Search Through Operating Grants for Nonprofits in Connecticut in the U.S.

About Us

Founded in 2010, Arbor Rising is a NYC-based grantmaking nonprofit and a 501c3 organization. We provide unrestricted multi-year funding and high-dosage capacity-strengthening support to a portfolio of promising nonprofits focused on building pathways out of poverty. 

For Grantseekers

Arbor Rising is always on the lookout for exceptional nonprofit partners.

Partnership structure

Arbor Rising partnerships typically involve a three-year investment which includes both financial contributions and consulting support. During each year of engagement, we invest additional money and time, helping to strengthen grantee capacity in critical areas such as outcomes measurement, financial planning, and performance management.

We provide support tailored to the second stage of nonprofit organizations: flexible, multi-year capital alongside deep, consulting support.

• Financial support
  • The cash portion of the grant is unrestricted and distributed immediately following selection. Though only one year of support is promised at a time, more than 90% of Arbor Rising grantees are funded for three years.
  • Grantees in the Arbor Rising portfolio can expect support in the range of $125,000–$175,000 per year.
• Consulting engagement
  • During each grant year, the Arbor Rising team invests 200–300 hours working closely with each Executive Director to diagnose pressing challenges, co-create robust solutions, and support implementation of deliverables.
  • Grantees, in turn, typically spend 4–6 hours of meeting time plus 4–8 hours of homework time per month on these capacity-strengthening projects.

In each of our grantee projects, we co-develop customized tools, deliverables, and plans—nothing comes off the proverbial shelf. The work is geared toward strengthening grantee capacity in key areas such as:

• ​Strategy Development:
  • theory of change, earned-income strategies, and growth plans
• Financial Management:
  • true cost accounting and projecting multi-year budgets
• Data Analysis:
  • quantifying metrics, developing tracking systems, and program evaluation
• Stakeholder Management:
  • board development, employee performance management, and executive coaching

Strengthening Nonprofits

Nonprofits need certain capacities to be able to meet their missions, including strong leadership, financial management, technology, fund development and communications. Providing funding to help organizations invest in these vital building blocks creates a strong operational infrastructure that builds efficiencies, improves program delivery and increases overall impact.

Building capacity in the nonprofit sector is more important than ever, as we continue to see need rise in our communities.

• 95% of nonprofits in Connecticut report that demand for services has increased in the last five years
• 40% of nonprofits state that demand has increased by more than 15%
• 73% of nonprofit executives feel they do not have the resources they need to develop their own leadership

Our approach focuses on:

• Funding key capacity building and organizational development initiatives that lead to stronger, more adaptable organizations.
• Empowering nonprofits to seek assistance that they deem to be the right fit and culturally-competent for the organization
• Prioritizing organizations who are addressing disparities within our communities
• Rejecting “readiness” myths which often further inequities in philanthropy and the nonprofit sector

Efforts we support include:

• Training and professional development opportunities to help staff or board build skills
• One-on-one coaching support with an expert in the field or professional consultant
• Organizational development projects including strategic planning, financial management systems, evaluation, fundraising, programming or communications.
• Work that increases the inclusive representation of BIPOC individuals in leadership positions on boards and nonprofit staff

Edwards Community Endowment Program (ECEP)

The Edwards Community Endowment Program (ECEP) is a matching-grants program designed to assist northwest Connecticut nonprofits with the establishment of endowment funds or to increase established endowments. The project is made possible through a grant from the Marion Wm. and Alice Edwards Fund.

The purpose of Project is to assist nonprofits in establishing an endowment or adding to an existing Foundation fund. Selected non profits receive a $1 match for every $4 raised with a maximum $20,000 match per organization. All funds generated through the project are placed in a permanent named fund.

Guidelines and Application

ECEP applications for the program are accepted on a rolling basis. Organizations are selected for participation through a competitive application process. Each participating organization must raise a minimum of $16,000 in endowment gifts to be eligible for an initial match of $4,000. Organizations unable to reach the $16,000 minimum goal during the allotted time do not receive matching funds; however, monies raised will be placed into a temporary fund at the Foundation until the organization reaches a decision as to how and by whom the fund will be managed.

Cash and marketable securities can be counted toward the endowment project match. Funds from existing reserves, operational pledges, or any funds re-directed by a participating organization’s Board of Directors that are specifically earmarked for current operational uses do not qualify. Money that has been earmarked by the donor for an endowment or established as an organizational endowment may be considered.

Deferred gifts, such as charitable remainder trusts and bequests, are excellent ways to grow endowment funds, but they may not be counted as pledges for the purpose of the Edwards Community Endowment Project.

Funding Criteria

The primary criterion used in evaluating applications is how the organization plans to supplement the endowment fund once it has been established. Special consideration is given to organizations that:

• Incorporate endowment-building strategies in overall development efforts 
• Demonstrate involvement and leadership of Board members in endowment fundraising
• Provide marketing plans that incorporate endowment-building and planned giving
• Demonstrate organizational stability and track record in raising various types of funds.

About Us

The Goodnow Fund is a family foundation providing support to numerous organizations. The Fund primarily supports projects that help vulnerable children, advance new research about the causes and cures for Alzheimer’s disease, increase educational opportunities for low income students, and improve the environment.

The Fund provides approximately $1.4 million in grants each year to nonprofit organizations. Based in Darien, Connecticut, the Fund has a particular focus on supporting organizations in Fairfield County, Connecticut.

The Goodnow Fund identifies organizations it wishes to support and contacts nonprofits directly to discuss projects and funding. The Fund makes gifts throughout the year.

