Connecticut’s Beardsley Zoo Receives Neighborhood Assistance Act Grant from AVANGRID

BRIDGEPORT, Conn. – December 22, 2021 – Connecticut’s Beardsley Zoo received a $8,000 grant from United Illuminating under Connecticut’s Neighborhood Assistance Act tax credit program.

​The funding will help the Zoo’s Greenhouse Energy Conservation Project.
 
In 1969, an Ickes-Braun greenhouse was erected on the north side of the potting shed at the Zoo.  Since that time, vast improvements have been made in the way of greenhouse construction materials that reduce energy consumption and optimize the efficiency of a greenhouse. A new thermally enhanced greenhouse will allow for efficiency in environmental controls including heating, cooling, and water irrigation.  This upgrade will reduce temperature variations, will cause less stress on rare plant species, and will enable the Zoo to diversify its collection.

​“The assistance provided by the Avangrid Foundation through Connecticut’s Neighborhood Assistance Act Tax Credit Program has been critical to our plans to renovate and update our greenhouse,” said Connecticut’s Beardsley Zoo Director Gregg Dancho. “It is only with the generous support of foundations like Avangrid that the Zoo is able to reach its goals and continue its mission of conservation and education.” 
 
United Illuminating (UI), Southern Connecticut Gas (SCG) and Connecticut Natural Gas (CNG) — all subsidiaries of AVANGRID, Inc. — distributed a total of $450,000 in grants to 65 organizations. 
The grants, made possible by Connecticut’s Neighborhood Assistance Act (NAA) Tax Credit Program, are aimed at helping nonprofit community and neighborhood organizations across the state improve energy efficiency and reduce their energy costs.
 
Since 2010, UI, SCG and CNG has awarded $4.2 million in grants through the NAA Program, which offers a corporate tax credit to encourage businesses to provide financial support to qualified local nonprofit organizations. 
 
“As we prepare to celebrate the holidays during these unprecedented times, we are mindful of the many people in our communities who are suffering as a consequence of the COVID-19 pandemic,” said Frank Reynolds, President of UI, SCG and CNG. “This program allows us to help our nonprofit partners achieve ongoing energy savings, allowing our partners to focus their resources on the critical programs and services that they provide.”
 
The 2021 NAA grants support a wide variety of projects undertaken by community organizations across the UI, SCG and CNG service territories. A full listing of the projects supported can be found at NAA tax credit Program.