2025‑2026 Impact Philanthropy Grants (Basic Needs & Community Catalyst)

2025-2026 Impact Philanthropy Grants (Basic Needs & Community Catalyst) is a grant from United Way of Coastal and Western Connecticut that funds grassroots and community-led organizations addressing basic human needs and catalyzing community change in Coastal and Western Connecticut. The program supports initiatives focused on food security, housing stability, financial empowerment, and community-driven solutions to systemic challenges.

Eligible applicants are nonprofits and community organizations operating in the United Way's service area. Specific award amounts, deadlines, and priorities for the 2025-2026 cycle are published through the United Way of Coastal and Western Connecticut's grant portal.

Grant Opportunities | United Way of Coastal and Western Connecticut Select Language English Afrikaans Albanian Arabic Armenian Azerbaijani Basque Belarusian Bengali Bosnian Bulgarian Catalan Cebuano Chinese (Simplified) Chinese (Traditional) Croatian Czech Danish Dutch Esperanto Estonian Filipino Finnish French Galician Georgian German Greek Gujarati Haitian Creole Hausa Hebrew Hindi Hmong Hungarian Icelandic Igbo Indonesian Irish Italian Japanese Javanese Kannada Khmer Korean Lao Latin Latvian Lithuanian Macedonian Malay Maltese Maori Marathi Mongolian Nepali Norwegian Persian Polish Portuguese Punjabi Romanian Russian Serbian Slovak Slovenian Somali Spanish Swahili Swedish Tamil Telugu Thai Turkish Ukrainian Urdu Vietnamese Welsh Yiddish Yoruba Zulu Elevating grassroots initiatives and community-based organizations through strategic investments, fostering sustainable growth and impact.

As part of our dedication to supporting local nonprofits and advancing our mission, we will continue to run the Impact Philanthropy program and serve as a fiduciary for additional grant opportunities. NONPROFIT CAPACITY BUILDING We are also dedicated to enhancing the capacity of nonprofits in our community.

Our capacity-building efforts focus on strengthening organizational infrastructure, improving operational efficiency, and fostering sustainability. Upcoming Capacity Building Series We are excited to announce that our “Soup to Nuts: Fundamentals of Nonprofit Management” series—developed in collaboration with Fairfield County’s Community Foundation—will resume with new topics and speakers beginning in October!

This 7-part monthly series is designed to help nonprofit professionals learn, connect, and grow. Each session will take place virtually on the 2nd Thursday of every month from 9:30-11:00 A. M.

Learn More and Register IMPACT PHILANTHROPY GRANT PROCESS - CLOSED 2025-2026 IMPACT PHILANTHROPY GRANT OPPORTUNITIES United Way of Coastal and Western Connecticut (UWCWC) will begin accepting applications for the 2025-2026 Impact Philanthropy Grant Program on March 17, with a total of $332,000 in competitive grant funding available to support nonprofit organizations that address critical community needs and drive systemic change.

This funding complements an additional $400,000 in community investments UWCWC is making to strengthen local nonprofits and expand their impact. Additionally, $150,000 in direct cash assistance will be available to ALICE individuals through nonprofit partners serving as referral agencies, ensuring households in need receive immediate financial support.

Together, these investments reinforce UWCWC’s commitment to improving health, education, and financial stability across our region, empowering both organizations and individuals to build a more resilient and equitable community.

We have two distinct funding opportunities this year: Basic Needs Grant ($232,000 available) – Supporting organizations that provide essential services to households at or below the ALICE Threshold, including food, housing, utilities, child care, and health care.

Apply Online | Paper Application (Word Doc) Community Catalyst Grant ($100,000 available) – A new grant program that provides unrestricted funding to grassroots organizations and those working in civic engagement and community-building to support ALICE households.

Apply Online | Paper Application (Word Doc) Notice of Funding Availability Released: March 10, 2025 Applications Open: March 17, 2025 Applications Due: April 22, 2025, by 11:59 PM Information Sessions (highly recommended): Session 1: March 12, 2025, at 11:00 AM - Registration Link Session 2: March 20, 2025, at 9:00 AM - Registration Link Session 3: March 25, 2025, at 2:00 PM - Registration Link Decisions Announced: End of June 2025 Be a 501(c)(3) nonprofit or have a Fiscal Sponsor Serve households at or below the ALICE Threshold Operate within UWCWC’s 27-town service area (excluding Greenwich and Shelton) Meet program-specific criteria for either Basic Needs or Community Catalyst funding Step 1: Review the full NOFA and grant guidelines.