The Fund maintains a portfolio of projects it supports and provides grants to nonprofit tax exempt organizations for general operating expenses and for special projects. 

The Hartford Foundation For Public Giving - Together for Good

As Greater Hartford’s community foundation, we are a public, grantmaking organization bringing together dedicated individuals, businesses and nonprofits to understand local challenges, share information and put resources behind solutions that can improve the quality of life for those both in our region and across the state of Connecticut.

We are fortunate to share a vision of Greater Hartford with many who are working to build a more equitable and resilient place to live, work and play. The barriers to success are longstanding, systemic and persistent. We are naming them and have an approach to address them by combining our financial resources, the talents of our team, and our wide-ranging community partnerships. Together, we will grow and share opportunity in a way that benefits everyone in the Hartford region.

Investing In Our Community

We partner with nonprofits to build a stronger and more equitable Greater Hartford. Our grantmaking addresses systemic issues and responds to evolving needs in our community.

The Hartford Foundation works with nonprofit organizations to bring about lasting change in our community. Our grantmaking both addresses major issues affecting our community and responds to evolving community needs.

Regular Grants

An organization may be eligible to apply for one regular grant every three years, selecting its highest priority from one of the following grant types: 

Program/Project

Grants that support new programs, demonstration projects, studies, or surveys that do not commit the Foundation to recurring costs. These grants provide funding for one to three years and may also be used to enhance, expand or strengthen existing programs, services and organizational capacity.

Continuation

Additional funding provided at the end of a grant to help an organization reach project outcomes that were not met within the original schedule. Continuation grants can last up to two years and are only for projects that meet certain criteria, such as those that address high-priority community issues.

Capital Grants

Grants supporting capital improvements, such as building purchase, construction or renovation, or capital equipment purchase. The Foundation generally supports a capital or building campaign once.

General Operating Support

Grants that support an organization’s ongoing activities and stability, as outlined in its strategic plan. Funding can be used at the organization’s discretion. These grants are an option for organizations with budgets over $200,000. Eligibility is highly competitive, and organizations must be in sound financial condition.

• General Operating Support Grants: FAQs
• General Operating Support Grant Application Process

Transitional Operating Support Grants

In special circumstances, these grants help well-run nonprofits that have experienced unexpected income gaps to continue important programs or close down operations.

Priority is given to programs that provide: 

• Critical basic human needs, such as food and shelter, to indigent and working poor. 
• Services other than basic human needs, such as health, education, literacy and legal services, to vulnerable and disadvantaged populations.
• Services that make a major impact on quality of life and/or the region’s economy, such as arts and culture, workforce development and economic development.

Nordson Corporation Foundation

The Nordson Corporation Foundation awards grants to non-profits in our communities throughout the United States. Since 1989, the Foundation has awarded more than $60 million in grants to improve the quality of life in our communities, placing a special focus on causes related to education. Employees support the foundation by making donations during our annual A Time to Give Campaign, or by participating in a Community Affairs Committee (CAC). Committees review grant applications and vote to distribute Foundation funds to deserving local causes. During the last financial year, the Foundation gave out 362 grants totaling $6.3 million.

Nordson Foundation Giving Strategies

The geographic areas in which Nordson has major facilities determine the Nordson Foundation's giving priorities.

Within these geographic areas, granting priorities are driven by community needs. Although needs change quickly, our vision is long term. We pursue and support results-oriented opportunities that prepare individuals for full and equal participation in the economic and social mainstream. We believe these kinds of programs help improve the quality of life over the long term and produce stronger, more enlightened communities in which we live and work. We strive to fulfill these responsibilities in our communities through contributions to charitable activities with a focus on education. Other major giving categories that are supported are human welfare, civic affairs and arts and culture. 

Nordson Foundation Values 

In the spirit of our corporate founders, the Nordson Corporation Foundation continues to operate on the belief that business, as a corporate citizen, has a social responsibility to share its success with the communities where it operates, and employees live.

We pursue results-oriented opportunities that prepare individuals to thrive in strong, vibrant communities. While Nordson funds a variety of nonprofit program areas, our primary focus is education and offers support to non-profit organizations that cultivate educational curriculum and experiences that foster job readiness and paths to aspire to higher education. 

The Nordson Foundation offers support to non-profit organizations that cultivate educational curriculum and experiences that foster self-sufficiency, job readiness and goals to aspire to higher education. The Foundation is well aware of the fact that for non-profit organizations to remain viable they must receive operating support. With this in mind, Nordson Corporation Foundation does invest in general operating support.  

As stewards of the Foundation assets, the directors feel strongly that the organizations that are supported by the Foundation be able to measure the effectiveness of their mission and programs. Quantitative and/or qualitative data allows for the Foundation to ensure that the organizations it supports are bringing about the desired outcomes in our communities.

Nordson Foundation Goals

The goals of the Nordson Corporation Foundation are to insure that:

• All children have access to and receive quality educational experiences from early childhood  
• All individuals have the opportunity to be self-sufficient members of society 
• There is a continuum of quality educational opportunities 
• Our communities are strengthened by the organizations we fund whether their focus is education, human welfare, civic or arts and culture

Nordson Foundation Funding Strategy

Through its grant-making, the Foundation supports organizations that directly or indirectly seek to maximize success before, during and beyond the traditional classroom years. Grants will be reviewed and considered on the basis of their enrichment to the communities where our employees live and work. Organizations and programs receiving grants will be expected to identify relevant, measurable outcomes to demonstrate the effectiveness of their programs.

