Search Through Quality of Life Grants in Connecticut in the U.S.

American Savings Foundation

American Savings Foundation is a permanent charitable endowment which provides grants to local nonprofit organizations, in addition to college scholarships to area students. The Foundation is a broad-based funder dedicated to improving the quality of life for the residents of the communities we serve. This is our lasting commitment.

Funding Priorities

The Foundation is a broad-based funder, with a special emphasis on the needs of children, youth and families. Our general funding priorities are Education, Human Services and Arts & Culture. These are not rigid categories, and many of our grants overlap more than one. We focus on direct service programs that help those with highest need, and where our funding can make a direct, measurable impact. Our Grant History helps grantseekers understand our priorities.

Capital Grants

Capital grants support projects that are closely aligned with American Savings Foundation’s mission, and the needs of the community. 

Guidelines

The Foundation focuses its limited capital grants funding towards one-time capital needs that are essential to direct program services in New Britain and Waterbury. Agencies serving communities outside New Britain and Waterbury are encouraged to use the Community Grants application to apply for capital needs up to $5,000, or to submit a Letter of Intent (below) for larger requests (typically up to $10,000). Visit our Grant History page for a list of recent capital grants.

About

Since 1980, the Branford Community Foundation has served as a hub of philanthropy, connecting people who care with causes that matter, now and for generations to come.

Mission

The mission of the Branford Community Foundation (BCF) is to connect people who care with causes that matter for the purpose of preserving and promoting the quality of life in Branford, Connecticut, now and for generations to come.

We fulfill our mission by building and maintaining a charitable endowment and making prudent grants that serve to address the ever-changing needs of the Branford community. Through the gracious giving of donors who are committed to our mission, we fund worthy programs that promote the quality of life in Branford.

Sponsorships

BCF is proud to partner with GSB to support organizations serving the Branford community through sponsorship of qualifying events.

Background

In addition to supporting non-profit organizations that foster economic development and social well-being, Charter Oak is also committed to supporting a variety of programs, events, and community groups that may not fall under the 501 (c) (3) categories.

We look forward to partnering with the community to improve the quality of life for its residents, and also provide Charter Oak with the opportunity to meet potential members throughout New London and Windham counties. Therefore, requests for Sponsorship funding should not only benefit your cause, but also provide visibility to our credit union.

Alexis de Tocqueville said in Democracy in America that “the health of a democratic society may be measured by the quality of functions performed by private citizens.”

We believe that an informed and engaged citizenry is an essential ingredient of a healthy democracy. Through our initiatives, we hope to create an inclusive table and invite all voices to participate, especially those from communities of color and our youth. Our civic engagement grants are intended to support initiatives that share these inclusive values and will further the depth of understanding and likelihood of participation in civic life in the community.

Our commitment to civic engagement seeks to impact the lives and well-being of residents throughout the region. Mini-grants of up to $1,000 are available to support efforts to build and strengthen our communities towards a just and civil society.

Eager to Learn Program

Our Eager to Learn program was created to provide college test prep assistance to all learners and, in 2022, was expanded to promote education about and access to trade schools. This program will ensure that students from every socioeconomic background can access the highest quality SAT and ACT prep materials, tutors, and opportunities and explore careers in the skilled trades. We want to partner with organizations poised to provide these services or those already working with students to raise ACT and SAT scores or mentor students interested in a trade. We want all students to have a fair and equal opportunity to get into the best colleges, universities, or trade schools. We also strive to position students to be offered scholarships and tuition packages by raising their scores. Grants are capped at $25,000.

Program Goal

The Eager to Learn program was designed to give students access to the absolute best SAT and ACT prep. In 2022, we expanded the program to include funding for organizations working with individuals interested in alternative career pathways and job skills development. Organizations should be innovative and flexible in helping students and individuals to understand their options for a bright future.

This program will ensure that students from every socioeconomic background have access to the highest quality SAT and ACT prep materials. We want students and young adults to be at the forefront of information available to them from knowledgeable career counselors. We formed this program to partner with organizations poised to provide these services or who are already working to raise ACT and SAT scores or counsel kids on a bright future without the need to attend college. We want to empower students by providing them with a fair and equal opportunity to get into the best colleges and universities and position them to be offered scholarships and tuition packages by raising their scores. If a student’s path does not include college, then we want them to have access to knowledge about trade school careers.

