East Windsor Business Owners Create Philanthropy Fund

For her 40th birthday, Stacey DiPiazza decided it was better to give than to receive.

 The result is The Giving Tree Fund, a donor-advised fund at the Hartford Foundation for Public Giving, a gift to Greater Hartford from Stacey and her husband, Jack. Grants from the fund will be used “to support nonprofit agencies and a way to teach our girls about the spirit of giving to others,” said Stacey.

“I just didn’t want anything for myself for my birthday,” said Stacey. “We are very fortunate. We have a good life. We think it’s our duty to give back to the community.”

The fund is going to be a family affair. The DiPiazzas plan to involve their three daughters in reviewing applications for grants with an eye to eventually passing on the fund advisory responsibility to them when they are adults. 

“We’ve talked to them about setting up the fund,” said Jack. “We want to do this as a family. We’ll meet and discuss possible grants and let them vote with us to recommend funding.”

“It’s really good to help people,” said Marina, who is 11. “There are people who need help,” said Amelia, who is 9.  Marcella, the youngest at 4, “is beginning to understand what we are doing,” said Jack.

The fund’s name is adapted from The Giving Tree, a children’s book about the relationship between a young boy and a tree in a forest. “The children love the book,” said Stacey.

“The Hartford Foundation administers over 1,000 funds”, said Lori Rabb, vice president for philanthropic services.  “The DiPiazza family represents a growing number of individuals who are establishing donor-advised funds as a way to pass on their charitable values and engage their children.  These funds provide an opportunity for involvement, flexible support of organizations and causes, as well as access to the knowledge and expertise of the Foundation.  We are so grateful that the DiPiazzas chose to partner with the Hartford Foundation in this way.”

Philanthropy is not a new venture for the family. Stacey is a member of the Catalyst Endowment Fund at the Hartford Foundation where members learn about critical local issues and pool donations to award grants. That process helped her learn about philanthropy, she said. Stacey also sits on the fund development committee at VNA HealthCare. Previously, the parents helped the girls hold an ice cream social to raise money to donate personal care items to the South Park Inn in Hartford.

The DiPiazzas, who live in Glastonbury and own InfoShred, an East Windsor-based information destruction and records management company, said the connection to the Hartford Foundation just makes their philanthropy easier. “Working with the Hartford Foundation is a great thing for people who want to do what we are doing but don’t know how,” said Jack. “The Foundation steers you in the right direction.”