Sandy Point Neighborhood Association Approved For Nonprofit Status

Press release from SPNA:

April 3, 2023

The Sandy Point Neighborhood Association, Inc. (SPNA) was recently approved by the Internal Revenue Services as an official charitable organization, 501(c)(3). Additionally, the Association is designated by the Connecticut Secretary of State as a Domestic Non-Stock Corporation and is registered with the Connecticut Department of Charities. This entitles the SPNA to solicit charitable contributions. As a result, donations to SPNA are tax deductible.

The Association was formed to improve conditions in the Sandy Point Neighborhood, which is bounded by First Avenue to the east, Beach Street to the south, Washington Avenue to the west, and Brown Street to the north. The neighborhood is characterized as a socio-economically diverse population with residents of mixed racial and ethnic backgrounds and generally low to moderate income levels.

Becoming an eligible nonprofit organization was deemed an important goal by the Association’s Board to increase the ways in which the Association could promote improvement projects for the Sandy Point neighborhood, including the Clear Blue Clean Green beautification initiative and the a new vision for Morse Park.

During the first two years of operation, the Association has relied on membership fees of residents and businesses who have joined the association (there are over 50 members currently) to fund cleanup projects, communications and promotional items, social gatherings, and filing fees to bring the Association to this point.

With its new status as a charitable organization, the Association is eligible to also apply for many foundation grants and programs, as well as for governmental grants (local, state and federal), including community investment funds and community development funds. To that end, the Association has formed a Grants Committee comprised of local residents with grant-writing skills. The Committee has begun to identify grants it would like to pursue, most likely starting with area foundations.

With its new charitable status, the Association could partner with other nonprofits. For example, the Audubon Society recently received approval for over $800,000 in state funds to construct a new nature center in West Haven, with an emphasis on coastal resilience education.

A few of the projects that the members of the SPNA are involved in include the elevation and safety enhancements of Beach Street, new pedestrian and bike paths along the shoreline, improving the aesthetics of the area pump stations, and trash and litter mitigation in our neighborhood. The SPNA sponsors monthly cleanups of areas including Morse Park, the April Street Boat Ramp, and the Sandy Point Bird Sanctuary.

For more information about the Sandy Point Neighborhood Association, please visit the website at www.sandypointneighbors.org.

This press release was produced by SPNA. The views expressed here are the author's own.