Education

• Early Childhood Care and Education
• Maximizing Student Success
• Access to quality educational opportunities
• Innovative programs
• Partnerships/collaborations with school districts
• Funding gaps not covered by public monies
• Augmenting core curriculum
• Exposure to programs that expand on traditional education
• Workforce Preparation
• Initial preparation for the world of work
• Retraining for the new job market
• Strengthening our communities

Human Welfare

• Promote prevention and lifestyle maintenance programs and activities
• Promote crisis intervention
• Promote life transition opportunities
• Promote systemic change

Arts and Culture

• Actively seek to broaden the audience bases in Nordson communities
• Support the visual and performing arts
• Provide educational enrichment for students
• Motivation for at-risk youth
• Provide access to the arts for special needs audience
• Promote greater understanding among people via the arts

Civic

• Work to improve the physical or economic environment
• Provide cultural or historical preservation
• Strive to inform citizens and increase their participation in community improvement

PSEG Corporate Giving

The PSEG family of companies provides support for dinners, events and targeted sponsorships serving the places we do business in New Jersey, New Haven and Bridgeport, Connecticut; Albany and Long Island, New York

• Sustainable Neighborhoods
• Building safe, healthy and sustainable communities
• Our company’s commitment to environmental stewardship stretches beyond our own operations. We invest in public parks that improve the quality of life for local residents and in the environmental organizations that protect and preserve natural resources, address climate adaptation, and build sustainable communities.
• Safety and Preparedness
• Complementing PSEG’s safety vision, we seek to keep people and their homes safe, particularly around electricity and natural gas, and to prepare for and respond to emergencies.

PSEG Corporate Giving

The PSEG family of companies provides support for dinners, events and targeted sponsorships serving the places we do business in New Jersey, New Haven and Bridgeport, Connecticut; Albany and Long Island, New York

Mission

The Lloyd G. Balfour Foundation was established in 1973. The Foundation's 3 primary focus areas reflect Mr. Balfour's strong affinity for the employees of the Balfour Company, his commitment to the city of Attleboro, Massachusetts, and his lifelong interest in education. Specifically, the Balfour Foundation supports:

• Educational scholarships to employees of the Balfour Company, as well as to their children and grandchildren
• Organizations serving the people of Attleboro, with special consideration given to those organizations that provide educational, human services and health care programming for underserved populations
• Educational organizations that serve New England

Focus Area

Educational Organizations

The Foundation's educational funding is generally focused on organizations or programs that provide support for underserved or under-represented populations to prepare for, access and succeed in higher education, including 2-year and 4-year institutions.

It is clear that Mr. Balfour was interested in supporting students for successful completion of college. As such, the Foundation focuses its grantmaking in the New England area on programs that support college readiness, access, and success. The Foundation is most interested in programs that support students all the way into and through post-secondary credential attainment (2- or 4-year credentials). Programs within institutions of higher education aimed at attracting, supporting, and retaining (through successful completion) under-served and under-represented populations are also of interest. In this area, we will consider applications that request scholarship funds, if those scholarships are part of a broader set of services and supports.

Founded in 1935 by Middletown philanthropist Clarence S. Wadsworth, The Rockfall Foundation is one of Connecticut’s oldest environmental organizations. The Foundation supports environmental education, conservation and planning initiatives in the Lower Connecticut River Valley through public programs and grants. In addition, the Rockfall Foundation operates the historic deKoven House Community Center that offers meeting rooms and office space for non-profit organizations.

Environmental Champions Awards

Through its Environmental Champions Awards, The Rockfall Foundation recognizes individuals and groups to highlight their contributions to the region in the area of natural resource preservation, conservation, restoration, or education. The Tom ODell Distinguished Service Award* is given for outstanding life-long accomplishments. Certificates of Appreciation are awarded to recognize significant programs and projects.

The focus areas include:

• Preservation: work to protect ecosystems, species, and other irreplaceable elements of the region’s natural heritage.
• Conservation: work to minimize our use of finite natural resources and our negative impacts on ecosystems and communities.
• Restoration: work to re-establish the healthy functions of an ecosystem or parts of ecosystems.
• Education: work to foster a stronger awareness and understanding of environmental and sustainability issues.

The nominee’s contributions must impact the Lower Connecticut River Valley, which includes the following towns: Chester, Clinton, Cromwell, Deep River, Durham, East Haddam, East Hampton, Essex, Haddam, Killingworth, Lyme, Middlefield, Middletown, Old Lyme, Old Saybrook, Portland, and Westbrook. Impacts to the Connecticut River corridor or Long Island Sound are also eligible as long as there is a benefit to at least one of the listed towns. What We FundPrograms, projects, or capacity building initiatives within one or more of the Foundation’s priority areas are eligible for funding. Annual grants support both ongoing programs and start-up initiatives. The Foundation’s grants often provide critical seed money and support for groups that do not have large budgets or staff.Ideally, these grants can be leveraged to attract additional funders.Grants typically range from $1,000 to $5,000. The available pool in 2024 for all grant awards is $31,200. The Grants Committee may schedule applicant interviews at their discretion if they believe it will be helpful to their understanding of the proposal.Funding for materials, transportation, program/presenter fees, intern stipends and similar items are eligible. Items such as food, regular operating expenses (e.g. insurance, rent, and other overhead), indirect labor, salaries and benefits are not generally funded, but may be considered for organizations under financial hardship. Funding must be applied to the items/activities described in the application form. Substitutions are not permitted unless prior approval has been obtained.

Culturally Enriched Communities

Travelers supports organizations that build communities and enrich lives through arts and culture, and that use the arts to contribute directly to enhanced academic learning.

Arts Education

Travelers funds organizations that incorporate the use of the arts in learning and stimulate creativity, while supporting improved academic achievement in local public schools.