For SAT/ACT programs

we will support organizations and schools implementing small-group test preparation sessions that enable students to achieve optimum outcomes and get the attention and answers they deserve. SAT and ACT programs should consist of groups of no more than fifteen at a time but as close to one-on-one as possible. We believe intensive programs are necessary to raise college entrance exam scores. We want to support and encourage the counseling and mentoring process required to navigate college entrance exams and beyond. Funds can also be used for intensive college counseling, application sessions, and FASFA assistance.

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.

Our Mission

The Foundation’s mission is to utilize its assets to assist any not-for-profit organization seeking to promote the arts or create programs that inspire, engage, and teach.

We hope that someday the arts will no longer be considered a school elective or an interest for the few but a necessity for living a full life and for the health of our hearts and minds. 

Through our partnerships in the community, we are utilizing the arts to harness its extraordinary power to inspire, raise educational outcomes for students, and enrich the overall quality of life in marginalized communities.

We believe that there is a great synergy in combining the talents of musicians, museum educators, nonprofit arts advocates, actors, teachers, and writers. We believe that the arts, in all forms, have significant intrinsic societal value and can take on multiple roles in youth education for healthy brain and social development. 

In keeping with our mission, the Foundation values and will support organizations protecting and utilizing nature to enrich peoples’ lives through conservation and beautification. We believe that a healthy environment means a healthier population overall. 

Studies have shown that children benefit both mentally and physically from outdoor activity and clean air. We seek to continue to work with organizations that understand the value of our human connection with and reliance on a thriving and accessible green infrastructure.

Our Foundation is also interested in supporting health science and medical research. We understand that supporting cutting-edge technology and research is paramount in gaining important ground on treating and hopefully curing all forms of cancers and diseases. We are specifically interested in supporting research in treating and curing pancreatic and other forms of high-mortality illnesses that have lagged in funding and medical advancement. 

P/Arts Program

P/Arts Program Information

P/Arts stands for Philanthropic Arts and is our Foundation’s own initiative launched in 2019 to help catalyze non-profit, tax-exempt public charities, accredited schools and universities, and government or public agencies. We want to help implement or enhance educational programs utilizing the arts in daily curricula for early childhood education programs as well as K-12 students.

The P/Arts Program Was Created To Encourage Partnerships Within The Philanthropic Arts And Education Communities.

Organizations applying for P/Arts funding must be accredited 501(c)(3) organizations that are using performing and/or visual arts education to help:

• Enhance and Transform Existing Outdated Public School Curricula
• Motivate & Engage Children and Students
• Deepen Professional Development for Teachers, Professors, and Childcare Workers
• Link School and Home
• Use Evidence-Based, Arts-Based Instruction
• Help to Lessen the Education Achievement Gap

Please see FAQs for additional guidelines.

Mission Statement

Town Fair Tire Foundation, Inc. (“TFTF”) is a private, not-for-profit philanthropic organization established by Neil Mellen in 2000. The mission of TFTF is to financially support entities and institutions that help people in need of social, health, welfare, educational and other human services throughout New England - Connecticut, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Maine, Vermont and Rhode Island – and beyond.

The Town Fair Tire Foundation is dedicated to helping create and sustain vibrant and healthy communities, families and individuals. To accomplish this purpose, TFTF invests in community-based organizations that promote self-reliance, economic and social advancement, and improved quality of life. The Town Fair Tire Foundation is especially committed to helping individuals and families who struggle daily with the effects of poverty.

An essential theme underlying the Town Fair Tire Foundation’s approach to giving is to “pay-it-forward” -- respectfully asking those who benefit from grants to pay the kindness forward to others in need. TFTF’s ultimate objective and mission is to promote positive change in the lives of those less fortunate to an exponential degree.

The Town Fair Tire Foundation performs its mission by funding proven or unique approaches from not-for-profit 501(c) (3) organizations.

