Home
Focus Areas
About Us
When you think of Berkshire County, Massachusetts, you probably don't think of the Great Depression.
But when you think of the crumbling chimneys on Ventfort Hall, the 19th-century mansion that's been home to the Massachusetts Institute of Technology for more than a century, you probably also think of the Roaring Twenties.
And that's exactly what happened to the building in Pittsfield, which was hit hard by the Great Depression, the Boston Globe reports.
According to the Berkshire Eagle, four of the six brick chimneys on the mansion's west side were knocked to the ground by falling masonry in the early 1900s.
They were later removed, but not before causing thousands of dollars in damage.
Now, thanks to a fundraising effort, four of the six brick chimneys will be up and running in time for the college's 100th anniversary in 2023, the Globe reports.
"It's a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity," Ventfort Hall's executive director tells the Globe.
"It's a once-in-a-lifetime thing to be able to do."
According to the Eagle, Ventfort Hall was built on the site of the original Thomas Jefferson home, which was destroyed in a plane crash during the Great Depression Read the Entire Article
Selected Grant News Headlines
A customized collection of grant news from foundations and the federal government from around the Web.
"You're gonna find kids every single year that walk across that stage because of athletics, and because of no other reason." That's the opinion of Soldotna High School's full-time athletic...more
A California school district is in the middle of a battle with its own board of education over budget cuts. The West Palm Beach Post reports that the West Palm Beach School District's board of...more
"We hope these grants encourage our local educators to pursue innovative projects that spark a new passion in their students, which can make a life-long difference," says the president of the...more
The University of the Arts in Philadelphia is closing its doors for good in 2024, leaving 1,100 students without a degree and 700 workers without a job, the Philadelphia Inquirer...more
There's no better way to kick off the new school year than with a bang, right? Try your hand at projection mapping, a technique in which video footage is projected onto objects. In this free...more
The Financial Times has released its annual rankings of the world's top 100 universities, and the University of Sydney takes the top spot for the first time. The rankings are based on factors...more
If Ohio lawmakers have their way, every school district in the state will have a cellphone policy by the end of the next school year. That's according to a survey conducted by the Lorain City...more
"We believe in the transformative power of AI and its potential to create positive change," says Anita Whitehead, head of impact at audit, tax, and advisory firm KPMG, which this week announced an...more
Michigan wants to make its ports more energy efficient and less reliant on fossil fuels. The state's Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy is seeking proposals to create a maritime...more
What do you do when your mall's windows are so empty that you can't even see inside? That's what happened at Norfolk Premium Outlets in Virginia, where four artists spent two days painting murals in...more
Social Entrepreneurship
Spotlight
Social Entrepreneurs to Get Free WiFi Access
iPass, a telecommunications provider, will give free internet access to 100 non-government organizations (NGOs) for a year as they work in dangerous countries to help its poor and underserved populations.
