Community Organizing Grants

Community Organizing Grants is sponsored by Greater Hartford Gives Foundation. Supports community organizing efforts led by people of color and marginalized communities to enhance civic participation in the Greater Hartford area.

Hartford Community Fund - Greater Hartford Gives Foundation Hartford Community Fund at Greater Hartford Gives Now accepting grant applications! View the Request for Proposal in our Grant Opportunities section. Photo courtesy of Christiane OBrien, volunteer with the Hebron Community Fund.

The Hartford Community Fund is directed by a committee of Hartford residents from various backgrounds and city neighborhoods. Since 2021, the Community Fund has awarded 60 grants totaling $166,730 to address a wide range of community needs. Photo depicts 2025 grant recipients.

The Hartford Community Fund at Greater Hartford Gives is now accepting grant proposals! Please review our request for proposal below for guidelines and instructions. Applications will be accepted through September 14, 2026.

Review the Hartford Community Fund Request for Proposal How to Apply for a Community Fund Grant: Tips and Tricks Deadline: September 14, 2026 at 11:59pm For questions about this RFP, local priorities or project fit , contact the Hartford Community Fund Committee at: Hartford@greaterhartfordgivesCF. org For questions about the grant portal or technical issues with the application, contact: CFGrants@greaterhartfordgives. org .

The Hartford Community Fund at Greater Hartford Gives invites you to the following: Grant Application Info Sessions August 6 and September 2, 2026 at 6pm Join us to learn about applying for a grant from the Hartford Community Fund The Hartford Community Fund Committee is seeking new voices! Applications to volunteer as a committee member are being accepted now!

Agree to adhere to Foundation-wide policies and the Community Funds Handbook Candidates for elected office, elected officials, and their immediate family members may not serve on a committee. Click here for more information about volunteering. Please complete the online application to become a Hartford Community Fund Committee member.

Through its 2025 grant cycle, the Hartford Community Fund at Greater Hartford Gives proudly supported 16 organizations making a difference in the lives of Hartford residents.

The 2025 grants recommended for funding and awarded includes: A Mother Blessing Birth Project, Inc. : $5,000 To support the Journey Joy project Aknew : $4,000 To support the Nourish Hartford Youth: Weekend Meal Support program Capitol Towers Community Outreach : $500 To support Seniors in Hartford Organizing for Power End Hunger Connecticut!

, Inc. : $3,500 To support the Full Shelves Hartford project First Church of Christ in Hartford : $3,000 To support Sunday meals Gifts of Love, Inc. : $3,000 To support Hartford Basic Needs- Operational Needs Hartford Catholic Worker : $5,000 To support Specific Assistance II: Transforming Need Hartford Performs : $4,000 To support arts-based education programming at Burns Latino Studies Academy Hartford Soccer Club : $2,500 To support the Let’s Make Soccer Accessible for Hartford’s Kids program Hartford’s Proud Drill, Drum & Dance Corp : $2,000 To support the Play By The Rules program Lavender Policy Center : $1,500 To support the Right to Relief program Layavinyasa : $2,000 To support Intercultural Alliance -Outreach and Enrichment in Asian Arts in Hartford Outside Perspectives : $3,000 To support the Impact Academy Circle Keepers’ Outside Perspective project Posh Paint : $2,000 To support the CreateHER event Seniors Job Bank, Inc. : $2,500 To support Next Chapter Success: Essential Skills for Hartford Mature Workers Trinity Academy of Hartford : $2,500 To support the Trinity After School program In past years, the Hartford Community Fund at Greater Hartford Gives supported the following organizations: Hartford Catholic Worker , $4,000, to assist with food, rent payments, utilities, clothes, and funeral expenses for residents in North Hartford in need of these core necessities.

Just Be Big , $4,000, to support a “Big Beautiful Wellness Retreat” that will provide a holistic experience that empowers plus-size women by focusing on mental, physical and emotional well-being. Theta Alpha Sigma Alumnae Chapter of Sigma Gamma Rho Sorority , $3,500, to host a community baby shower for roughly 50 expectant mothers, primarily Hartford residents.

The event offers essential supplies and education geared towards improving pregnancy outcomes in high-risk communities. Read Theta Alpha Sigma’s announcement of the grant here . Aknew.

org , $3,500, to support their program, Life Skills 2025. Funds will be used for a series of cooking and sewing classes for children and adults – six cooking classes, eight sewing classes, 10 families a week for each class. Invent the Summer , $3,080, to support Hartford Community STEM Workshops.

Eight STEM workshops will be held in summer 2025 for Hartford children 5 to 12 years old. Night Fall , $3,000, to provide community workshops with Night Fall artists. Night Fall will stage six hands-on workshops for local families, up to 120 participants.