What We Do

Town Fair Tire Foundation, Inc. (TFTF) is dedicated to helping create and sustain vibrant and healthy communities, families and individuals. To accomplish this purpose, TFTF invests in local community-based organizations that promote self-reliance, economic and social advancement and improved quality of life. 

TFTF is committed to helping individuals and families who struggle daily with the effects of poverty. Our initiatives are highly grassroots in nature, with the goal of giving back to the local and community levels.

TFTF’s ultimate objective is to promote positive change in the lives of those less fortunate and create greater societal good through the thousands of organizations we support across the region.

An essential theme underlying Town Fair Tire Foundation’s approach to giving is to pay it forward - respectfully asking those who benefit from grants to pay the kindness forward to others in need when they are able.

Blavatnik National Awards for Young Scientists

The Blavatnik National Awards honor America’s most innovative young faculty-rank scientists and engineers.

These awards celebrate the past accomplishments and future potential of young faculty members working in the three disciplinary categories of Life Sciences, Physical Sciences & Engineering, and Chemical Sciences.

Every year, one Blavatnik National Awards Laureate in each disciplinary category will receive $250,000 in unrestricted funds, and additional nominees will be recognized as Finalists.

Nominations are accepted from an invited group of research universities, independent research institutions, academic medical centers, and government laboratories from around the United States, as well as from the Awards’ own Scientific Advisory Council, composed of renowned science and technology leaders. Past Laureates of the Blavatnik National Awards are also invited to submit nominations. The program expands on an awards program, started in 2007, for young scientists in New York, New Jersey, and Connecticut.

Members of the Jury responsible for selecting the Blavatnik National Awards honorees are some of the nation’s most distinguished scientists. Both the Blavatnik National Awards Scientific Advisory Council and Jury include Nobel Laureates, National Medal of Science recipients, and National Academy of Sciences members.

The Blavatnik National Awards are conferred at a formal ceremony in New York City each fall.

Evaluation Criteria

Nominees and their work as independent investigators will be evaluated according to the following criteria:

• Quality: The extent to which the work is reliable, valid, credible, and scientifically rigorous.
• Impact: The extent to which the work addresses an important problem, advances scientific progress, and is influential in the nominee’s field, related fields, or beyond, and/or has the potential to benefit society.
• Novelty: The extent to which the work challenges existing paradigms, establishes a new field or considerably expands on an existing field, employs original methodologies or concepts, and/or pursues an original question.
• Promise: The nominee has potential for further significant contributions to science, and the research program will generate further impactful and novel discoveries.

Our Mission

The mission of the Vermont Mutual Charitable Giving Fund is to enhance the quality of life in communities where the Group conducts business, by providing financial support to worthy community organizations.

Where We Give

The Charitable Giving Fund is designed to benefit organizations within the marketing territories of Vermont Mutual Insurance Group that aim to improve the quality of life for individuals, families and communities.

Giving Focus

The Fund provides financial support to organizations that help to build, maintain and enrich healthy lives and strong, vibrant communities. The Fund's primary focus is to contribute to non-profit organizations that serve communities through any of the following four initiatives:

• Promote Education: Examples may include traditional and non-traditional opportunities focused on inspiring academic excellence, leadership and community service
• Foster Youth: Examples may include teaching and modeling positive life skills
• Community-based: Programs that build better communities in which to live and work
• Satisfy Basic Needs: Examples may include affordable housing, homelessness and hunger

DAIRY FOOD SAFETY & CERTIFICATION GRANT

The Northeast Dairy Business Innovation Center (NE-DBIC) announces the availability of funds through the Dairy Food Safety & Certification Grant program, which will provide grants for dairy farmers, processors, and/or producer associations to take actionable steps to improve the safety of dairy products. Projects funded through this program will support increased production safety standards with the goal of accessing new markets. Projects that increase marketability of dairy products will be prioritized. Activities covered by this grant include accessing technical assistance, audits, food safety plan development, training, testing fees, and certain infrastructure upgrades. 

