Lee Bank Foundation Awards $48K in Fourth Grant Cycle of 2025

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LEE, Mass. —The Lee Bank Foundation has awarded $48,800 in its fourth grant cycle of 2025 to support thirteen Berkshire-based nonprofit organizations.

Established in 2021 to build on decades of community support by Lee Bank, the Foundation has expanded and formalized the Bank's philanthropic impact across Berkshire County.

Grant awards in this cycle ranged from $1,000 to $10,000 and will support initiatives aligned with the Foundation's core focus areas, including education, food security, economic development, health and human services, and workforce development.

The latest grant recipients are:

  • 18 Degrees
  • Becket Athenaeum
  • Berkshire Agricultural Ventures
  • Berkshire County Head Start
  • Berkshire Grown
  • Berkshire Immigrant Center
  • Berkshire Pulse
  • Latinas413
  • Neighborhood Ninjas
  • NESEA for Cooler Communities
  • Outreach, Inc.
  • Sheffield Farmers' Market
  • The Nonprofit Center

Nonprofit organizations interested in applying for the next round of funding, with applications due by March 2, 2026, can find application details in the Community Impact section of leebank.com.

To be considered, applicants must have 501(c)(3) nonprofit status. The Foundation prioritizes program-based grants aligned with one or more of the following focus areas:

  • Education and literacy
  • Food security and nutrition
  • Economic growth and development
  • Health and human services
  • Mentorship, internship, and school-to-work initiatives

Organizations are eligible to receive funding once per 12-month period.

 


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BCC Sees Another $1M for New Trades Program

By Brittany PolitoiBerkshires Staff

PITTSFIELD, Mass. — Berkshire Community College was allocated more than $1 million from the state for an HVAC and heat pump trades program.

This will help BCC renovate an existing space into a lab and classroom, with the hope of welcoming the program’s first students in early 2027. Executive Director of Workforce and Community Education Linda Clairmont said there is "clearly" an interest, a lot of momentum, and demand for the skilled trades.

"We are beyond excited about this opportunity, not only for the college, but for the region, to be able to create a skilled trades program for adults, and it's a complement to what is already happening at the college," she said. 

The $1,188,635 award was announced on Tuesday as part of $13.4 million to 13 state community colleges through the Mass Clean Energy Center’s new Heat Pump and HVAC Training Network.  Between state and federal funding, the college has recently been allocated more than $2 million to diversify its educational offerings. 

Earlier this month, U.S. Rep. Richard Neal visited the college to highlight the $995,000 he secured through congressionally directed spending for a Trades Academy

The nearly $1.2 million in state funds will support a renovation on the first floor of the field administration building for an HVAC heat pump and lab classroom, along with two cohorts of ten students. 

"We have made a lot of progress," Clairmont reported. 

"We've identified a location, right on campus. We are working with architects and engineers right now to design the space, along with some expertise in what is state-of-the-art for HVAC training in real-world environments." 

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