational workshops and programs in Western Connecticut.
- SCORE Association – Fairfield County Chapter – (Norwalk) The $5,000 grant will go toward educational workshops and programs in Fairfield County.
- Stepping Stones Museum for Children – (Norwalk) The $10,000 in funding will support the children’s summer 2025 camp, Camp ELLI.
- Susan B. Anthony Project, Inc. – (Torrington) The $10,000 grant will be used for domestic and sexual violence prevention education programming.
- The Center for Empowerment and Education (formerly The Women’s Center) – (Danbury) The $15,000 grant will go toward community impact prevention education.
- The Center for Family Justice, Inc. – (Bridgeport) The $10,000 in funding will support prevention education to educate children on a variety of issues such as: bullying, body safety, teen dating and conflict resolution.
- The Salvation Army – (Danbury) The $5,000 grant will be used for The Right Place School Readiness Program, which offers early education to children aged 2-8.
- The Tiny Miracles Foundation (TTMF) – (Darien) The $10,000 grant will help fund their mentoring program at Danbury Hospital, which provides services and support for premature babies.
- Village Center for the Arts – (New Milford) The $15,000 grant will help support the “Unexpected Artist” afterschool Program.
- Women’s Business Development Council – (Stamford) The $15,000 in funding will go toward entrepreneurial and financial education for Spanish-speaking women.
The following food pantries each received $5,000 in grants:
- Filling in the Blanks – Norwalk
- FISH of NW CT– Torrington
- Monroe Food Pantry
- Square Up for Others – Bridgeport
- Walnut Hill Community Food Pantry – Bethel
- Open Doors – Norwalk
- Camella’s Cupboard – New Milford
- Salvation Army of Waterbury
About Union Savings Bank Foundation
The USB Foundation was established in 1998 to provide the bank with an additional way to give back to the community. The Foundation focuses on helping programs that educate and enrich the communities that the bank serves. Since its inception, the USB Foundation has donated over $6 million in grants to hundreds of organizations.
About Union Savings Bank
Established in 1866 and headquartered in Danbury, CT, Union Savings Bank is a $3 billion mutual bank dedicated to being the bank of choice. As a full-service financial institution, Union Savings Bank provides banking, mortgage, investment, trust and insurance products throughout western Connecticut with 25 offices in Bethel, Brookfield, Canton, Danbury, Goshen, Kent, Litchfield, Marble Dale, Monroe, New Fairfield, New Milford, Newtown, Norwalk, Ridgefield, Roxbury, Southbury, Torrington and Washington Depot. The bank provides financial services to individuals, businesses, not-for-profit organizations, and government entities through its commercial, residential and consumer lending, corporate services, retail banking and wealth management divisions. Please visit www.unionsavings.com for more information and connect with the bank on Facebook and LinkedIn. Member FDIC. Equal Housing Lender.
###
Community Relations Contact:
Michele Bonvicini
Union Savings Bank
203.830.6045
mbonvicini@unionsavings.com