Projects funded by this grant will allow dairy farmers, processors, and/or producer associations to take actionable steps to improve the safety of dairy products and improve marketability. Technical assistance providers or supply chain partners including distributors, co-packers and cross-dockers that would also benefit from grant activities should be listed as partners. Projects that demonstrate that grant activities will increase or expand access to market channels will be prioritized. Food safety activities under this grant should build upon baseline state and federal compliance requirements to further improve product consistency, safety, and quality of dairy products.

Grants are available to applicants in all Northeast states: Connecticut, Delaware, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, and Vermont.

Funding

Grants will range from $10,000 - $40,000 with a 25% (cash or in-kind) match commitment required. Total funds available: $250,000. 

Required Project Criteria

The following criteria must be addressed:

• Must build upon dairy business’ existing baseline compliance with food safety requirements.
• Project increases the safety of dairy products produced in the Northeast.
• Business/organization can sustain the changes/improvements past the grant period.

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.

Grant Making Process

The mission of the Branford Community Foundation (BCF) is to connect people who care with causes that matter, for the purpose of preserving and promoting the quality of life in Branford, Connecticut, now and for generations to come. BCF is dedicated to our core values of integrity, inclusiveness, responsiveness, and accountability.

We fulfill our mission by building and maintaining a charitable endowment and making prudent grants that serve to address the ever-changing needs of the Branford community. Through the gracious giving of donors who are committed to our mission, we fund worthy programs that promote the quality of life in Branford.

What the Branford Community Foundation Funds

The Branford Community Foundation looks to fund organizations and projects that strengthen and improve Branford in the following focus areas:

• Basic Needs (food, emergency financial assistance, fuel and heat support, shelter)
• Health (mental health services, senior services, social services, health education, substance abuse prevention)
• Education (literacy, job training, collegiate scholarships)
• Arts (music, dance, theatre, visual, community performances)
• Environment (public spaces and land, recycling, animal and wildlife support)
• Youth (access to summer camps, children in need, early childhood education)
• Civic engagement/resources (historical preservation, volunteerism, community events and enhancements)

The Branford Community Foundation holds several “field of interest” funds, including funds dedicated to basic needs, animals, environment, cultural arts, and music. During the application review process, the Board works to match applications with corresponding fields of interest funds.

BCF seeks grants that enhance the quality of life in Branford. Grant applications should address a need within the focus area and demonstrate impact on the organization, project, community, or persons served. Applications should include some of the following elements:

• Address a documented need or concern of the focus area.
• Recognize and build on a community’s or organization’s strengths and assets.
• Build the capacity of community organizations and/or individuals to help themselves.
• Support cooperative approaches to community issues through collaborations based on shared visions and mutual responsibility.
• Encourage attracting other resources, such as matching gifts.
• Build infrastructure within the organization in order to meet its mission.

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.

Watershed Fund

The Watershed Fund partners with local land trusts, municipalities, state agencies and others to protect threatened watershed lands. It is proud of its efforts to protect water quality while adding value to a community’s quality of life by protecting open spaces.

Purpose of Grants - Land Acquisition

• To award grants for the acquisition of title, conservation easements, and/or development rights to watershed land for the purpose of protecting, preserving, and enhancing water quality now and for future generations throughout the region.
• To award grants to organizations providing education in the appreciation of and preservation of our environment, with particular emphasis on the understanding of our water resources, the negative impacts of development and other activities on water quality, and the benefits to water quality and the environment of preserving watershed land as open space.

The Claire C. Bennitt Watershed Fund, Inc. partners with local land trusts, municipalities, state agencies and others to protect threatened watershed lands. It is proud of its efforts to protect water quality while adding value to a community’s quality of life by protecting open spaces.

Purpose of Grants

• To award grants for the acquisition of title, conservation easements, and/or development rights to watershed land for the purpose of protecting, preserving, and enhancing water quality now and for future generations throughout the region.
• To award grants to organizations providing education in the appreciation of and preservation of our environment, with particular emphasis on the understanding of our water resources, the negative impacts of development and other activities on water quality, and the benefits to water quality and the environment of preserving watershed land as open space.

Funding

Such grants typically do not exceed $10,000.

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.

Welcome

Farmington Bank Community Foundation, which continues the 167 year legacy of the former Farmington Bank, provides financial support to non-profit organizations and community programs that help create opportunities for a better life by focusing on economic opportunities, health, and basic needs for the residents of sixteen communities in Central Connecticut.

