Community Impact Funding Committee Announces $350,000 in Cannabis Revenue Awards
The town’s Community Impact Funding Committee(CIF) has recommended that $350,000 in cannabis revenue funds should be distributed to eight local agencies.
• Berkshire Hills Regional School District $150,000
• Railroad Street Youth Project $70,000
• Volunteers in Medicine $30,000
• Community Legal Aid $10,000
• Rural Recovery Resources $35,000
• Elizabeth Freeman Center $25,000
• Clinton Church Restoration $15,000
• Great Barrington Police Department $15,000
"We were thrilled to receive so many strong proposals and have done our best to spread these funds in the most effective way possible and with the broadest reach,” said Rebecca Gold, chair of the CIF Committee, which received 25 funding requests.
The committee focused its funding broadly on programs that support community health, mental health, public safety and drug addiction risk.
CIF noted that its award to the Clinton Church Restoration is intended to support the town’s reputation and commitment to local African-American history, and to “counterbalance our town’s reputation for cannabis.”
These funds are distributed as part of the state’s Community Impact Fund, which permits cities and towns to levy a portion of annual cannabis sales revenue for distribution to help mitigate impacts of the cannabis industry.
In 2020, Great Barrington awarded $185,000 in CIF funds to local nonprofits. The 2020 award reflected revenue mainly from one cannabis shop, but four now operate in town.
