• Our Mission
• Advisory Board
• The Need
• Simple Concept, Big Impact
• History
• Grants in Action
• Events and News
• Donate 

Our Purpose

The Men & Boys’ Fund at Main Street Community Foundation supports programs, initiatives and immediate response requests that benefit men and boys in Bristol, Burlington, Plainville, Plymouth, Southington and Wolcott. Grants distributed from the Fund will help men and boys improve the quality of their lives, increase self-sufficiency and make a positive difference in their community.

Advisory Board

Mark Zammett, Chair
Joseph Mauriello, Vice Chair
Dave Rackliffe, Secretary
Jorge Flores, Treasurer
Rich Carmelich, Past Chair
Michael Audette
Patrick J. Cooney
Robert J. Dunlap
Scott Gaudet
Steve LePage

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The Need

Men and boys have specific important needs that are not being met:

• Many boys lack a positive male role model. Research shows that means they are:
  • More likely to use and abuse drugs and alcohol
  • More prone to anger and violent behavior
  • More apt to be affected and influenced by peer pressure
  • More likely to perform poorly in school
• Many boys view doing well in school as a negative.
• High school is challenging for boys as seen in class ranking: 1/3 of top 10% are boys, while 2/3 of bottom 10% are boys as ranked by GPA.
• Men in need are less likely to ask for help.
• “Traditional masculinity” has been called harmful in an August 2018 report from the American Psychological Association
• Single-father households are growing. Nationwide, single father households have increased about nine-fold since 1960 now totaling more than 2.6 million. In Connecticut, 24% of single-parent households are headed by males.
• Nearly one in four people age 25–34 live at home. Lack of self-sufficiency for these males is a critical issue and negatively impacts their lack of purpose and value.
• 1 in 3 men over 25 with only a high school education are out of the labor force, which totals about 5 million men.
• Men account for 70% of opioid deaths in the US.
• The age-adjusted suicide rate for males (20.7/100K) is more than three times that for females (5.8/100,000).
• The percentage of men aged 25 to 54 who are unemployed has more than tripled since the late 1960s to 16 percent.
• 15% of males have no close friendships (2021 study), an increase from only 5% in 1990.

Sources available upon request. 

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Simple Concept, Big Impact

The Men & Boys' Fund seeks to:

In fulfilling immediate short-term needs and supporting long-term programs, the Men & Boys’ Fund seeks to partner with local organizations that are working to improve the lives of boys and men in the areas of education, health and wellness, leadership, life skills, and workforce readiness.

To learn more about the Men & Boys' Fund, visit Main Street Community Foundation's YouTube page to watch short videos on the history of the Fund, the need for the Fund and the hope for the future.

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History

The Men & Boys’ Fund is a community-based endowment established in 2016 at Main Street Community Foundation to improve the lives of men and boys in Bristol, Burlington, Plainville, Plymouth, Southington, and Wolcott. The idea was brought to the Foundation by a group of local residents. The group then began holding several community meetings with local leaders, social service providers and businesses to discuss and identify the unmet needs of local men and boys. In 2017, the Men & Boys’ Fund held two community meetings, raised more than double the fundraising goal, awarded the Fund's first two programmatic grants and fulfilled eight immediate response requests.

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Grants in Action

Since 2016, the Men & Boys' Fund has awarded nearly $80,000 in grants to organizations in Bristol, Burlington, Plainville, Plymouth, Southington and Wolcott. In 2024, $15,000 in grants was awarded to 7 organizations:

Bristol Family Resource Centers - $3,000
Expansion of the WatchDOGs (Dads of Great Students) program now in year two at Greene-Hills School, South Side School and West Bristol School, providing a series of workshops on parenting education and opportunities to increase fatherhood engagement

Bristol Public Schools - West Bristol - $1,500
Wolf’s Den after-school program at West Bristol School for young male students to promote social-emotional growth, confidence and leadership

Bristol Youth Lacrosse - $1,000
Equipment support for the boy’s lacrosse program for young athletes

Environmental Learning Centers of Connecticut - $1,500
Granting Boys an Opportunity to Experience Nature and Environmental Awareness Through Campership to increase self-confidence, social skills and teamwork

Outside Perspectives - $5,000
Youth Excellence Project (YEP) providing at-risk male teenagers with adult mentorship in outdoor spaces to promote health and build resiliency to the challenges in life

Shepard Meadows Equestrian Center - $1,500
Equine-Assisted Learning (EAL) Youth Development Program in collaboration with the Boys & Girls Club of Bristol in which participants work with therapy horses to better understand and integrate non-verbal communication skills, self-awareness, teamwork skills, and more

The Bridge Family Center, Inc. - $1,500
Therapeutic Recreational Activities for the Specialized Trauma-Informed Treatment Assessment Reunification (STTAR) Program for boys in Wolcott’s Hastings House

