Arthur Griffin Foundation Serves Winchester

Do you have a fabulous idea for making Winchester an even more beautiful community? If so, you and your organization can contact the Arthur Griffin Foundation.

Started by well known photographer and Winchester resident Arthur Griffin, the Foundation exists to support projects designed to help Winchester organizations who are focused on civic beauty.

The Foundation has money in hand and is ready to launch its next project.

The Winchester Senior Association is the most recent group to reach out to the Griffin Foundation, a simple process according to Judy Katz, WSA administrator. The seniors had installed a new handicap ramp to the Jenks Center which left the landscape looking bleak.

“There was nothing there, the whole area was ripped up and it was just dirt,” explains Katz.

Katz wrote a grant requesting funds to reinvigorate the area with new plantings ranging from junipers to hydrangeas. Her request was quickly granted.

“Without the Griffin Foundation we couldn’t have afforded the project. Now when people walk in it is colorful, welcoming and inviting. It is spectacular.”

The Griffin Foundation gives out thousands of dollars each year to organizations run by people like Katz, people with fabulous visions for making Winchester more attractive. Most Foundation grants range from $5,000 to $20,000 although larger grants will be considered.

The Foundation wants to partner with civic organizations that can provide additional fundraising and volunteer support as needed. Grant requests should be in the form of a letter to the Arthur Griffin Foundation, Box 726, Winchester, MA 01890. Letters should include a description of the grant request, the amount needed and whether or not the project requires the support of any other organization or government authority. Complete information and grant applications are available at the Foundation’s website.

The Foundation is separate from the Griffin Center for Photography on Shore Road. The museum is responsible for its own fundraising, and its operational expenses are not supported by the Foundation, which focuses on the public beauty aspects of Winchester and supporting student interest in photography.

Don’t miss out on this opportunity to make the world a prettier place.

Judy Katz took a chance with her fabulous idea and couldn’t be happier with how her project turned out.

“It looks great, really pretty. It was just what the doctor ordered!”