Arts & Diversity

Travelers funds a wide range of organizations in order to build multi-cultural understanding in our communities. Travelers also aims to strengthen organizations that develop and present cultural and artistic traditions and/or provide access to various forms of art to diverse audiences.

Enhancing Communities Through the Arts

Travelers provides a small number of operating grants and/or sponsorships for key arts organizations in our downtown neighborhoods of Hartford, Conn., and St. Paul, Minn., in order to contribute to the vitality of the region.

The Nature Conservancy

The Nature Conservancy is a global environmental nonprofit working to create a world where people and nature can thrive.

Our Mission

To conserve the lands and waters on which all life depends.

Connectivity, Climate, Communities Fund

To make the highest possible impact on the climate and biodiversity crises, The Nature Conservancy (TNC) is committed to advancing solutions and supporting partners throughout the Appalachians to connect and conserve vital wildlife habitat, build resilience to the impacts of climate change, and generate new job and recreation opportunities for communities.

Approximately one-third of the U.S. population lives in or within 100 miles of the Appalachians, including an estimated 36 million people that rely on the region for sources of drinking water. The landscape contains the world's largest remaining expanses of temperate broadleaf mixed forest and provides habitat to a wide diversity of plants of animals, many of which are listed as rare, threatened, or endangered. Conserving this landscape is critical for nature and for the people that live and work there.

However as climate change drives ecosystem instability, plants and animals are shifting their ranges northward, and people are having to find ways to adapt to complex and intertwined challenges. TNC and many others have been working to conserve vital Appalachian habitats for decades. Now we must ramp up our efforts and coordinate with partners across the Appalachians for maximum impact.

To succeed in these efforts, TNC’s Connectivity, Climate, Communities Fund offers two grant programs for conservation and community organizations, municipalities, Federally Recognized Tribal Nations, and local and state agencies in the Appalachians who are working to protect and conserve this region:

• The Resilient and Connected Appalachians Grant Program
• The New York Climate Resilience Grant Program

Resilient and Connected Appalachians Grant Program

The Resilient and Connected Appalachians Grant Program provides grants of up to $100,000 for fee and easement acquisition projects throughout the Appalachians.

Equitable Conservation and Community Benefits

Conservation organizations are increasingly acknowledging the importance of incorporating social equity in their missions, partnerships, and projects and evolving how they work to have better outcomes for people and nature.

TNC defines community benefits as the positive outcomes that directly result from or are included within conservation projects as experienced by local communities and people. This is particularly important for historically marginalized communities, communities with limited access to nature, communities experiencing heightened impacts of climate change due to systemic underinvestment and poor infrastructure, and Indigenous communities. 

RCA program funding will support projects that demonstrate meaningful community engagement, work with those historically excluded from conservation, and lead to a fairer distribution of benefits for people and communities.

Some examples of community benefits include improved and greater access to nature, protection of drinking water sources, recreational and resource-based economic opportunities, flood mitigation, engagement in cross-cultural initiatives, or protection of lands that will meet community-defined conservation needs. We encourage projects with meaningful community benefits that are integrated with the land protection goals.

Project Evaluation

Projects will be evaluated  according to their capacity to deliver land protection outcomes aligned with the program goals, including:

• Location:
  • the project is located within TNC’s Appalachians Program boundary and is in or near a mapped focal area.  Projects outside of focal areas will also be considered.
• Resilience:
  • the percentage of the total project area that is part of the Resilient and Connected Network.
• Connectivity:
  • adjacency to protected lands or other attributes that will lead to landscape connectivity over time (e.g., the project is a necessary acquisition for advancing a local or regional plan that aims to protect a critical conservation corridor).
• Collaboration:
  • evidence of engagement with other organizations, community groups, or local governments (including, but not limited to, shared funding).
• Community:
  • project elements that directly engage and or benefit people, especially vulnerable or marginalized communities.
• Timeline:
  • the project will close within 12 months from the start of the grant agreement term.
• Feasibility:
  • likelihood that the project will close and the costs seem reasonable.

Building Equitable Opportunity

This new grant area combines several of the Foundation’s former grant opportunities including Cradle to Career (early care and youth development) and Economic Vitality grants. By combining these areas, we recognize that although systems are often siloed by issue area or population, individuals and families navigate across policies, systems and programs. Building Equitable Opportunity seeks to explore solutions across generations and systems.

Our focus on equitable opportunity emerged from research on the deep educational and economic disparity that exists in our region. We found disparity based on race, and also income, age, geography, and gender/sexuality.

Income: The median household income of Waterbury residents was $40,879 in 2017, compared to over $93,000 for the towns in the Litchfield Hills.

Age: Children and youth are most likely to be low-income in Waterbury with 64% of the population being under the age of 17.

Geography: Funding spent per pupil varies greatly by geography, students in the Litchfield Hills have nearly $20,000 spent per pupil vs. just over $15,000 in Waterbury. Only 62% of Waterbury children have a pre-k experience compared to 79% statewide.

Race: Only 26% of Black students and 23% of Latinx students were proficient in reading by 3rd grade compared to 45% of white students in Waterbury

Gender/Sexuality: LGBTQ youth are at more than double the risk of homelessness compared to non-LGBTQ peers.

