Near & Far Aid awards $25,000 to housing group

Near & Far Aid has announced a $25,000 grant to the Fairfield County Collaborative Fund for Affordable Housing.

The fund, established by a group of private-sector funders, promotes neighborhood revitalization and affordable housing production by providing project investment and capacity-building resources to nonprofit developers, according to a Near & Far Aid news release.

Since 2006, Near & Far Aid has given $177,000 to the fund, which has provided more than $2.4 million of operating support to seven grantees creating affordable housing in the county, the release states.

Housing production by nonprofit developers supported by the fund was 70 percent higher in 2008 to 2010 compared to the baseline period of 2004 to 2006 before the program began, according to Local Initiatives Support Corp., the fund's program manager. Near & Far Aid increased its grant to the fund based on that success, the release states.

Susan Bonner, Near & Far Aid board member and past president, serves on the fund's steering committee, while Jeanne Burris, Near & Far Aid's president, is a previous committee member.

Near & Far Aid is a volunteer organization focused on eliminating the causes and effects of poverty in Fairfield County. Since 2000, the organization has granted more than $11 million to 115 agencies.