The Hartford Foundation for Public Giving seeks proposals from nonprofits or community groups conducting community organizing efforts led by people of color and/or people representing communities traditionally marginalized as they engage and activate residents locally for the purpose of more inclusive civic participation often with the potential for policy change.
Donor Name: Hartford Foundation for Public Giving
State: Connecticut
Town: Selected Towns
Type of Grant: Grant
Deadline: 09/09/2025
Size of the Grant: $10,000 to $100,000
Grant Duration: Grant Duration Not Mentioned
Details:
Successful proposals could support 1) community organizing efforts, broadly or around specific issue campaigns, 2) increasing community organizing group or organizational capacity, and/or 3) community organizing infrastructure to benefit the field in Greater Hartford.
Requests can address issues such as housing, education, health care, the concerns of returning citizens, and issues affecting LGBTQIA+ persons, or other issues identified by community members with preference given for efforts related to the advancement of racial justice.
Funding Information
Grant awards will range from $5,000 – $40,000.
Uses of funds
Line items requested from the Foundation may include but are not limited to: materials, software or equipment, stipends for residents, payment for professional services, organizational staffing and overhead. The Foundation will not support the hiring of new, permanent staff with this funding opportunity.
Eligibility Criteria
- Applications must be submitted by 501(c)(3) nonprofit. Community groups can use a 501(c)(3) organization as a fiscal sponsor.
- Board of directors and staff must be reflective of the racial/ethnic diversity of the community members engaged. If the applicant 501(c)(3) is serving as a fiscal sponsor, community group leadership must be reflective of the racial/ethnic diversity of the population served.
- Nonprofits may serve as a fiscal agent for multiple projects.
- Applications can be submitted for projects that support more than one group or nonprofit.
- The Foundation does not consider the typical activities of professional networking groups and associations to be community organizing (e.g. professional networking, business-related skill building).
- Organizations and groups with applications denied during the open process should contact Foundation staff before submitting another application to make sure the initial denial wasn’t based on something you can’t change.
- As a rule, if a nonprofit organization or community group is currently the recipient of core or project support from the Foundation, they will not review an application through this opportunity (excluding those serving as a fiscal agent).
- As another rule, if you are awarded a grant during the 2025 Community Organizing or Resident Engagement process the Foundation will not review another application through this opportunity.
- As a caveat to the rules: due to the emergent, shifting, and responsive nature of community organizing, the Foundation is open to reviewing applications from organizations and groups who can provide evidence that additional resources have a good chance of achieving impactful change shortly.
For more information, visit HFPG.