Our approach focuses on:

• Supporting programs, advocacy, and system change efforts that build equitable pathways out of poverty and to economic mobility
• Promoting access to quality culturally responsive education, especially focused on Waterbury where there are significant disparities by race and income
• Supporting the development of jobs and career pathways with livable wages
• Promoting opportunities to build assets for BIPOC families that have been left behind in traditional banking systems
• Targeting education interventions that support BIPOC students and include youth and parent voice in decision-making

Efforts we support include:

• Increasing collaboration between school systems and preschools to align readiness, support kindergarten transition, and focus on parent voice
• Evidence-based initiatives that improve the quality of the pre-k and K-12 experience for Black and Latinx, low-income, and children with disabilities (examples include: RULER, Circle of Security, Restorative Justice Practices)
• Interventions that address disproportionate minority contact in in pre-K-12 education and expand access to pathways to college
• Programs that substantially build the long-term assets and economic resiliency/mobility of residents (such as financial education and planning, job and skills training, etc.)

We encourage requests that:

• Provide services or support to the communities located within our 21-town service area
• Support system change and advocacy efforts
• Include support for core nonprofit operations such as staff time, overhead and evaluation
• Support organizations led by Black, Indigenous, People of Color (BIPOC)

Please see FAQs for additional guidelines.

Women’s Fund History

The 20th anniversary of Connecticut Community Foundation’s Women’s Fund prompted not only celebration, but contemplation. Reflecting on our grantmaking and other activities on behalf of women over the years and looking toward the future, we undertook an intensive effort in 2014 to listen to women and girls from across our 21-town region, to understand the issues they consider most important and to think strategically about how the Women’s Fund might best impact the community. Local brainstorming sessions and national research raised the persistent problem of low self-esteem among pre-teen and teenage girls. Read the report.

Women’s Fund Purpose

To identify, convene and support programs that promote advocacy and skill development while fostering resilience, self-esteem and self-respect among girls and young women in our region.

Women’s Fund, Possible Grant Funding Projects

• Creation of inclusive, welcoming, and supportive conditions and positive role models
• Outreach that builds participation and inclusion of underrepresented populations
• Meaningful youth involvement in creating the program’s plans and or implementation
• Programs that contribute to positive youth development and utilize the Search Institute’s 40 Developmental Assets; programs that have established achievable and meaningful goals for participants, as well as tracking systems to follow progress; and programs that include teenage and pre-teen girls.
• Multiple organizations working collaboratively on establishing goals, developing curricula or schedules, and addressing training needs, implementation and evaluation efforts.
• Planning grants that allow organizations the opportunity to explore and plan for a potential project. Costs associated with analyzing feasibility, solidifying partnerships, developing work plans or proofs of concept are eligible.

Health and Environmental Justice

This new grant area combines two of the Foundation’s old grant areas including Healthy Communities and Environment. Within Health and Environmental Justice, we recognize that your health is influenced by where you are born, live, learn, work, play, worship and age. We know that improving health outcomes requires an approach that supports a whole person within their community. Data shows us that there are differences in the environments within which residents live across our region. 

• Waterbury has the highest live birth rate and highest infant mortality rate in Connecticut.
• Access to prenatal care varies by community. In Waterbury over 18% of pregnant women received late or no prenatal care, this number increases for Black and Latina mothers.
• Children in Waterbury are disproportionately affected by asthma. Slightly more than 21% have been diagnosed with asthma compared to the 15% in Connecticut and 13.4% in the nation.
• In 2016, out of cities with at least, 100,000 residents, Waterbury had the highest eviction rate in the Northeast and it is the 22nd highest in the nation.
• 43% of residents in the Foundation’s region who make $15,000 or less report not having enough money to buy food for their families

Our approach focuses on:

• Supporting programs, advocacy and system change efforts that address health disparity
• Increasing access to safe and affordable housing
• Improving food systems to ensure access and affordability
• Improving health systems to ensure access, culturally responsive practices, and affordability
• Applying an Environmental Justice lens to projects that seek to clean up land, air and neighborhoods in order to positively impact health

Efforts we support include:

• Collaborations that improve access to basic needs (such as food and housing) and to preventative health care especially for BIPOC residents
• Evidence-based prevention and chronic disease management programs for diabetes, obesity, tobacco use, asthma, mental health first aid, and falls
• Housing advocacy efforts that address high eviction rates, safe housing (lead abatement) and affordability in Waterbury
• Expanding access to behavioral health and substance abuse interventions, especially in multi-lingual and rural communities
• System improvements that support increased access to medical and behavioral health services (such as transportation and telehealth)
• Efforts to advocate for environmental justice in Waterbury and work toward reducing environmental disparities across communities.

Pathways for Older Adults

History

Grants that help older adults thrive are made possible by the East Hill Woods Fund at Connecticut Community Foundation, established in November 2009 with a contribution of $9.2 million through the sale of East Hill Woods.

As a field of interest fund, the East Hill Woods Fund provides grants to nonprofits and municipalities that offer services and opportunities for older adults living in the Foundation’s service area. A portion of the fund is also designated to train and educate future managers of senior living communities. Building community centers for our elderly is highly important in this age, they need to feel connected with their peers and others in the community, this is where construction companies like Enviro are here for neighborhoods who require modular buildings.

Purpose of Grants

To help people in our region age successfully and remain healthy, informed and engaged. Grant funding is also provided to local communities to help them prepare for the aging of the population.

