Alice and Richard Henriquez Memorial Fund and Youth World Awareness Program Grant

Alice and Richard Henriquez Memorial Fund and Youth World Awareness Program Grant

Status: ACTIVE
Funder: The Berkshire Taconic Community Foundation
Amount: US $500 - US $1,500
Last Updated: November 11, 2025

Summary

The Alice and Richard Henriquez Memorial Fund and Youth World Awareness Program, established by the Berkshire Taconic Community Foundation, supports young individuals (ages 14-22) from Berkshire, Columbia, northeast Dutchess, and northwest Litchfield counties. It provides grants for international travel experiences aimed at promoting peace and justice. Since 1995, this initiative has encouraged students to engage in humanitarian work abroad, fostering cultural understanding and personal growth while addressing social injustices.

Overview

About Since 1987, we have strengthened communities through philanthropy and leadership. We channel generosity where it is needed, bringing together resources and passion to tackle our region’s most pressing issues and create lasting change. What is a Community Foundation? We are a public charity improving our region by encouraging philanthropy, pooling and investing resources, addressing urgent needs, and supporting individuals and nonprofits through grants and scholarships. We provide a variety of giving options, investment management and back-office strength to help make giving easy and grantmaking transformative. We are a trusted partner to donors, organizations and community leaders, doing all that we can to strengthen our communities. Alice and Richard Henriquez Memorial Fund and Youth World Awareness Program The Alice and Richard Henriquez Memorial Fund was formed in 1995 to “encourage the development of peace among nations and justice for all people by funding international experiences for young men and women in their intellectually formative years.” Mr. Henriquez believed that “an understanding of other people and their cultures, as well as sensitivity to the destabilizing effect of social and economic injustice is what young men and women will need if they are to effectively contribute to a peaceful and just world in their adult lives.” The Henriquez Fund has been so successful that the Berkshire Taconic Community Foundation has established the Youth World Awareness Program to operate in conjunction with the Henriquez Fund. The Youth World Awareness Program is actively seeking donations to allow more young people from the Berkshire Taconic region to travel and do humanitarian work in foreign countries. Together, these funds will support young people from the Berkshire Taconic region to travel, study, or work in foreign countries. PROGRAM GOAL The goal of the program is to support students who plan to travel internationally to work and live in a community and help to promote international peace and justice. AWARDS Grants awarded will generally range from $500 to $1,500 for individuals. Larger amounts are considered for groups.

Eligibility

You can learn more about this opportunity by visiting the funder's website. Students and groups of students (ages 14-22) residing in Berkshire, Columbia, northeast Dutchess or northwest Litchfield countiesSuccessful candidates or groups will be asked to speak of their experiences to their school and to other interested parties, e.g., Berkshire Taconic, the press.Grants are only available for international travel experiences (not domestic).

Ineligibility

Academic programs for credit are not eligible.Programs consisting of international travel with home stays (e.g. People to People or Students/Sports Ambassadors) are not eligible for consideration unless they involve community service performed while abroad.