Bell's Brewery Sponsorships and Donations

Sponsored events and donations play a key role within our Bell’s philosophy. Through these events, we are able to not only give back to the communities we sell our beer in, but also get to have a great time with our fans! We are always looking for new opportunities and welcome your suggestions and applications. Please keep in mind that while we would love to be able to participate in everything, we sometimes must respectfully decline.

We do have a few guidelines we follow for all sponsorships and donations, please read through them below before proceeding to our application.

• Requests must be submitted at least 8 weeks prior to the event start date or the date the donation is needed. Any events submitted with less than 8 weeks’ notice will automatically be declined. We want to give every event we are involved in the best chance for success, which means we need time to plan. While 8 weeks is our minimum time requirement, additional time is always appreciated, especially for larger events.
• We do very little traditional advertising, instead we focus our efforts on sponsorships. When we partner with an event or an organization, we like to be involved! That said, if your proposal only involves a logo placement, we will politely decline in favor of events that offer us a chance to interact with our fans.
• We’re an eccentric bunch here at Bell’s and love to be involved with events that reflect your community’s eccentricities, uniqueness and inclusivity.
• We are always happy to consider requests for donations of Bell’s swag for homebrew competitions, fundraisers and events! That said, due to Michigan state law, we are not legally allowed to donate beer to events in any state. We’re sorry, but we legally cannot make any exceptions.

NOTE: Grant submissions are reviewed on a quarterly basis.

Hannaford Charitable Foundation

We have a long history of supporting our communities through volunteerism, donations and community leadership. The Hannaford Charitable Foundation is one of many ways we support our communities.

The Foundation's mission is to invest in creating and sustaining healthy communities in our five-state region by providing financial support to nonprofit organizations and programs that focus on improvement of the root causes impacting the quality of life for our customers, associates and neighbors. Our areas of focus for financial support are food, education and health.

Focus Areas for support:

The Foundation supports organizations in Maine, New Hampshire, Massachusetts, New York and Vermont that focus on one of the following core components of healthy communities:

• Food – We support programs with long-term solutions that will ensure safe, stable access to healthy food primarily through regional food banks in the markets we serve.
• Education – We help to deliver strong programs that prepare people through all stages of life for success in education and readiness to enter the workforce.
• Health – We support organizations that provide quality programs focusing on promoting healthy lifestyles and improved care.

In determining which organizations and programs to support, the Foundation considers

• the impact and outcomes to the community
• prior support from Hannaford Charitable Foundation
• relative uniqueness of the program versus others in the community.

People’s United Community Foundation and People’s United Community Foundation of Eastern Massachusetts support the communities where People’s United Bank branches are located. Through grants for nonprofit programs and services, their overall mission is to:

• Enhance the quality of life for residents
• Promote the economic development and well-being of neighborhoods
• Support the educational and developmental needs of children and youth.

Focus areas

People’s United Community Foundation awards grants to nonprofit organizations that align with our primary areas of focus and giving priorities of economic stability, employment, education, and housing:

Affordable Housing Development

People’s United Community Foundation supports programs that create affordable housing opportunities and the development and sustaining of safe, clean and desirable neighborhoods:

• Nonprofit organizations that directly develop affordable housing or assist developers which create affordable housing, through rehabilitation, new construction and/or neighborhood revitalization efforts.
• Community loan funds
• State and national programs, operating within our footprint, that serve as developers of affordable housing
• Supportive and transitional housing for homeless, low-income and those with disabilities or special needs
• Closing costs and down-payment assistance programs
• First-time homebuyer education
• Homeownership counseling and foreclosure prevention programs

Community Development

People's United Community Foundation supports programs and services that address basic needs and encourage financial independence and self-sufficiency for low- to moderate-income residents; as well as activities which promote economic development in low-income neighborhoods. Funding priorities include:

• Basic needs services
• Initiatives that transition people from assistance to independence
• Financial literacy Programs
• Education, including ESL, certification and degree programs
• Programs that promote economic stability and self-sufficiency
• Small business development and entrepreneurial programs
• Workforce development, job skills training and job placement programs

Youth Development

People’s United Community Foundation supports programs and services that address the need for educational improvement and academic advancement of children and youth, especially within low- to moderate- income communities and school districts.Funding priorities include:

• Academic improvement and advancement programs
• Accredited early childhood development, school readiness, and Headstart programs
• College and SAT preparation programs
• Career exploration and internship programs
• ESL and literacy programs
• Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) programs

People’s United Community Foundation distributes grants in the communities where People’s United Bank branches are located, including cities and towns throughout Connecticut, New York, Massachusetts*, Vermont, New Hampshire, and Maine.

