Barnes Trust grants $725k to area health initiatives

Brian Johnson; The Bristol Press; Jun. 25, 2025

SOUTHINGTON — Six local nonprofits were awarded more than $724,000 in grants from the Bradley Henry Barnes & Leila Upson Barnes Memorial Trust at the Main Street Community Foundation.

Samantha Rajotte, scholarship and program officer with the Main Street Community Foundation, said a total of $724,549 in grants were awarded to organizations “working to improve the health and wellbeing of Southington residents.”

The Bradley Henry Barnes & Leila Upson Barnes Memorial Trust was established in 1973, and the Main Street Community Foundation was appointed as trustee in 2004.

Since then, the trust has awarded a total of $14.9 million.

The latest grant recipients include the following:

  • LiveWell — $150,000 to continue and expand the Dementia Positive Southington initiative. The goal of the initiative is to pioneer a “Dementia Positive community” in Southington that promotes positive attitudes towards people living with dementia, and advocates for brain health as a public health priority.
  • Prudence Crandall Center, Inc. — $85,000 to support comprehensive Domestic Violence Intervention & Prevention services including: community education and prevention, outreach activities, community counseling services, supportive housing placement, court advocacy, and the 24/7 crisis shelter and hotline.
  • Senior Transportation Services — $113,127 to provide Southington residents who are 50 or older or are disabled with one-on-one, curb-to-curb, reliable, medical transportation. The service provides free rides to medical appointments, pharmacies, hair salons/barbers, banks or care facilities to visit a family member.
  • The LEAF (Lewis Educational Agricultural Farm) — $60,000 to provide operating support for agricultural education programs in collaboration with the Southington Public Schools and the greater community. Programming includes planting and harvesting school gardens, farm field trips, farm to school lunch program, summer farm camp, the Community Supported Agriculture program, adult classes on healthy food preparation, and delivery of fresh produce to Bread for Life and Southington Community Services food pantry.
  • Wheeler Health — $116,422 to continue the Southington Community Health Outreach Initiative, which enhances access to behavioral health services for Southington residents through social work interventions. This approach addresses community-wide needs, reduces barriers to care, and promotes better behavioral health outcomes across all age groups. By connecting individuals with appropriate resources early on, the program aims to prevent the escalation of mental health issues that may require higher levels of care.
  • Yale School of Nursing — $100,000 to establish a FINGER (FINish GERiatric) based cognitive wellness clinic at LiveWell, led by Yale clinicians and faculty. This 15-month pilot program will provide individual, small-group, and community education on brain health and dementia risk reduction, while offering continuing education for healthcare providers. The goal of this program is to support early identification and management of cognitive decline.

For more information on the Bradley Henry Barnes and Leila Upson Barnes Memorial Trust, or Main Street Community Foundation, call 860-583-6363 or visit mainstreetfoundation.org.