Berkshire Life Charitable Foundation % Berkshire Life Insurance

700 SOUTH STREET - PITTSFIELD - MA 01201, Massachusetts

Latest Filing: 2023

Total Assets: $2.26M

Total Giving: $141,000

Grants: 15

Median Grant: $10,000

BERKSHIRE LIFE CHARITABLE FOUNDATION % BERKSHIRE LIFE INSURANCE is a active grantmaker that only funds pre-selected organizations, distributing $140K...

2023 Summary

$2.26M

Total Assets

$141,000

Funding Awarded

Grants Given

$10,000

Median Grant

$12,000

Largest Grant

$5,000

Smallest Grant

2023 Recipients

Recipient	Award	Location	Purpose
Berkshire County Arc	$12,000	Pittsfield, MASSACHUSETTS	For The Past 15 Years We Have Offered A Saturday Program For School Aged Individuals With Disabilities,With A Focus Of Children On The Autism Spectrum. The Program Works One On One With Kids Offering Hands On Activities, In An Effort To Create Strategies To Help The Child Achieve In All Areas Of Life: This Can Includesocial Skills, Sensory Development, Managing Emotions, Practicing Patience, Managing Loss (As In A Gamesituation), Who To Trust, Understanding Boundaries On Social Media, And More. The Program Has Now Been Closed For More Than Two Years Asa Result Of Covid.We Are Gradually Starting It Again, And Realize We Are Attracting A Wider Range Of Ages And Function Levels, Making It Hard To Conduct The Program In One Group. We See We Will Need Two Or Three Groups Movingforward. This Will Require A Staff Member For Each Group, Different Levels Of Curricula, Different Levels Of Activities And Supplies, Different Types Of Technology And Software, Etc.
Berkshire Music School	$12,000	Pittsfield, MASSACHUSETTS	Providing Meaningful Musical Experience To All Populations Is A Top Priority Of The Berkshire Music School, Andour Making Music: Creative Collaborations Program Is Designed Specifically To Meet The Needs Of Ourcommunity Members With Developmental, Intellectual, And Physical Disabilities, As Well As Senior Adults Livingwith Limitations Associated With Aging. The Collaborative Programs Of Musical Performances And Workshopsbring Bms Faculty Members Into Residences And Day Facilities Managed By Berkshire County Arc And Otherassisted Living And Adult Day Time Care Centers.
Blue Rider Stables	$12,000	Great Barrington, MASSACHUSETTS	Blue Rider Stables' Therapeutic Riding Programs Serve Individuals And Organizations Throughout Berkshirecounty And The Tri State Area. Programs Such As Ours Have Proven To Be Extremely Effective In Reaching Those Withdisabilities Who Are Otherwise Unable To Participate In Sports Or Many Other Physical Activities.
Community Access To The Arts	$12,000	Great Barrington, MASSACHUSETTS	Community Access To The Arts (Cata) Invites Berkshire Life Charitable Foundation To Underwrite 100 Cata Visual Arts Workshops Between September 2022 And May 2023 Through A Grant Of $12,000:With Your Support, 500 520 People With Disabilities Across The Berkshires Will Express Their Unique Perspectives In Painting, Photography, Collage, Portraiture, And Tactile Arts.
Elizabeth Freeman Center Inc	$12,000	Pittsfield, MASSACHUSETTS	Our Shelter From The Storm Project Provides Affirming, Accessible And Adaptable Services To Residents Ofberkshire County With Disabilities Who Have Suffered Domestic And/Or Sexual Violence (Whom We Call"Survivors").
Life Needs Coop Inc Dba Stanton Home	$12,000	Great Barrington, MASSACHUSETTS	Stanton Home Employment Skills Programthe Stanton Home Training Programs Continue To Expand The Garden, Weavery And Arts And Crafts,And Compost Vocational Training Programs With The Stanton Home Employment Skills Program .
United Cerebal Palsy Association Of Berkshire County	$12,000	Pittsfield, MASSACHUSETTS	Children's Programming (Autism Services, Early Intervention, And Neonatal Abstinence Syndromechildren's Autism Programming In 2021, Ucp Continued Our Focus On The Needs Of Children With Disabilities And Their Families In Theberkshire County Community. Berkshire County, Like Many Other Communities In The United Statescontinue To See A High Rate Of Children Born With An Autism Diagnosis. So Prevalent Is The Concern Inmassachusetts, That The Department Of Public Health Put Out A Request For Service For Children Diagnosedwith Autism As Early As Two Years Old. These Specialty Services Parallel The Support Received In An Earlyintervention Program So That Children With Autism And Their Families Can Learn Healthy Coping Skills To Liveand Grow. Early Intervention Early Intervention Is A Children's Program Funded By The Department Of Public Health Designed To Assist Children Who Are Experiencing Developmental Delays.
