Regional Foundation Offers Racism-Fighting Grant Funding

Hartford Foundation for Public Giving

HARTFORD, CT — In 2021, the Hartford Foundation for Public Giving launched the Access Grants initiative to support nonprofits aiming to dismantle structural racism and increase social and economic mobility for greater Hartford’s communities of color.

Through four rounds of funding, the foundation awarded more than $1.8 million to 52 organizations. The foundation has now opened the fifth round of Access Grant applications.

Though based in Hartford, the foundation actually serves 28 towns in the greater Hartford region.

“We welcome proposals for new approaches or from new partners whose work contributes to our strategic goals,” said Hartford Foundation Senior Community Impact Officer Kate Piotrowski

“Access Grants additionally provide the opportunity for the Foundation to learn from residents and organizations across our community about how they are addressing systemic racism; we look forward to continue supporting partners in this work in this year’s round.”

Access Grants are designed to identify and support nonprofits which may be new partners of the foundation or to support new projects or programs aligned with the foundation’s goals that may not have received funding previously.

Of the 52 grants awarded over the past two years, 11 went to grantees that had never received a grant from the foundation.

Applicants that were not successful were invited to receive staff feedback and to update their application for consideration in the following round.

Requests of up to $50,000 over a period of one year will be considered.

Grant award size will be in alignment with the size and scope of the project, the agency’s capacity to implement the work and its expected impact.

Requests may support new projects or existing efforts, including operating support for organizations which have a mission dedicated to addressing systemic racism.

The Foundation has outlined criteria to assess and prioritize Access Grant requests.

If the request does not fit the criteria, there are several our other grant opportunities available.

Nonprofits may direct general questions at any time to: applications@hfpg.org. The deadline for submitting an application is Sept. 1.

The Hartford Foundation for Public Giving is the community foundation for Hartford and 28 surrounding towns. For more information, visit www.hfpg.org or call 860-548-1888.