Evelyn W. Preston Memorial Fund
/OVERVIEW: The Evelyn W. Preston Memorial Fund supports music, arts, and culture in Hartford, Connecticut.
IP TAKE: This funder has numerous funding restrictions. Review the guidelines closely if providing arts programs in Hartford.
PROFILE: Established in 1978, the Evelyn W. Preston Memorial Fund is a private foundation in Connecticut. Evelyn Wallace Preston established this fund in her will to provide funding for local music concerts in the summers. Managed by Bank of America’s Connecticut office, grantmaking funds music, arts, culture.
The Preston Memorial Fund prioritizes local arts groups, social service agencies, faith-based organizations, senior centers, folk societies, cultural centers and institutions of higher education. It also funds summer programming offered in June, July, August, and September. All programs must be offered to the general public and take place in Hartford, Connecticut. Organizations that provide music programs in parks and other public places receive this funder’s support. Moreover, the fund will consider supporting individual artists that partner with nonprofit organizations or churches as fiscal sponsors. It defines a “musical concert” as an event that involves two or more instruments.
Grants range between $1,000 and $20,000. Learn more about this funder’s local giving by examining its recent Foundation Center grant history. Grantmaking focuses exclusively on the city of Hartford, Connecticut. The foundation shares its specific grantmaking guidelines on its website, which prospective grantees must research. Funding restrictions include public school districts that only serve student audiences, certain types of art projects, parades, humanities projects, equipment purchases, and proposals from educational or health organizations without a history of providing arts projects. Past local grantees include the Hartford Jazz Society, Real Art Ways, the Blue Hills Civic Association, and Parkville Senior Center.
This foundation accepts unsolicited grant applications from nonprofits. The annual application deadline is February 28. This foundation utilizes a panel of artists and art professionals to review projects based on artistic merit, feasibility, prior achievement, and other criteria. Grantseekers must use the Bank of America online system to apply for a grant. Direct general questions to the staff at ct.grantmaking@ustrust.com or 860-244-4870.
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