Step 2: Attend an information session to learn more about the application process. Step 3: Register/Login to e-CImpact and submit your application by April 22, 2025. Questions?

Contact Us at communityimpact@unitedwaycwc. org CITY OF DANBURY GRANT PROCESS - CLOSED CITY OF DANBURY GRANT PROCESS - OPEN UNTIL OCTOBER 2, 2025 Since 2009, United Way of Coastal and Western Connecticut has partnered with the City of Danbury to administer Social Service Grants.

Organizations in the Greater Danbury area serving Danbury residents that provide services in one of the following three areas will be eligible for funding and are invited to apply: Housing/Shelter - Safe and affordable housing access and retention. Including shelter, rent/mortgage assistance, utility assistance, deposit assistance, etc. Education/Child Care - Helping children, youth, and their families achieve their potential.

Including child care services, after-school activities, etc. Health/Food - Promoting health and wellness, including healthcare programs, food pantries, emergency feeding providers, mental health programs, etc CHANGES TO CITY PROCESS FOR FY 26: Beginning this grant cycle, the City of Danbury will implement a blind review process for grant applications.

This means that reviewers will not have access to identifying information of the organization or program when reading and scoring the application narrative. Review the Notice of Funding Availability (NOFA) for more information or join us for one of the scheduled information sessions to learn how to prepare a Blind Proposal.

NOFA - Released - September 3, 2025, 8:00 AM Information Sessions ( optional, but recommended for new applying agencies – choose one ) Session 1: Tuesday, September 9, 2025, from 1 pm to 2 pm – Registration Link Session 2: Thursday, September 11, 2025, from 10 am to 11 am – Registration Link Last Day to Request an Extension - Friday, September 26, 2025 Applications Due - Thursday, October 2, 2025, by 11:59 pm Application Review Period - October 6, 2025 – October 31, 2025 Recommendation Sent to City for Vote - Week of November 3, 2025 Expected Award Notification - December 2025 Click here for a PDF version of the City Grant Process Timeline Review the full NOFA, application, and required attachments .

Attend an information session to learn more about the application process. Create/Sign into your e-CImpact account The UWCWC uses the e-CImpact Grant Management system for organizations to submit grant applications and reports. All applicants must register online and create an account in order to submit their application.

Please refer to the e-CImpact Registration Manual for specific steps on how to register for e-CImpact. If an applicant already has an account in the system, they can continue to use that account for this application. 4.

Submit your application via e-CImpact or email communityimpact@unitedwaycwc. org by October 2, 2025, by 11:59 PM. APPLICATION DOCUMENTS & KEY LINKS: City of Danbury Word Application Link to e-CImpact Grants Management Portal Link to Charitable Solicitation Registration Information page on State website Questions?

Contact us at communityimpact@unitedwaycwc. org .

EMERGENCY FOOD AND SHELTER PROGRAM (EFSP) GRANT PROCESS - CLOSED EMERGENCY FOOD AND SHELTER PROGRAM (EFSP) GRANT PROCESS - CLOSED For Greater Bridgeport, Greater Danbury, Greater Norwalk & City of Stamford Only Subject: EFSP Phase 42 Update – Application Process on Hold Last week, United Way of Coastal and Western Connecticut announced that applications for Phase 42 of the Emergency Food and Shelter Program (EFSP) would open soon for Greater Danbury and the City of Stamford.

At that point, preliminary awards were made, and we expected final awards to follow. Based on this expectation, we were advised to proceed with the application process. However, due to uncertainty in Washington, D.

C. , final awards have not been made. In response, we are pausing the opening of applications until further notice.

We recognize this program's vital role in supporting our community’s most vulnerable members and will provide updates as soon as new guidance is available. We will communicate all updates via email and will also post on our website at https://www. unitedwaycwc.

org/grant-opportunities . For more information on Phase 42, you can review FEMA’s preliminary funding notification, visit the Emergency Food and Shelter Program page. For questions related to EFSP Phase 42, please contact: Victoria Scofield, Community Investment Senior Coordinator at victoria.

scofield@unitedwaycwc. org . Thank you for your understanding and patience.

More About the Emergency Food and Shelter Program The EFSP was created in 1983 to supplement and expand the work of local social service agencies, both nonprofit and governmental, in an effort to help people with economic (not disaster-related) emergencies. EFSP funding is restricted Federal Funding awarded through the Department of Homeland Security and is open to all organizations helping hungry and homeless people.