Berkshire South Regional Community Center	$10,000	Great Barrington, MASSACHUSETTS	We Respectfully Request Support From The Berkshire Life Charitable Foundation In Theamount Of $10,000 For Our Adaptive Swim Lessons And Aqua Thrills Classes, An Aquaticprogram Serving Those Who Might Have Difficulties Participating In Traditional Lessons. Berkshire South Is The Only Facility With A Warm Water Therapy Pool Of Its Type In South County,And Our Aquatics Center Is Heavily Used By Many Local Residents With Disabilities, As Well Asagencies Bringing Their Patients And Clients For Physical Therapy, Therapeutic Swimming, Andwater Based Exercise.
Berkshire County Regional Housing Authority	$8,000	Pittsfield, MASSACHUSETTS	Bcrha Is Requesting Funding This Year To Continue Services Offered Through Bcrha's Tenancy Preservationprogram (Tpp).In Collaboration With The Massachusetts Housing Court, Tpp Works With Property Owners And Tenants To Determinewhether A Disabled Tenant Can Be Reasonably Accommodated To Preserve An Existing Tenancy. Tpp Staff Assessthe Reasons For Eviction, Identify Needed Services And Supports, Develop A Plan To Engage Services, Or In Somecases Re Engage Supports And Services, For The Household, And Then Monitor The Stabilization Process. Preserving Each Household's Tenancy Is The Overarching Goal Of Tpp. However, Should A Tenancy Be Unsustainable, Tpp Willassist The Tenants In Accessing More Appropriate Housing Options.
Community Legal Aid Inc	$8,000	Pittsfield, MASSACHUSETTS	Cla Is Seeking Funding From The Berkshire Life Charitable Foundation To Help Support Our Work With Low Income
Elder Services Of Berkshire County Inc	$8,000	Pittsfield, MASSACHUSETTS	Recipients Of Meals On Wheels Must Be 60 Years Of Age Or Older Or Be Under The Age Of 60 With A Disability. Theprofile For Seniors Who Receive Home Delivered Meals And Meals At Senior Meal Sites Are: 75+ Years Of Age Andolder, Live Alone, Are Lonely And Vulnerable, Live In Rural Areas, 7 4% Live On Fixed Incomes And/Or Are Low Income, Arefood Insecure And 60% Are In Need Of Additional Services.
Goodwill Industries Of The Berkshires And Southern Vermont Inc	$7,000	Pittsfield, MASSACHUSETTS	To Fund Will Allow Us To Purchase Items To Be Used To Increase The Health And For 8 10 New Supported Employeesof Goodwill And Defray Some Of The Costs That Are Not Covered By The Dds Contract. Items Will Include Stressrelieving Mats, 8 Sorting/Work Tables, 10 Bins For Production, A Conference Table For Meetings, 15 Stackablechairs, A 2 Drawer Filing Cabinet, Desk, Bookcase And Desk Chair.
Gladys Allen Brigham Community Center Inc	$6,000	Pittsfield, MASSACHUSETTS	The Brigham Community Center Continues Its Program Response To Disabled Youngsters. We Offerprogramming Monday Through Friday Which We Could Not Do Without Continued Grant Support. The Aidesallow Children To Fully Participate In All Facets Of Brigham Community Center Abc School Age Enrichmentprogram (Abc), Camp Stevenson Witawentin (Csw) And Girls Inc. Which All Support School Age Childrenin The Out Of School Time Hours.
Branches School Of The Berkshires Inc	$5,000	Dalton, MASSACHUSETTS	Branches School Of The Berkshires Is A Nonprofit Private School Specifically For Individuals With A Diagnosisby A Qualified Medical Professional Of Autism Spectrum Disorder. Branches School Opened In July, 2021 With Its First Student. Branches School Was Developed From The Ground Up By Helen Bloomer And Kassyvorce. The Requested Funding Is To Provide The Necessary Materials To Provide Appropriate Educationalservices For The Individuals That Attend Branches. This Includes: Paint And Service To Paint For 2 Newclassrooms Vocational And Life Skills, And Furniture And Materials For These Rooms.
Dalton Cra	$5,000	Dalton, MASSACHUSETTS	The Community Recreation Associations (Cra) Adaptive Program Serves Children With An Array Of Disabilities Byproviding Them With A One On One High School Mentor. Through A Variety Of Activities, Mentees With Adaptiveneeds Build Close Relationships With A Student Mentor. The Mentors And Mentees Meet At Least Once A Week As Agroup And Participate In Activities That Vary From Baseball, Yoga, Swimming, Gym Games, Dance, And Many Artforms. Families Are Invited To Attend All Events And We Have Almost 100% Participation Each Week.

$141,000

State

Total

MA

Massachusetts

$141,000

Contacts

Name	Phone	Title
ROBERT COCO	4133954336	TREASURER
ROBERT COCO		Signing Officer

Historical Financials

Year	Total Assets	Total Giving	Grants	Median Grant	Max Grant	Min Grant
2023	$2,256,832	$141,000	15	$10,000	$12,000	$5,000
2022	$2,323,948	$141,615	17	$6,000	$17,500	$1,000
2021	$2,331,103	$146,000	21	$6,000	$12,000	$2,000
2020	$2,243,552	$124,400	19	$6,000	$12,000	$2,000
2019	$2,206,858	$138,700	24	$4,000	$12,000	$2,000