Our grants to organizations working to improve quality of life for older adults typically fall into one of these general categories:

• Healthy aging
• Connecting with information, benefits and resources
• Aging successfully and safely in the community
• Education, arts and creative expression
• Waterbury BRASS (Bringing Resources to Action to Serve Seniors): A citywide collaboration
• Engaging older adults in addressing community needs
• Intergenerational projects

Possible Projects

• Develop core programs and adopt best practices that connect older adults with benefits, services and opportunities; assist with chores, home maintenance and home safety; enhance health and fitness; and build age-friendly communities that promote civic engagement and full participation for all ages.
• Hold a Town Conversation on Aging, open to the public, to discuss services, resources and opportunities for older adults in the town, identify needs and gaps, and prioritize action steps for the next several years. A $2,000 grant is available to each town in the Foundation’s service area for these conversations. This questionnaire provides a framework for the conversation.
• Connect more people over age 65+ to their libraries through Lifelong Libraries grants. Program possibilities include health, wellness, education, arts, creative expression, technology, financial security, intergenerational, and more.
• Collaborative programs that enhance services in a cost-effective manner are prioritized. Examples include a fitness program that rotates among towns and development of a coordinated transportation system.

Arts & Culture Grant

Arts and culture play important roles in education, economic development, and general quality of life. Research shows a correlation between arts-based learning and enhanced student achievement, noting how the arts stimulate learning and improve overall academic performance. The arts are also an important part of Connecticut’s economy and more importantly, can serve as a bridge between cultures. We recognize that there is inequity in access to and utilization of the arts. As a result, our arts and culture funding prioritize efforts that address disparity and increase access to culturally responsive art experiences, led by BIPOC artists.

Our approach focuses on:

• Increasing access to quality creative arts programs, with a focus on addressing existing disparities.
• Nourishing community arts efforts and refreshing expectations for larger legacy institutions, exploring how traditional entities can serve and partner with diverse communities in non-traditional ways.

Efforts we support include:

• Participatory arts programs in various media (visual, theater, music, dance, writing, etc.) that create inclusive and supportive conditions for individuals of diverse backgrounds, ages, genders and cultures, and provide ways of making deeper connections to community life.
• Opportunities to create/showcase work and collaborate with others. This may also include integration of arts and community-building activities, or outreach to and inclusion of traditionally underrepresented audiences.
• Work to support/develop artists and efforts to build a supportive and thriving arts sector, welcoming to both current and new/non-traditional artists.
• Support for artists and organizations in forging creative efforts to uplift residents and inspire community & economic development.

Lois Livingston McMillen Memorial Fund: Support for Victims of Domestic Violence

The Lois Livingston McMillen Memorial Fund at Connecticut Community Foundation makes substantial grants throughout our region. The fund, established by Lois Livingston McMillen’s parents, reflects one of Lois’s passions: helping women and children who are victims of domestic violence and abuse. The fund provides tens of thousands of dollars each year to support agencies that provide vital services to women in our region.

McMillen Fund, Purpose

To support agencies that provide critical services to women and children who are victims of domestic violence and abuse. Priority is given to direct service programs to address immediate crises and provide emotional support and guidance to women and children who are victims of social, emotional or psychological abuse or sexual assault and domestic violence. Aims are to promote self-confidence, pride, dignity and personal advancement in those who have suffered from such destructive behavior.

Travelers believes that strong communities are sustained by educational and economic opportunities — and we are dedicated to assisting our communities in generating those opportunities. With a focus on equity and inclusion, we target our giving and volunteerism to help improve academic and career success, develop thriving neighborhoods and create culturally enriched communities.

Travelers is ensuring opportunity by contributing to efforts that create strong, vibrant communities and offer pathways to success. Through corporate funding and the Travelers Foundation, Travelers targets its giving to achieve three outcomes: Academic & Career Success, Thriving Neighborhoods and Culturally Enriched Communities. Our primary focus is educating underrepresented students to lead tomorrow’s workforce. In addition, Travelers contributes to organizations that aid in developing communities through small business support and neighborhood revitalization, and that enhance lives and learning through arts & culture. 

Travelers accepts grant applications exclusively for Hartford, Connecticut and St. Paul, Minnesota, primarily for project, program and operating support and for limited capital opportunities.

Academic & Career Success

Because today’s student will be tomorrow’s co-worker, education is the primary focus of our giving. We support college and career readiness programs for underrepresented students from middle school through college and into career. 

A successful future starts in the classroom. But many people struggle to get the education they need to compete for quality jobs and to lead a fulfilling life. Our giving focuses on helping to provide a foundation for individual success and on building a skilled workforce for our industry and our communities.

Where We Give

Nearly half of our annual giving goes toward initiatives that help underrepresented students attain academic and career success. We seek to improve academic achievement gaps by focusing on low-income and minority students in grades five through 12, students in college and those seeking careers in the insurance industry.

Funding Priorities

Academic & Career Success: Travelers supports initiatives that improve academic achievement and career success for underrepresented youth, specifically targeted at public school students in grades five through 12, students in transition to post-secondary education, and students in post-secondary learning environments.

• Middle & High School Academic Achievement– Travelers funds initiatives that foster improved academic achievement for middle and/or high school students.
• Post-Secondary Preparation & Degree Attainment– Travelers supports organizations that are building awareness of and personal readiness for post-secondary education and educational initiatives that improve degree completion for underrepresented students.
• Career Awareness & Readiness– Travelers supports educational initiatives that are building awareness of and preparation for careers in insurance and financial services.

Is your nonprofit working to create positive change in your local community? 

Presented by the Comcast NBCUniversal Foundation in partnership with NBC and Telemundo stations in 11 markets, NBCUniversal Local Impact Grants Program is strengthening our communities by providing funding to local nonprofit organizations that are solving everyday problems. This year, our station will award $225,000 to exceptional nonprofit programs focused on local impact.

Grant Categories

Youth Education and Empowerment - In-school and out-of-school programs that equip youth with the tools they need to succeed, including STEM/ STEAM education and youth entrepreneurship.

Next Generation Storytellers - Programs that promote access and develop pathways for emerging talent, diverse voices, and underrepresented youth to explore careers in arts, news, sports and entertainment.

