Hartford Area Nonprofits Raise $96,154 in 3 Rounds of Bracket-Style Fundraising Tournament

During the past three weeks, Hartford-area nonprofit organizations have raised $96,154 in the competitive fundraising tournament Brackets for Good, making its debut in Hartford this month.

Participating nonprofits rally enthusiastic donors to out-fundraise their opponents in order to advance. Now, eight nonprofit organizations, winners of Round 3 match-ups, continue on to the next round.

Competing nonprofits keep donations received during tournament play, no matter how many rounds they advance. The field narrows each week, and a champion is determined on March 31. The winning organization receives an additional $10,000 Championship grant.

Still in the running for the $10,000 Championship grant are: MARC, Inc. of Manchester, Community Mental Health Affiliates, Capital City Education Alliance, Tunxis Community College Foundation, Achieve Hartford!, Hartford City Mission, The First Tee of Connecticut, and Boys & Girls Club Family Center of Bristol.

The on-line fundraising began with 60 nonprofit organizations on Feb. 24. Round 3 concluded on March 17. The next round is now underway at hartford.bfg.org and concludes at 8 p.m. on March 24, when the field will narrow to the “Philanthropic 4.”

Raising the most donations thus far in the Hartford tournament are Hartford City Mission, $11,387; The First Tee of Connecticut, $6,657; Children’s Law Center of CT, $6,076; Boys & Girls Club of Bristol, $5,768; Tunxis Community College Foundation, $4,822; Community Mental Health Affiliates (CMHA), $4,790; Mental Health Connecticut, $4.043; Connecticut Rivers Council Boy Scouts of America, $4,024; Hartford Food System, $3,884; and Capital City Education Alliance $3,746.

Eleven cities across the country are conducting Brackets for Good tournaments this year, with the support of local businesses. Hartford is ranked sixth in money raised thus far, following Indianapolis, Louisville, St. Louis, Cincinnati and Twin Cities. The Hartford tournament is presented by Stanley Black & Decker. Sponsors include Aetna, Express Strategies, Lids, Supporting Strategies, Bloomerang, and The Perfect Promotion.

The next round in the online fundraising tournament features four head-to-head match-ups among 8 nonprofit organizations – they all begin the round even; points from Round 1, 2 and 3 do not carry over, although the organization retains the funds raised.

The new round match-ups:

• MARC, Inc. of Manchester …………Community Mental Health Affiliates
• Capital City Education Alliance..….Tunxis Community College Foundation
• The First Tee of Connecticut ……...Boys & Girls Club of Bristol Family Center
• Achieve Hartford! ……………………Hartford City Mission

“Stanley Black & Decker is committed to building a better tomorrow," said Donald Allan, Jr., Stanley Black & Decker Senior VP & Chief Financial Officer. "It’s not just the homes we help build with our tools, or the schools we protect with our security systems. It’s also a commitment to stepping up and bettering our communities. Partnering with Brackets For Good is a fun and impactful way we can support organizations that are serving the Hartford community, where many of our employees call home."

More money has been contributed in Hartford than in all but one of the first-year cities. The tournament began in Indianapolis in 2012, and subsequently added Louisville. In 2016, Brackets for Good launched tournaments in Twin Cities (Minneapolis/St.Paul), St. Louis and Ann Arbor, Michigan. This year, Hartford, Miami, Cincinnati, Denver, Miami and Nashville were added.

The websitehartford.bfg.org provides information on the participating nonprofit organizations and the updates on their weekly fundraising efforts. Online contributions to the “Engaged 8” Hartford area nonprofit organizations is now underway, at hartford.bfg.org