Community Foundation of Greater New Britain
/OVERVIEW: This funder supports Central Connecticut in the areas of early childhood education, arts and culture, general education, economic and community development, and health and human services.
FUNDING AREAS: Early childhood education, arts and culture, education, economic and community development, health and human services
IP TAKE: This is an accessible community funder to know for local grassroots groups in Connecticut. Only nonprofits that serve Berlin, New Britain, Plainville, or Southington, Connecticut are eligible for grants.
PROFILE: The Community Foundation of Greater New Britain (CFGNB) is the local community foundation that serves the Connecticut towns of Berlin, New Britain, Plainville, and Southington. The Stanley Works and New Britain Machine pooled $30,000 in gifts before World War II to create what was then called New Britain Foundation for Public Giving. Established in 1941, the foundation is based in New Britain, Connecticut and seeks to "inspire philanthropy, manage permanent charitable assets, and partner to address key community issues through strategic leadership.” CFGNB manages over 200 charitable funds today investing in early childhood education, culture and the arts, education, development, and health.
The Foundation distributes its grantmkaing through several funds. One of these is the Catalyst Fund, which supports grassroots giving and pools donations to award a $100,000 grant to a collectively chosen grantee. Stanley Black & Decker presents the Civic Leadership Fund, a CFGNB signature that sustains its operations.
CFGNB also prioritizes early childhood education, which it supports through a long-term investment, First Years First. It aims to support skill development for early literacy, parenting education, and advocacy and public policy for early childhood outcomes. CFGNB has partnered and collaborated with groups including the Coalition to Enhance Family Literacy Early Childhood Collaborative of Southington to further its early development goals. Other foundation initiatives include young philanthropy programs, capacity-building for nonprofits programs, and disaster preparedness.
Grants often range from $10,000 to $30,000. Discretionary grant funding prioritizes early childhood education. However, community response grants may also support arts and culture, community and economic development, general education, and health and human services. Past grantees include the New Britain Public Library, Plainville Public Schools, Tunxis Community College, Literacy Volunteers of Central Connecticut, and the United Way of Northeastern and Central Connecticut. Only nonprofits that serve Berlin, New Britain, Plainville, or Southington, Connecticut are eligible for grants.
The grant application process begins by completing a letter of intent, which must be submitted by January 1 or July 1. From there, the foundation will invite select grantseekers to submit a full application, which is due either February 1 or August 1. You can direct general questions to the staff at 860-229-6018 or info@cfgnb.org. You can also keep up with foundation news and recent grant awards on News Releases section the funder’s website.
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