Jurisdiction: Bridgeport – Local Board #1422-01 Funding Awarded to Bridgeport Jurisdiction: $182,798 Local Board Focus of Funding for Phase 41: All Categories Local Board Contact: Archeline Youte at 203-883-6712 or archeline. youte@unitedwaycwc. org .

Jurisdiction: Danbury – Local Board #1422-02 Funding Awarded to Danbury Jurisdiction: $55,634 Local Board Focus of Funding for Phase 41: Food, Shelter, Utilities Local Board Contact: Victoria Scofield at 203-883-6704 or victoria. scofield@unitedwaycwc. org .

Jurisdiction: Norwalk – Local Board #1422-03 Funding Awarded to Norwalk Jurisdiction: $67,556 Local Board Focus of Funding for Phase 41: All Categories Local Board Contact: Victoria Scofield at 203-883-6704 or victoria. scofield@unitedwaycwc. org .

Jurisdiction: Stamford – Local Board #1422-04 Funding Awarded to Stamford Jurisdiction: $91,399 Local Board Focus of Funding for Phase 41: Food, Rent/Mortgage, Utilities Local Board Contact: Victoria Scofield at 203-883-6704 or victoria. scofield@unitedwaycwc. org .

UNITED WAY SOCIAL EQUITY COUNCIL GRANT PROCESS - CLOSED UNITED WAY SOCIAL EQUITY COUNCIL GRANT PROCESS - CLOSED United Way of Coastal and Western Connecticut, will distribute $1. 8 million in grant funding to support projects in Bridgeport and Stamford that uplift communities and strengthen families disproportionately impacted by the War on Drugs. $900,000 will be designated for each community.

United Way of Coastal and Western Connecticut (UWCWC) will serve as the third-party grant manager for the pilot Community Reinvestment Grant from Connecticut’s Social Equity Council, which aims to reinvest state cannabis revenues back into affected communities. Qualifying nonprofits can begin applying on July 5, 2023 https://bit. ly/e-cimpact .

Funds can be allocated for programs designed to uplift impacted communities and families focused on the two areas of (1) reentry and reintegration, and (2) youth education and recreation.

This includes programs that support formerly incarcerated individuals and their families; civil legal aid; justice-involved youth; expungement/criminal record erasure; homelessness; family stability; enrichment programs for young people and their families that assist in preparing the future workforce; STEM/STEAM; financial literacy; promoting physical and mental health wellness; sports; mentoring; youth and parent leadership and empowerment; creative culture programs; community uplifting; and organizing and empowerment.

Funding for all Social Equity Council programs and activities is sales tax revenue from Connecticut’s Adult-Use Cannabis Industry, which is not federally legal at this time. Applicants should check with their legal counsel, funders and/or governing body to determine eligibility to apply for and receive these funds. Verification of eligibility is the sole responsibility of interested applicants.

Review the Notice of Funding Availability ( NOFA ) Watch the Zoom Information Sessions: Session 1: July 10th, 2023 from 12:00 pm to 1:30 pm. LINK TO VIDEO Session 2: July 13th, 2023 from 5:00 pm to 6:30 pm. LINK TO VIDEO Create/Sign into your e-CImpact account .

The UWCWC uses the e-CImpact Grant Management system for organizations to submit grant applications and reports. All applicants must register online and create an account in order to submit their application. Please refer to the e-CImpact Registration Manual for specific steps on how to register for e-CImpact.

If an applicant already has an account in the system, they can continue to use that account for this application. Review the application and required attachments. Submit the application and supporting documents through the e-CImpact platform.

Application deadline: August 3, 2023 at 5:00p. m. A paper application has been made available and can be downloaded here for those who cannot access the e-CImpact grant portal.

Please be sure to review the Notice of Funding Availability for details on all required documents. Word (. doc) | PDF (.

pdf) Need additional information? Please review the Social Equity Council Glossary of Terms and FAQs Contact the United Way of Coastal and Western Connecticut team at Victoria. scofield@unitedwaycwc.

org or Meghan. hadley@unitedwaycwc. org .

ACCESS AGENCY E-CIMPACT PORTAL ACCESS AGENCY REGISTRATION MANUAL ACCESS VOLUNTEER E-CIMPACT PORTAL ACCESS VOLUNTEER REGISTRATION MANUAL For more information about these opportunities, or to serve on a grant review team, please contact: Victoria Scofield at Victoria. scofield@unitedwaycwc. org or 203-883-6704 United Way of Coastal and Western Connecticut Financials and Public Documents 1150 Summer St.

, 2nd Floor 10 Middle Street, Suite 1101 Website by: OneEach Technologies