Greenwich Roundup: 01/27/10 Attention Greenwich Nonprofit Organizations: First County Bank Foundation 2010 Grant Apps Now Available

Wednesday, January 27, 2010

01/27/10 Attention Greenwich Nonprofit Organizations: First County Bank Foundation 2010 Grant Apps Now Available

FIRST COUNTY BANK FOUNDATION

GRANT APPLICATIONS NOW AVAILABLE ONLINE

60 nonprofit organizations in Fairfield County

received $559,050 in 2009

GREENWICH, Conn. — In response to the economic times and significant need for financial help, First County Bank Foundation has extended the period of time nonprofit organizations have to fill out and submit grant applications. Regular grant applications, defined as amounts of $2,500 or more benefiting economic development, housing, children and families living and working in lower Fairfield County, will be accepted from January 1 through March 31. In prior years, the foundation only accepted grant applications during a one-month period. Grant recipients will be notified by June 1. Eligible organizations can view or download the 2010 grant application at: www.firstcounty.com/FCB_Found_App.pdf.

Also new this year, according to First County Bank Foundation Vice President Katherine Harris, is a short-form application available April 1 until the end of the year. Short-form applications are defined as grants of $2,500 or less for those applicants who fit the regular grant criteria, and $1,000 or less for those applicants that do not fit the regular grant criteria.

To be eligible, all applicants must have nonprofit tax exempt status under section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code and serve the communities of Stamford, Darien, Greenwich, New Canaan, Norwalk or Westport. The announcement of new short-form applications is a first for the foundation.

“Through the dedication and charitable nature of First County Bank, its directors, corporators, officers and employees, the bank strives to make a difference in the communities it serves,” said Harris. “This is accomplished by helping to ensure that local charitable needs continue to be met.

“More than 60 nonprofit organizations throughout Fairfield County received $559,050 in grant money from First County Bank Foundation in 2009. This was the largest amount of money donated by this community bank in its 158 year history,” said Harris. “However, there are more than 200 nonprofits in Fairfield County and we want to make sure all of these important causes have access to grant money. So we expanded the period of time for filling out applications and also loosened eligibility for many organizations in need of financial support throughout the year.”

About the First County Bank Foundation

Established in 2001 in honor of the bank’s 150^th anniversary, the First County Bank Foundation was created to distribute funds annually to nonprofit organizations that support community and economic development for children and families. As a mutual bank with no shareholders, First County Bank considers contributions made by the foundation a means of paying dividends back to the local communities it serves. Through 2009, the foundation has been able to award 343 grants totaling $3.5 million to various community organizations.

First County Bank is an independent mutual community bank with 15 branches in Stamford, Greenwich, Darien, New Canaan, Norwalk and Westport offering deposit products, mortgages, trust and investment services, business banking services and online banking. First County Bank has assets in excess of $1.2 billion. For additional information, please visit www.firstcountybank.com.