Community Engagement - Programs that enable individuals to engage and volunteer in their communities.

Comcast NBCUniversal Foundation, NBCUniversal Local and Telemundo stations are committed to supporting a culture of inclusion whereby organizations encourage equitable access, opportunities, and resources for traditionally underrepresented communities.

Our Focus Areas

It takes many strategies to address the living conditions affecting health, well-being, and equity. We aim to use our resources strategically and equitably, allocating more of our resources towards parts of our community that have the most need.

We work so that all aspects of our community support the conditions required for health, well-being, and equity.

Capacity Building Grant

We define organizational health as the ability of an organization to function effectively, cope adequately, change appropriately, and grow from within. Our objectives are to increase the stability, effectiveness, and resilience of nonprofits, to meet mission and community need, and to increase the capacity of smaller agencies.

Through this grant program, the foundation will accept requests up to $30,000 for needs related to:

• Operational infrastructure
• Scaling a program or initiative
• Stabilizing a program or initiative

FCH accepts applications to the Capacity Building Grant program, through two grant cycles. Organizations requesting $30,000 can apply once annually to either grant cycle. Organizations requesting under $30,000 annually are welcome to apply to either or both grant cycles.

Our Mission

To promote wellness and access to opportunities so that individuals and communities can thrive.

Grounded in our work in Connecticut and New York, we support visionary leaders and nonprofit organizations that serve historically marginalized populations, help individuals contribute to their communities, and champion advancements and experiences that make it possible for all people to live healthy and joyous lives.

Innovation Fund

The Tow Foundation is pleased to announce a new grant opportunity for nonprofit organizations innovatively expanding access to the care and support that youth need to thrive.

The Innovation Fund intends to make grants, ranging from $300,000 to $1 million over three years, to up to 10 organizations that are improving youth mental health and well-being and serving young people between the ages of 0-25.

Through the Innovation Fund, the Foundation hopes to inspire and invest in bold approaches, and to learn from exploring questions like: What are the most challenging barriers youth and their families face in accessing support for mental health and well-being? What emerging innovations exist to address these barriers? What is the resulting impact of these innovations on youth and their families?

The Innovation Fund takes a broad and inclusive approach when imagining the kinds of care and support that may have a positive impact on youth mental health and well-being. This includes interventions across the prevention to treatment continuum. We welcome submissions from a diverse array of organizations working in a variety of community, school, and clinical settings. For the purpose of this initiative, the word “innovation” could mean scaling proven efforts, attempting to apply existing efforts to new populations or geographies, or experimenting with a novel approach altogether. By not defining “innovation,” we hope to encourage creative thinking.

Mission

Community Food Funders (CFF) is a philanthropic organizing project that provides information, resources, and networking opportunities for funders in the NY-NJ-CT region. We support the transition to an equitable, ecologically sound, and economically robust regional food system that optimizes local growing, processing, and distribution within this region, and balances it with fair trade between regions and internationally.

CFF is not a grant-making entity, we are a network of philanthropic organizations and individual funders who are active in food system work.  CFF is directed by staff at North Star Fund and is led by a steering committee comprised of grantmakers from thirteen foundations.  CFF facilitates roundtable discussions, funder briefings, site visits, and social gatherings to foster information-sharing and networking among funders.

Goals

• To understand the dynamics of the existing regional food system including land, water, labor, infrastructure, research, financing, access, programs and policy, and
• To identify opportunities for investment that leverages the changes necessary to create a sustainable and equitable food system throughout the region.

Values

CFF strives to transition our food system to one that pursues a true triple bottom line.

• Equitable for everyone along the food chain, from growers, workers, and processors, to distributors, retailers, consumers, and waste handlers.
• Ecologically sound so that food is produced, transported, and consumed in a way that eliminates or minimizes the use of toxic chemicals and fossil fuels, and is regenerative and sustainable in its production.
• Economically robust supporting a multiplicity of ownership models for enterprises along the food supply chain, without disproportionate control or influence by largecorporations, and without barriers to entry.

In pursuit of this goal, we believe that those most impacted and negatively affected by the current system should be part of the dialogue about moving forward, including decision-making and visioning.

Champions Award

The Community Food Funders Champions Award recognizes the organizations empowering food system change in our region. Each year the Award will:

• Promote the work of an outstanding organization that is working towards the transition of our food system to one that pursues a true triple bottom line: a system that honors and values people, the environment, and sustainable economic models
• Present the awardee with a $10,000 grant to support their work

The awardee will be invited to:

• Present their work to a group of funders and philanthropists at the Community Food Funders Annual Gathering
• Share quarterly updates on their work with the Community Food Funders network
• Design a “Champion’s Briefing” sponsored by CFF on the content of their choosing
• Join the committee that will select awardees the following year

Criteria

The awardee will be chosen based on their demonstrated commitment to a food system that is equitable, ecologically sound, and economically robust. The selected organization will also have a strong racial justice analysis that informs their work, and leadership that is representative of the population they serve.

• Equitable for everyone along the food chain, from growers, workers, and processors, to distributors, retailers, consumers, and waste handlers.
  • Some examples include access to land and economic justice for farmers; safe conditions and a living wage for workers; access to nutritious, affordable, and culturally-relevant food; providing means for greater levels of self-determination over one’s food production, distribution, preparation and waste systems; involving multi-cultural and multi-generational constituencies; uplifting the food heritage, knowledge, and expertise of low-income, people of color, immigrant, and LGBTQ communities; and more.
• Ecologically sound so that food is produced, transported, and consumed in a way that eliminates or minimizes the use of toxic chemicals and fossil fuels and is regenerative and sustainable in its production
• Economically robust supporting a multiplicity of ownership models for enterprises along the food supply chain, without disproportionate control or influence by large corporations, and without barriers to entry.
  • Examples include food or farming cooperatives, food hubs and other entities that bolster the local food supply, or organizations committed to increasing the diversity of farmers and providing technical assistance for their ongoing viability

Reducing Barriers to Health Equity

The Cigna Group Health Equity Impact Fund supports nonprofits serving local community members to address root causes of health inequities.