*If your organization is located and/or operating programs and services within Massachusetts, first check the cities and towns listed for People’s United Community Foundation of Eastern Massachusetts.

Grant-Making Programs

The Rockefeller Family Fund makes grants in three program areas. The guidelines for these program areas and sample lists of grants are available on each program home page.

RFF provides support within these program areas for advocacy efforts that are action-oriented and likely to lead to tangible public policy results.

Grants are rarely made to organizations that traditionally enjoy popular support, such as museums, hospitals, or endowed institutions. Seldom are grants made for academic or scholarly research.

Women's Economic Justice Funding

The Family Fund’s program for women’s economic justice seeks to improve the quality of life for working women and their families in two ways: by advocating for equitable employment opportunities and updated employment standards, and by building power through support of women’s activism. Working at the national, state and local levels, we support research, training, public education campaigns and advocacy efforts.

Initiatives

Women Effect Fund

The Women Effect Fund is dedicated to pursuing a suite of economic reforms that are central to women’s economic equality and the well-being of their families. The WEF recognizes that workplace policies in the United States have not been updated despite the enormous changes in the workforce that have occurred over the past 50 years. While the typical American family with children in the 1950’s had a homemaker and a breadwinner, today’s American family is most likely run by two parents – both working out of the home – or a single parent also working outside the home. This basic fact has had a cascading series of societal, cultural and economic effects, including the inability of many women to meet their family and work responsibilities due to antiquated and rigid workplace policies. One of the most promising ways to improve the economic status of women is to modernize America’s employment standards. Since 2008, RFF has undertaken this initiative to educate the public about work/family conflict and its detrimental effect on the economy and family economic security. RFF has primarily focused on paid leave policies that allow employees to take care of their own health needs or those of a family member. When RFF began investing in this work, there were only two laws on the books—and now there are 11 states and more than 30 cities with a paid sick days law, covering more than 14 million people. Beginning with paid sick day wins in Connecticut and Seattle and more recent wins statewide in Arizona, Maryland, and New Jersey, this issue has achieved stunning successes. RFF has also begun investing in paid family and medical leave campaigns, including in New York, where a paid family and medical leave bill passed in 2016, and New Hampshire, where a paid family and medical leave bill passed through both chambers of the state legislature in 2019.

Our Mission

The mission of the Vermont Mutual Charitable Giving Fund is to enhance the quality of life in communities where the Group conducts business, by providing financial support to worthy community organizations.

Where We Give

The Charitable Giving Fund is designed to benefit organizations within the marketing territories of Vermont Mutual Insurance Group that aim to improve the quality of life for individuals, families and communities.

Giving Focus

The Fund provides financial support to organizations that help to build, maintain and enrich healthy lives and strong, vibrant communities. The Fund's primary focus is to contribute to non-profit organizations that serve communities through any of the following four initiatives:

• Promote Education: Examples may include traditional and non-traditional opportunities focused on inspiring academic excellence, leadership and community service
• Foster Youth: Examples may include teaching and modeling positive life skills
• Community-based: Programs that build better communities in which to live and work
• Satisfy Basic Needs: Examples may include affordable housing, homelessness and hunger

The Gladys Brooks Foundation was created under the will of Gladys Brooks Thayer of New York. 

Its purpose is to provide for the intellectual, moral and physical welfare of the people of this country by establishing and  supporting non-profit libraries, educational institutions, hospitals and clinics.

Scope of Grants Considered

The Foundation will consider major grant applications for innovative projects in the fields of libraries, education, hospitals and clinics.

Grants for Libraries 

Grant applications will be considered generally for resource Endowments (print, film, electronic database, speakers/workshops) capital construction and innovative equipment. Projects fostering broader public access to global information sources utilizing collaborative efforts, pioneering technologies and equipment are encouraged.

