Jim and Shirley Draper of Colebrook
Jim and Shirley Draper


In 2010, the Drapers left their final and perpetual gift, a $30 million endowment to establish the NCCF Draper Foundation Fund.

The donor advised fund supports 19 area non-profits chosen by the Jim and Shirley Draper, awarding grants twice per year, forever.

Nonprofits supported by the Draper Foundation Fund

  • Beardsley & Memorial Library
  • Colebrook Associates, Inc.
  • Colebrook Congregational Church
  • Colebrook Historical Society, Inc.
  • Cornell University for the Cornell Feline Health Center College of Veterinary Medicine
  • W. L. Gilbert Trust Corporation
  • Greenwoods Scholarship Foundation, Inc.
  • Little Guild of St. Francis
  • Northwestern Connecticut Community College
  • Northwest CT YMCA
  • The Salvation Army
  • Tufts University, School of Veterinarian Medicine
  • The University of CT Foundation, Inc.
  • Vivisection Investigation League, a/k/a The Last Post
  • We Adopt Greyhounds, Inc.
  • Winchester Youth Service Bureau
  • Winsted Area Child Care Center, Inc.
  • Yankee Golden Retriever Rescue, Inc.

According to the Jim and Shirley Drapers' wishes, these charities receive regular distributions from the Fund, providing a sustainable and dependable source of support in perpetuity.

In addition to the 19 nonprofits named by the Drapers, the Draper Foundation Fund Trustees award grants to nonprofits in the towns of Torrington, Winsted, Norfolk, Colebrook, New Hartford, and Barkhamsted through an invitation-only LOI process.

Recently Awarded Draper Foundation Fund Donor Advised Grants

Barkhamsted Housing Trust - $20,000 to support pre-development costs for an integrated net zero energy plan for an affordable housing development

Charlotte Hungerford Hospital - $100,000 to support the acquisition of a da Vinci Xi Surgical System

Town of Colebrook - $20,000 to support replacement of the Town Hall well that serves the Town center buildings and The Colebrook Store

Colebrook Consolidated School - $9,900 to support upgrades to the school library space and materials (furniture, makerspace, books and cart)

Community Kitchen of Torrington - $11,350 to support the cost of improvements to create additional storage and shelving for both food and supplies

Connecticut Democracy Center - $9,000 to support the Torrington Region Connecticut History Day Contest, and continued support for an outreach educator to increase and sustain participation by Northwest CT schools

FISH - $5,400 to support gutter and downspout installation and repairs and $8,100 to support the cost of fencing around the FISH properties

Friendly Hands Food Bank - $5,000 to support the purchase of food

Hands of Grace - $7,500 to support individually bagged food suitable for children to prepare on weekends

KidsPlay Children's Museum - $25,000 to support an expansion of interactive exhibits, programming and collaboration space to complete the renovation and integration of 57 Main Street into the museum campus

New Beginnings of Northwest Hills Litchfield County - $17,300 to support the purchase of a charging cart, an alarm system, and promotional items for outreach activities and fundraisers; 6 months of cleaning services, 3 months of operating expenses and $33,000 to support a replacement heat/hot water system, purchase of a new file cabinet, and four months of operating expenses

Salisbury School - $10,000 (fiscal sponsor) to support the 2023-2024 Troutbeck Symposium

Susan B. Anthony Project - $19,500 to support renovations of the Counseling and Advocacy Center

Trinity Episcopal Church - $50,000 to support a new hood and fire suppression system for the Community Soup Kitchen

Beardsley & Memorial Library - $6,000 to support half of the cost of a replacement boiler

Community Kitchen of Torrington - $30,000 to support the acquisition of a small cargo van

Connecticut Foodshare - $10,000 to support the reinstatement of mobile food pantry service to Winsted and $10,000 to support a mobile food pantry truck in Winsted

EdAdvance - $20,000 to support bridge funding for the Litchfield County Family Childcare Network

Explorations Charter School - $35,000 to support additional technology infrastructure to add STEM courses

FISH - $41,550 to support the renovation of the family, veterans’, men’s, and women’s bathrooms and $8,250 to support the replacement of the shelter heating system

Friendly Hands Food Bank - $9,800 to support the purchase of a second van and $10,100 to support the purchase of a second cargo van to facilitate food deliveries

Hands of Grace - $8,000 to support individually bagged food suitable for children to prepare on weekends

Little Guild of St. Francis - $50,000 to support a new shelter facility to provide a healthier and quieter environment for animals, the ability to accommodate more animals, and more efficient working space for staff

Litchfield County Opiate Task Force - (fiscal sponsor Charlotte Hungerford Hospital) $75,000 to support year three of a pilot program adding a community case manager for evening and weekend hours to improve connections to care for clients suffering from substance use disorder

McCall Center for Behavioral Health $25,000 to support upgrades and integration of all computer systems into a single network to facilitate the merger of McCall Center for Behavioral Health and Help Inc.

New Beginnings of Northwest Hills Litchfield County, Inc. - $11,550 to support the cost of weekly cleaning for one year, two fire-resistant cabinets, and a cabinet for janitorial supplies and $8,750 to support replacement office and cleaning equipment for The Gathering Place and to provide three months of operating support

Northwest Connecticut YMCA - $25,000 to create an outdoor recreation and event space

Susan B. Anthony Project - $32,000 to support the purchase of a passenger van

Torrington Police Activities League - $6,850 to support the PAL Ambassador Program to serve 15-20 students from Torrington Middle School

Winsted Area Child Care Center - $18,000 to support the purchase of replacement commercial kitchen equipment