Connecticut Invention Convention , $2,500, to support a year-long STEM program aimed at youth and educators that will provide both educational enrichment activities and teacher training. The program is estimated to serve 550 youth and will culminate with a “shark tank meets science fair” where participants showcase their work and compete for prizes.

Literacy Volunteers of Greater Hartford , $2,500, to support Career Pathways, a program designed to move low-income, low-literate adults forward along the career pathway, leading participants to secure sustained employment. The program includes literacy and computer skills training, job training, career counseling, and job placement.

Covenant to Care for Children , $2,500, to provide basic essential goods to at-risk children who are abused, neglected, or impoverished. Essential items include car seats, beds, cribs, clothing and other household goods. Gifts of Love , $2,500, to help provide food, clothing, household and personal care items to clients who reside in Hartford.

New England Carousel Museum , $2,500, to present “The Carousel Museum Comes to Hartford. ” The Bristol-based Museum will offer eight on-site programs for Hartford community members – four at senior centers and four at library branches – and a week of free museum admission for all Hartford residents.

Invent the Summer , $3,300, to support “Hartford Community STEM workshops,” eight STEM workshops in summer 2024 for Hartford children 5 to 12 years old. Choir School of Hartford , $3,100, for new keyboards and supplies such as instruments, music stand lights and binders. Active City , $3,000, to expand Hoop Wave, its annual basketball showcase.

Theta Alpha Sigma Alumnae Chapter of Sigma Gamma Rho Sorority , $3,000, to offer “Project Cradle Care,” a community baby shower geared to improving pregnancy outcomes in high-risk communities. Literacy Volunteers , $2,500, to support its Career Pathways, which provides a range of support and services, from literacy and computer skills classes to career counseling, and job-training and placement programs.

Keney Park Sustainability Project , $2,500, to stage a series of wellness popups offering vaccinations, dental screenings, pharmacy, nursing, yoga, drumming, and activities for kids. United Methodist Church of Hartford , $2,500, to launch “Harmony Community: Breakfasts/Luncheons Monthly,” a breakfast or lunch series that brings the vulnerable, needy, low-income families and single mothers together for food and fellowship.

Covenant to Care for Children , $2,000, to provide funds to purchase goods for Connecticut children, birth to 18, who are abused, neglected, impoverished or otherwise at risk. Among the goods are basic essentials such as furniture and clothing. Mayor Mike Peters’ Little League , $1,800, to purchase catcher’s equipment for its teams.

Aknew. org , $500, to help with seed funds for the project “Enhancing Wellness,” a wellness retreat with a focus on coping skills that includes yoga, meditation, group discussions, hiking, and arts and crafts. Klassy Katz Elite Dance Team , $500, to support “Let’s Move,” a series of dance workshops that will help promote physical, mental, spiritual, and emotional health and wellness.

Active City, Inc. To expand its annual basketball showcase $2,500 ActUp Theater, Inc. To support youth and their families attending a community theater production in Hartford $2,250 Hartford’s Proud Drill, Drum & Dance Corp. To purchase equipment for a new studio/practice space $2,500 Keney Park Sustainability Project, Inc. To support Wellness Pop-Ups $4,500 Literacy Volunteers of Greater Hartford To support the Career Pathways program $5,000 McDonough Middle School To support the Bundle Up program to supply warm clothing to families at McDonough Middle School, a part of the Catholic Charities Archdiocese of Hartford $3,000 The Police Athletic and Activities League of Hartford, Inc. To support PAL activities $2,500 Theta Alpha Sigma Alumnae Chapter of Sigma Gamma Rho Sorority, Inc. To support community baby showers geared to improving pregnancy outcomes in high-risk communities $3,000 West Indian Independence Celebrations To support the Youth Caribbean Costume Workshop $1,200 Hartford Promise , which received $2,500 to support its work with the Hartford public high schools Lawyers for Children America , which received $2,000 to support its work to reduce abuse and neglect of children in Hartford Literacy Volunteers of Greater Hartford , which received $2,500 to support its work with Hartford adults enrolled in ESOL and basic literacy/pre-GED classes Contribute to the Community Fund that supports projects that are improving the lives of residents in Hartford.

Donate to the Hartford Community Fund As you learn about your community, here are two resources the Foundation uses to find information about Hartford: Advance/CTData Town Profile Search DataHaven Equity Profile Search For additional information about the Hartford Community Fund at Greater Hartford Gives, please contact the committee at Hartford@greaterhartfordgivescf.

org For media inquiries, please contact Chris Senecal CSenecal@greaterhartfordgives. org