Health & Human Services: Basic Needs

To provide a safety net for individuals and families who are traveling the path to self-sufficiency or are experiencing financial setbacks. To improve population health and conditions of daily living across all life stages. Priority will be given to organizations that:

• Provide short-term emergency assistance s including shelters, food pantries or household goods
• Support the prevention, reduction and eliminate the recurrence of child, elder or partner abuse.
• Promote access to quality preventative and routine healthcare, including screenings; to reduce health system inequities
• Improve access to healthy food and health-related income supports (such as SNAP, WIC, and HUSKY)
• Decrease homelessness

Basic Human Needs

The Foundation will consider requests requests for short-term emergency assistance including access to shelter, food, or other basic human needs.

Ledyard Rotary Foundation

The Ledyard Rotary Foundation, Inc. is a nonprofit, tax exempt 501(C)(3) organization and an affiliate of the Rotary Club of Ledyard, Connecticut. It is dedicated to supporting programs and initiatives that serve the community and to advancing the ideals of the Ledyard Rotary Club and Rotary International. It supports causes that enhance educational opportunities, improve quality of life, improve access to health care, address social problems, advance charitable giving or provide emergency relief. The foundation exists primarily for the benefit of the residents of Ledyard and Gales Ferry, but may also support regional, state, and international programs.

Nearly 100 years ago, two bankers, Maynard T. Hazen and Clark T. Durant, had a vision: establish a community-wide charitable endowment that would accept “gifts, devises, and bequests” to serve as a trustworthy, steadfast and responsive charitable resource to the community, forever. Since then, that single bequest of $1,000 has grown into charitable assets totaling more than $1.2 billion (as of December 2024).

Today, the Hartford Foundation For Public Giving is:

• A grant maker that has awarded more than $1 billion in grants (as of December 2024).
• A community leader that serves 800,000 residents and hundreds of nonprofits in 29 towns.
• Most importantly, an institution that remains committed to our original cause of improving the well-being and quality of life for residents throughout the region.

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. As our Mission, we are putting philanthropy into action to create lasting solutions that result in vibrant communities within the Greater Hartford region.

Enfield Greater Together Community Fund

In 2019, the Hartford Foundation established the Greater Together Community Funds in each of the 29 towns it serves, including Enfield, with an initial investment of $100,000. In January, as part of the Hartford Foundation for Public Giving’s Centennial year in 2025 and the Fifth anniversary of the Greater Together Community Fund program, the Foundation unveiled a new $100,000 investment in each of its 29 town-specific Community Funds. This includes $50,000 immediately available for grantmaking and $50,000 allocated to endowment.

The Grant

The Enfield Greater Together Community Fund Advisory Committee has announced an open call for applications. The goal is to award grants that will support programs addressing the needs of the Enfield Greater Together Community. The purpose of Enfield’s Community Fund is to support residents in taking ownership around the needs in their towns and encourage broad and inclusive civic engagement.

Objectives of the fund:

• Improve the participation of existing programs
• Develop enhancements to existing programs
• Encourage the creation of innovative new programs

The maximum grant award is $5,000 and the minimum is $250. Grant Award Announcements will be made in September, 2025. A final report will be required upon completion of the project.

Welcome

Farmington Bank Community Foundation, which continues the 167 year legacy of the former Farmington Bank, provides financial support to non-profit organizations and community programs that help create opportunities for a better life by focusing on economic opportunities, health, and basic needs for the residents of sixteen communities in Central Connecticut.

Economic Empowerment and Sustainability

To foster pathways from poverty to prosperity for individuals and families in our communities, and to encourage diverse and robust neighborhood and community economies. Priority will be given to organizations that:

• Enhance, improve opportunities for quality employment and career prospects.
• Assist an individual or household to achieve financial security.
• Support development of a range of affordable housing options in all communities
• Improve skills and knowledge of households to make informed and effective decisions with their financial resources.
• Support the process of designing, launching and running a new business

Economic Empowerment and Sustainability: Entrepreneurship, Financial Literacy and Housing

Requests that support the process of designing, launching and running a new business; efforts to improve the financial skills of households to make informed and effective decisions and supporting development of a range of affordable housing options.