Our Approach

The goal of the Cigna Group Health Equity Impact Fund is to support, convene, and collaborate with nonprofit organizations serving local community members. This Fund operates on a hyper-local level in select U.S. cities and has committed $3 million each year to support local nonprofits.

Our first grantee cohort is advancing innovative projects in Hartford, CT, and Houston, TX.

For the second cohort, we are seeking to support nonprofits that are serving community members in Hartford, CT, and St. Louis, MO.

Hartford, Connecticut

In the capital city of the state where our company is headquartered, we will continue to advance health equity and address disparities in our own backyard. Hartford struggles with high poverty rates and lower life expectancy compared to other Connecticut cities. Additionally, Hartford residents are disproportionately likely to forgo health care due to lack of access to reliable transportation, and lack of access to primary care and/or lack of trust in care.3,4

Fund goals:

• Expand the availability of providers and related community-based resources for adults that reflect culturally appropriate care models.
• Increase access to transportation for adults to attend health visits and healthy physical activities.

St. Louis, Missouri

Residents of St. Louis have disproportionately higher rates of death from substance use disorders and are more likely to visit the emergency room for a mental health challenge than other counties in Missouri.5,6,7

Fund goals:

• Increase access to treatment and support for substance use disorders in adults.
• Increase access to mental health services for adults.

About Cigna

Our Mission

To improve the health and vitality of those we serve.

Our Vision

A better future built on the vitality of every individual and every community.

Improving Veteran Mental Health

Across the United States, veterans face an elevated risk of homelessness relative to the general population. On any given night, an estimated 40,000 veterans go without shelter, and another 1.5 million veterans are considered at-risk of homelessness.1 Research shows that veterans experiencing housing instability are at an increased risk of mental distress disorders.

We seek to collaborate with and support nonprofit organizations that leverage evidence-informed programs and services to help local veterans feel stable where they live and ultimately create positive impact on their mental health. Nonprofit partners must align to at least one of these grant program goals:

• Increase permanent housing available for veterans.
• Improve affordability for housing for veterans through rental or mortgage assistance.
• Enhance the offering of wraparound services for veterans transitioning from shelters.

Travelers Foundation

Travelers believes that strong communities are sustained by educational and economic opportunities —and we are dedicated to assisting our communities in generating those opportunities. With a focus on equity and inclusion, we target our giving and volunteerism to help improve academic and career success, develop thriving neighborhoods and create culturally enriched communities.

Travelers contributes to organizations that prepare historically underrepresented students to lead tomorrow’s workforce, develop vibrant communities through small business support and neighborhood revitalization, and enhance lives and learning through arts & culture.

Travelers accepts grant applications exclusively for Hartford, Connecticut and St. Paul, Minnesota, primarily for project, program and operating support and for limited capital opportunities.

Thriving Neighborhoods

Travelers supports organizations that help create and maintain safety, stability and vitality in low- and mixed-income communities.

What Our Funding Supports:

• Accessible, Safe Housing– Travelers supports organizations and programs that provide permanent housing and supportive services to create safe, stable neighborhoods.
• Successful Small Businesses – Travelers funds organizations that develop economic vitality and create and retain wealth by assisting the creation and growth of small businesses, with an emphasis on women-, minority- and veteran-owned businesses. Travelers also supports programs that prepare individuals for business ownership and support them on their journeys.
• Resilient Communities – Travelers supports organizations that show leadership in disaster preparation, response and recovery.

Purpose of Grants

Made possible through the Southbury Community Trust Fund, grants provide support for a variety of programs that benefit Southbury residents. Priority is given to proposals that demonstrate collaboration and strong partnerships.

Possible Projects

• Social and Community Services: Support Southbury residents by providing access to basic needs, transportation, and affordable housing.
• Wellness and Health Education: Promote a healthy, vibrant community by encouraging access to prevention programs, fitness, and access to care for all ages.
• Enhancement of Youth Development: Foster positive identity, strong values, social competencies, commitment to learning, community service, empowerment, leadership, and resilience for Southbury youth.
• Aging and Livable Communities: Develop and promote programs that enable older adults to age in place successfully. May include: connecting older adults with benefits and services; reaching people who are underserved; home maintenance, chore, and home safety programs; and building age-friendly communities.
• Arts and Culture: Promote access to performing arts and fine arts programs for community enrichment.
• Environmental Awareness: Encourage the preservation, protection, and conservation of land, water, and wildlife.
• Cultural Heritage: Support Southbury’s tangible cultural heritage and town history.

Main Street Community Foundation welcomes grant requests from organizations that serve our geographic area, which includes Bristol, Burlington, Plainville, Plymouth, Southington and Wolcott, Connecticut.

Men & Boys' Fund

The Men & Boys' Fund was established in 2016 by a group of local, committed men. Through its grantmaking program, the Fund works to make it possible for men and boys to improve the quality of their lives, increase self-sufficiency and make a positive difference in their community. Grants are made from the Men & Boys' Fund to organizations serving males of any age in the towns of Bristol, Burlington, Plainville, Plymouth, Southington and Wolcott.