In addition, since 2016, the Men & Boys' Fund has fulfilled nearly two dozen immediate response requests with small amounts that made big differences:

• After a family crisis, a teenager received groceries and clothes
• A single dad whose job was eliminated received rent help
• A promising athlete from a financially challenged family gained a sports opportunity
• Without a home for 10+ years, a man received the funds to qualify for housing
• A young homeless man received and then gave the gift of music
• An outstanding student was rewarded with funds to attend a national leadership conference
• Students took another step toward independence with a donated stove to learn to cook on
• Homeless men received free haircuts and other personal care services
• A teenage boy paid for his driver’s permit so he could drive to his job
• A U.S. military veteran received rent assistance
• After a financial hardship, a family received rental assistance
• A high school graduate was able to buy clothes for his job interviews
• A student gained enough funds to attend an “invention convention”
• A single dad and his daughter received help to pay their utility deposit

2023 Men & Boys' Fund Program Grants

2022 Men & Boys' Fund Program Grants

2021 Men & Boys' Fund Program Grants

2020 Men & Boys' Fund Program Grants

2019 Men & Boys' Fund Program Grants

2018 Men & Boys' Fund Program Grants

2017 Men & Boys' Fund Program Grants

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Events and News

News
April 2025 - Have a drink on us! Learn more about the Men & Boys’ Fund at Main Street Community Foundation April 17 at The New Cambridge Project in Bristol from 5:30-7pm. Click here for more information.
December 10, 2024 - MSCF announces the 2024 grant distributions from the Men & Boys' Fund! Read more here.
January 2, 2024 - A $5,000 challenge grant was announced to further build the Men & Boys' Fund's endowment - and the goal was achieved! Read more here.
December 12, 2023 - The Bristol Press: Six Nonprofits Receive Over $13k Read more here.
December 6, 2023 - MSCF announces the 2023 grant distributions from the Men & Boys' Fund! Read more here.
July 15, 2023 - Challenge grant announced to help build the Men & Boys' Fund endowment. Read more here.
June 9, 2023 - Grantees Featured at Men & Boys' Fund MVP Breakfast. Read more here.
May 5, 2023 - Breakfast Event to Support Local Grants and Feature ESPN Radio Host Read more here.
December 7, 2022 - MSCF announces the 2022 grant distributions from the Men & Boys' Fund! Read more here.
November 2022 - Dine to Donate! Bell City Diner in Bristol held a fundraiser from November 7-10 with 10% of the proceeds benefitting the Men & Boys' Fund. Thank you for the support! Click here for more information.
October 1, 2022 - A $5,000 challenge grant was announced to further build the Men & Boys' Fund's endowment - and the goal was achieved! Read more here.
April 27, 2022 - MSCF's Men & Boys' Fund to celebrate the fifth anniversary at June event. Read more here.
November 8, 2021 - MSCF announces the 2021 grant distributions from the Men & Boys' Fund! Read more here.
June 2021 - Men & Boys' Fund hosts an event to bring fathers and families together. Read more here.
November 24, 2020 - Productions for Change awards the Men & Boys' Fund a $1,000 grant to create a fundraising video. Read more here.
November 2020 - THANKS TO YOU. The Men & Boys' Fund wants to thank you for your generosity over the past four years and ask you to consider extending your support. Watch the short video here. 
October 20, 2020 - The Men & Boys' Fund announced its 2020 grant distributions! Read more here.

Events
MVP Breakfast
The Men & Boys' Fund will host the fourth annual MVP Breakfast on June 3, 2025, at 8am at the DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel Bristol. Seats were $40 per person. In addition to several grantee organizations, the guest speaker this year is Arda Ocal. Arda is an Emmy Award winning ESPN anchor who appears on the NHL on ESPN and SportsCenter. Previously, Arda worked for MSG Networks, WWE and various networks across Canada. Arda is an avid mentor to aspiring broadcasters in the industry and believes in paying it forward; kindness is free and actionable items are key.

Thank you to all who support the event and to all MVPs (Men of Value and Purpose) as we aim to build an even greater future to ensure the Fund can continue to address unmet needs of local men and boys. 

Proceeds from the event support grants to programs assisting men and boys in Bristol, Burlington, Plainville, Plymouth, Southington and Wolcott.

Click here for the MVP Breakfast flyer and Save the Date! In addition, sponsorship opportunities for the 2025 event are now available! Download the sponsorship package here.

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A Big Thank You to the 2025 MVP Breakfast Sponsors!

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Join Us

□ Be added to our email and/or mailing list
□ Attend a Men & Boys’ Fund event
□ Schedule a Men & Boys’ Fund representative to speak to your local organization or group
□ Volunteer to serve on one of the Fund’s committees: Distribution, Community Engagement, Asset Development and Event Planning
□ Visit our Facebook page
□ Donate

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Donate

To make a donation directly to the Men & Boys' Fund, please click here.
To contribute to any other funds, please visit our Donate Now page.

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