Mission Statement

The SBM Charitable Foundation, Inc., perpetuating the vision of the former Savings Bank of Manchester, is committed to bettering the lives of those who live and work predominantly East of the River in Hartford, Tolland, and Windham Counties. Priorities established for the Foundation’s giving are Health, Human Services, Education, Housing, and the Arts.

Guidelines for Giving

The purpose of the Foundation is to fund programs that improve the quality of life for residents in the communities it serves. The Foundation contributes to a wide range of organizations that foster education enrichment, economic development, and social well-being.

The categories of grants funded by the Foundation are as follows:

Education

The Foundation is committed to helping people achieve their goals through education. Scholarships are a high priority awarded through grants to both universities and colleges located in Connecticut, as well as to direct service programs that enhance academic and personal achievement such as adult literacy and reading readiness programs.

 Scholarships

College scholarships of up to $5,000 each are awarded annually to students selected on the basis of school and community activities, academic achievement, and financial need. The applicant must reside permanently in one of the counties served by the Foundation. Scholarships are renewable for up to four years of undergraduate education. Recipients of Foundation undergraduate scholarships may qualify for scholarships for graduate studies. Students must attend an accredited institution of higher education in the state of Connecticut. They must be in the top 40 percent of their high school class or maintain a 2.5 grade point average or higher in college, and exhibit financial need.

Applications for scholarships are accepted from January through March for the following academic year (beginning September). Awards are made in June.

Health Programs

Priority is given to programs that provide direct services to the community, including hospitals, community health programs, prevention programs and intervention services.

Human Services

The Foundation funds broad-based projects that enhance and improve the quality of personal life for the residents of its communities — such as libraries, municipal programs, social services for families and children, and economic development initiatives.

Housing

Funding may be awarded to organizations that expand home ownership opportunities and provide access to affordable housing within communities served by the Foundation.

Arts

The Foundation supports a wide range of cultural events, including theater, music, and art programs. The aim is to broaden access to cultural activities and enrich the lives of people who live and work within the communities served by the Foundation.

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. 

About Us

Main Street Community Foundation, Inc., is a public charity committed to partnering with individuals, families and businesses who wish to build permanent charitable connections, now and for generations to come, to support and better the communities of Bristol, Burlington, Plainville, Plymouth, Southington and Wolcott, Connecticut, USA. Founded in 1995, the foundation takes great pride in helping to make each town a better community in which to live and work.

The foundation addresses a broad range of community goals. We support meaningful dialogue on issues affecting the towns we serve. We convene community members, monitor and assess changing needs, locally and beyond and propose action on critical concerns. In this way, we are able to meet changing needs and provide support to what matters most to the people who live and work in the cities and towns of this region. As a community foundation we are committed to connecting donors with the community and to causes they care about through charitable giving. We talk with donors about their charitable interests and find ways to help them achieve their goals - often by setting up permanent endowments.

Women & Girls Fund 

The Women & Girls Fund was founded in 2001 by a group of caring and committed women. Through grantmaking, the Foundation assists women and girls with obtaining the skills and competencies to develop their potential and improve the quality of their lives. Grants will allow organizations to build internal capacity to ensure ongoing support of women and girls in the local communities. Applications will be accepted for program grants and capital requests that are related to a program that meets grant guidelines.

Grantmaking Priorities

Based on input from over 20 participating grantee and community partners, Main Street Community Foundation has identified three priority areas for the Women & Girls Fund. Preference will be given to grant requests that address these needs:

• Services for Senior Women: Programs that provide supports to senior women to increase self-sufficiency such as - basic needs, financial literacy resources, and opportunities to decrease social isolation.

• Confidence Building and Leadership: Programs that build self-esteem and self-reliance particularly in young girls and teens such as - programs that promote connections with a caring and stable adult, programs that promote financial literacy and life-skills, and programs that develop skills to be a successful leader in school, the community or in a career.

• Mental Health and Well-being: Programs that reduce anxiety and stress through non-clinical methods, teach mindfulness skills, and improve overall self-care and well-being for women of all ages.