Grants for Educational Institutions

Grant applications from universities, colleges and secondary schools will be considered generally for:

• educational endowments to fund scholarships based solely on educational achievements, leadership and academic ability of the student; 
• endowments to support fellowships and teaching chairs for educators who confine their activities primarily to classroom instruction in the liberal arts, mathematics and the sciences during the academic year; and 
• erection or endowment of buildings, wings or additions thereto of buildings, and equipment for educational purposes.

Grants for Hospitals & Clinics

Grant applications from hospitals and clinics will be considered generally where  the proposal demonstrates one or more of the following: 

• a new health need; 
• an improvement in the quality of health care; or 
• reduced health costs with better patient outcomes.

WILDLIFE, ENDANGERED SPECIES – THEIR ENVIRONMENT, AND ANIMALS HELPING PEOPLE

Areas of Interest:

• Species Protection: Programs that protect endangered species, the environment and habitat necessary for species survival, and programs that educate the public about their plight
• Animals Helping People: Horses, dogs, monkeys, and certain wildlife species interactions that better human lives
• Animal Shelters and Hospitals: Support for programs serving both wild and domestic animals

NOTE: The funder strongly recommends that you contact the Foundation’s office to discuss your proposed program before you start the application process.

About Us

The Kettering Family Foundation was founded by Eugene W. Kettering, son of Charles F. Kettering, and his wife Virginia W. Kettering in 1956. Today, the Foundation supports a broad range of charitable activities of interest to the Board of Trustees, which is composed of members of the Kettering Family.

• Arts, Culture and Humanities
• Education
• Environment
• Health/Medical
• Human Services
• Public/Society Benefit

About Rachael Ray Foundation™

The Rachael Ray Foundation™ is funded by a portion of proceeds from each sale of Rachael's pet food, Nutrish®. The Foundation was launched by Rachael in 2016 to better support the causes she cares for most such as helping animals in need.

The Rachael Ray Foundation and Best Friends Animal Society are committed to helping Best Friends Network Partners increase lifesaving in their communities through impactful, innovative, and inclusive programming. Every year, there are two types of Rachael Ray grants for which partners can apply.   

Grants for Animal Rescue to Save More Lives: The Rachael Ray Save Them All Grants

The Rachael Ray Save Them All Grants fund projects to reduce the lifesaving gap of cats and dogs in U.S. shelters. We welcome project proposals from public and private shelters, rescue groups, and other animal welfare organizations that enable lifesaving in a community.  

The Rachael Ray Save Them All Grants fund projects that increase lifesaving of cats and dogs in U.S. shelters. We welcome project proposals from public and private shelters, as well as rescue groups and other animal welfare organizations focused on impacting lifesaving at shelters. 

Your organization can apply for a grant of up to $50,000, with the amount requested not exceeding 10% of your operating budget. The average grant awarded last year was just under $13,000, therefor granting may only cover partial funding needed for your project. 

Project Requirements

• Projects can be focused on just one event/program or can include multiple events/programs.   
• Proposed projects should align with regional priorities. Projects that satisfy these priorities will have the largest impact on lifesaving in each region.   
• We welcome project proposals from public and private shelters, rescue groups, and other animal welfare organizations that enable lifesaving.
• If the applicant that is applying is an organization that is already no-kill, their project needs to be impacting a shelter that has a lifesaving gap and has not achieved a 90% save rate.  
• If awarded, the applying organization will need to submit quarterly impact statistics of how many lives were impacted through the project.  
• The impacted shelter’s intake and outcome data will need to be submitted as well, in order to calculate the reduction in gap to 90%, which will measure success of the project.  
• Best Friends will make calculations for reduction in lifesaving gap after all data points are submitted. These two metrics (impacts and reduction number in lifesaving gap) will be used for grant accountability and measuring success.  

Regional Priorities

Before you begin an application, please review the priorities for your region to ensure that your project aligns. 

Southeast: Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Mississippi, South Carolina 

South Central: Arkansas, Louisiana, Oklahoma, Texas

Great Plains: Iowa, Kansas, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, South Dakota

Mountain West: Arizona, Colorado, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, Utah, Wyoming

Northeast: Connecticut, Delaware, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont

Pacific: Alaska, California, Hawaii, Oregon, Washington

Midwest: Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Ohio, West Virginia, Wisconsin

Mid-Atlantic: District of Columbia, Kentucky, Maryland, North Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia