Hartford Foundation for Public Giving
/OVERVIEW: This community funder supports a 29-town region around Hartford, Connecticut, in the areas of education, health, arts and culture, community and economic development, family and social services, summer programs, and the environment.
FUNDING AREAS: Education, health, arts and culture, community and economic development, family and social services, summer programs, environment
IP TAKE: The bulk of recent funding here has been going towards education, followed by family and social services. This is a highly responsive funder, with about 65 percent of Hartford grants going to nonprofit funding requests.
PROFILE: The Hartford Foundation is the community foundation for the Greater Hartford Region of Connecticut and serves a 29-town region here. The foundation dates back to 1925 when bankers Maynard T. Hazen and Clark T. Durant had the idea of establishing a community-wide charitable endowment. Launched with a single bequest of $1,000, the foundation’s assets are now approximately $917 million. Over the years, the funder has awarded more than $687 million to groups in the region.
Interests here are education, health, arts and culture, community and economic development, family and social services, summer programs, and the environment. Under the umbrella of regular grants, Hartford awards program/project grants, continuation grants, capital grants, and general operating support grants. Transitional operating support grants are provided in special circumstances; summer program grants support tutorials and camperships for local children. Special funds are also held at the foundation and solicit applications throughout the year. Hartford Foundation awards scholarships and provides a nonprofit support program to strengthen local groups.
Grantees must generally wait three years before receiving a subsequent grant, except for collaborative grants, grants for summer programs, and a few other exceptions. Hartford supports overhead costs, although public policy grantmaking is limited to administrative lobbying that advances the foundation’s priority areas. Although the 29-town Capitol Region of Connecticut is the geographic focus here, statewide projects may be considered when relevant. In the past, the foundation has matched donations given to specific funds, including the Black Giving Circle Fund and the Latino Endowment Fund.
For a majority of grants, the Hartford Foundation accepts inquiries and proposals on a rolling basis. Smaller grants may have an expedited process. Many grants have been between $5,000 and $100,000, with support going to AIDS Connecticut, the Artists Collective, Boys and Girls Clubs of Hartford, and Capital Workforce Partners. Take a quiz on the funder’s website to determine your organization’s eligibility for grants.
General questions can be directed to hfpg@hfpg.org or (860) 548-1888. The foundation president is Jay Williams. The address is 10 Columbus Boulevard, 8th Floor, Hartford, Connecticut 06106. Keep up with this funder through its Latest Updates section. Current financial information for the foundation can be viewed here.
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