Hartford Foundation Expands Nonprofit Group Revenue Program

Hartford Foundation for Public Giving

HARTFORD, CT — A regional foundation based in Hartford has announced the expansion of its program that helps nonprofit organizations grow their own revenue.

Since 2019, 16 area nonprofit organizations have participated in the Hartford Foundation for Public Giving’s Social Enterprise Accelerator (SEA), a 30-month process to strengthen their entrepreneurial capacity by launching or growing revenue-generating ventures.

Administered by the Hartford Foundation for Public Giving’s Nonprofit Support Program, each organization developed and implemented business plans to boost revenue and heighten their mission impact.

To date, these 16 organizations have collectively generated more than $8 million in revenue from their social enterprise projects.

Now, eight additional nonprofits have been chosen to participate in the Social Enterprise Accelerator 2023.

“Creating a new revenue stream and the opportunity to think more like a business rather than a nonprofit has allowed us to strategically begin developing models that might further support other programs,” said Hartford Food System, Inc. Executive Director Billie C. Scruse. “We appreciate the support of the Hartford Foundation, and our team is enthusiastic about the future of Hartford Harvest Farm Share. We can envision other diverse project investment ventures to come which will help us grow, feed and educate our community.”

The following organizations have been selected to participate in the Social Enterprise Accelerator 2023:

• AHM Youth Services
• Camp Courant
• Conference of Churches
• Harriet Beecher Stowe Center
• HartBeat Ensemble
• Leadership Greater Hartford
• Urban League of Greater Hartford
• URISE Ventures

“The Social Enterprise Accelerator has served as a platform for nonprofits to learn and take the evolutionary steps necessary to become thriving, sustainable organizations with greater impact in our region,” said Hartford Foundation Associate Director of the Nonprofit Support Programs Meher Shulman.

The Hartford Foundation for Public Giving is the community foundation for Hartford and 28 surrounding towns.