Nearly 100 years ago, two bankers, Maynard T. Hazen and Clark T. Durant, had a vision: establish a community-wide charitable endowment that would accept “gifts, devises, and bequests” to serve as a trustworthy, steadfast and responsive charitable resource to the community, forever. Since then, that single bequest of $1,000 has grown into charitable assets totaling more than $1.2 billion (as of December 2024). Today, the Hartford Foundation For Public Giving is: 

• A grant maker that awarded more than $1 billion in grants (as of December 2024).
• A community leader that serves 800,000 residents and hundreds of nonprofits in 29 towns.
• Most importantly, an institution that remains committed to our original cause of improving the well-being and quality of life for residents throughout the region.

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. As our mission, we are putting philanthropy into action to create lasting solutions that result in vibrant communities within the Greater Hartford region.

WE ARE GREATER HARTFORD'S COMMUNITY FOUNDATION

• We serve 29 towns, nearly 800,000 residents, hundreds of nonprofits, and a network of philanthropists with more than 1,500 funds.
• We bring together the people, knowledge, investments and passion to make Greater Hartford a more inclusive and equitable place to live, work and raise a family.

The Hartford Foundation for Public Giving is dedicated to the Greater Hartford region, serving all 29 towns and we'll continue to work to improve the quality of life in Greater Hartford, for the next 100 years and beyond. 

Windsor Locks Greater Together Community Fund

In 2019, the Hartford Foundation for Public Giving established the Greater Together Community Funds in each of the 29 towns it serves, including Windsor Locks, with an initial investment of $100,000. In 2021, the Foundation awarded an additional $50,000 to each of the community funds. In January, as part of the Hartford Foundation for Public Giving’s Centennial year in 2025 and the Fifth anniversary of the Greater Together Community Fund program, the Foundation has recently unveiled a new $100,000 investment in each of its 29 town-specific Community Funds. This includes $50,000 immediately available for grantmaking and $50,000 allocated to endowment. 

The purpose of the Greater Together Community Fund is to: support the community in taking ownership around the needs in their towns, encourage broad and inclusive civic engagement and anchor the Hartford Foundation in each town.

The Windsor Locks Greater Together Community Fund (WLGTCF) provides grants to 501(c)3 organizations here in Windsor Locks. Our grantmaking is guided by our commitment to dismantling structural racism and advancing equity in social and economic mobility in Greater Hartford's Black and Latino communities. The most important thing we consider is whether an organization's mission or program aligns with these priorities. Grants will be given for a single, deliverable project that provides a benefit to the Windsor Locks community.

In addition to our strategic priorities, we also consider how programs or projects align with our five strategic outcome areas:

• Arts and Culture
• Basic Human Needs
• Civic and Resident Engagement
• Employment Opportunities
• Thriving Neighborhoods

While we do award grants for projects that fall outside of these outcome portfolios, proposals that align with this work will receive stronger consideration.

Autism Community Impact Grant

The Flutie Foundation recognizes not-for-profit organizations who share our mission to help individuals and families with autism live life to the fullest. For our 2023 Autism Community Impact Grant, we will continue granting these organizations with a particular emphasis on supporting traditionally under-served, under-funded, culturally diverse communities.

Our Autism Community Impact Grant cycle will consider requests that will help fund programs and projects showing potential to make an IMMEDIATE impact in the community and align with the Flutie Foundation priorities as stated in our Seven Key Dimensions described below. We especially encourage organizations with programs serving those most profoundly affected by autism to apply and share their stories.

Grant Funding Priorities

Work/School

Providing a path for educational opportunities, vocational skills programs, employment, housing, transportation and healthcare delivery for individuals on the autism spectrum.   

Active/Social

Support for recreational and sports programs, aquatic programs, social skills training, family events and summer camps for all individuals on the autism spectrum.

Safe/Supported/Informed

Funding for community organizations and schools who are providing vital resources and actively assisting individuals with autism spectrum disorder and their families through advocacy programs, diagnostic and clinical services, direct family support, safety equipment, emergency care, respite services and other opportunities that will enhance the quality of life for those affected.

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