For almost 20 years, the Granby Education Foundation has nourished educational excellence for people of all ages in Granby. As with any organization, growth is a component of keeping current. This month, the GEF launched a newly designed website along with a new logo and a new tagline, “ENRICH ENERGIZE ENGAGE: LIFELONG LEARNING.”
The new website features the GEF’s past accomplishments, but it also provides local non-profits, and any group partnering with a non-profit, with an important funding resource to bring educational initiatives to life. The newly designed grants pages present overviews of our Community and Arts Endowment Grants, as well as a link to proposal applications. To be more responsive to the community, GEF created Mini Grants for those ideas that need under $750 and a faster organizational response. With rolling applications accepted September through May, GEF seeks to provide innovators with the funding needed to bring education and arts programming and events to Granby.
Filling the website’s pages are updates on the many successful programs that the GEF has funded, both in schools and in the community. One newly funded special project is the Strings Program, which began at Kelly Lane Primary School. With $40,000 of seed money, the district hopes to leverage this program throughout the schools, possibly creating an orchestra at the middle and high schools in years to come. The GEF is proud to partner with Granby Public Schools with this addition to the arts curriculum as students benefit from a deeper understanding of music, self-discipline, and collaboration.
This year, GEF also supports several community groups bringing a variety of enrichment opportunities to Granby. Its diverse grant awards include: the Bruce Porter Memorial Music Series at South Church; a 4-H initiative to create a VEX robotics team for high school-aged students; and the Granby Artists Association in rejuvenating the Family Art Day at Holcomb Farm. These programs touch many populations in the community, leading to greater engagement and exploration of both the arts and STEM.
The 16th Annual Gran-Bee Trivia Competition will be held on May 3 at the GMHS Auditorium, with proceeds benefiting the Community Grants program. Team registration and sponsorship forms can be found on the new website. Please join the GEF for a fun, family night filled with costumes, silly jokes, and of course trivia!
For more information on GEF’s work or proposal applications, check out the new website at: granbyeducationfoundation.org