Apply for a Grant

We aim to make our grant application process as streamlined as possible.

General Eligibility Criteria

Please be sure to view the specific criteria and deadline for each of our grant programs. Here are some general eligibility criteria: 

  • Applicants generally must be 501(c)(3) charitable organizations, schools, municipal or governmental agencies, or partner with a nonprofit fiscal agent. We do not make grants to individuals or to for-profit endeavors.
  • Applicants must serve one or more of the 42 communities in Eastern Connecticut.
  • We do not provide funding for capital or endowment campaigns, litigation costs, religious programming, endowment campaigns, deficit funding or debt retirement.  We do not typically make grants for special events. 
  • Applicants may not discriminate against any person or group of persons on the basis of race, ethnicity, gender, age, sexual orientation, religion, national origin, disability, marital status or any other characteristic protected under federal, state and/or local laws. 
  • Grant reports must be received before a new grant award is made.

Women & Girls Grants

About Our Women & Girls Fund Grants

2018 grant applications are due by 5 pm on Monday, October 1, 2018.

Generous gifts and bequests from caring donors have created four permanent endowment funds serving the Northeast, Norwich, Southeast and Windham areas. Together, we are advancing the equity and wellbeing of women and girls throughout Eastern Connecticut through grants, advocacy and action. Our grantmaking priorities reflect the challenges identified in The Status of Women and Girls in Eastern Connecticut:
  • Empower women and girls to make positive decisions – Examples include mentoring, leadership, career exposure, character development.
  • Promote healthy relationships and prevent domestic violence – Examples include teen dating violence prevention education, domestic violence shelters and transitional housing, victim advocacy.
  • Advance family economic security – Examples include training for jobs and career advancement, programs to overcome barriers to financial security, and other supports for low-income women.
  • Support access to women’s health, mental health and reproductive health services – Examples include counseling, health education, health care access.
  • Support public policy, advocacy and leadership to promote equity – Please call the program staff to discuss your ideas.
  • Help New London women, ages 62 and older, with limited incomes to remain in their homes (Southeast only) – Examples include meal delivery, nursing services.

Collectively, the four Women & Girls Funds have an endowment of over $4 million and have awarded $1.8 million in grants to almost 400 organizations.

For more information about each fund, and to apply for a Women & Girls grant:

Regional Impact Grants

About Our Regional Impact Grants

Our regional grant opportunities are based on donor intent and link with our strategic priorities. Each is focused on a particular geographic area.

Please Note:

To streamline our process, the Foundation has eliminated the Letter of Intent (LOI) requirement for previously funded applicants. If you are a new applicant to the Foundation, or would like to discuss a new program idea, you are required to speak with the program department, or submit a program description of up to two pages before December 14, 2018.


We encourage all applicants to contact the Foundation with questions or to discuss your ideas.

Environmental/Animal Welfare Grants

About Environmental and Animal Welfare Grants

The Peter Grayson Letz Fund for Animals and the Environment was established in 2014 to benefit environmental education and conservation, as well as domestic animals and wildlife, in New London County. The Mary Janvrin & Natalie Janvrin Wiggins Fund for Birds, Other Animals & Nature was established in 2017 and emphasizes the preservation of the natural environment and habitat for birds and other animals.

Please Note:

To streamline our process, the Foundation has eliminated the Letter of Intent (LOI) requirement for previously funded applicants. If you are a new applicant to the Foundation, or would like to discuss a new program idea, you are required to speak with the program department, or submit a program description of up to two pages before December 14, 2018.

We encourage all applicants to contact the Foundation with questions or to discuss your ideas.

Recent Recipients

Read more about Recent Grantees

 

Mini-Grants

Civic Engagement: Mini-Grants

Civic Engagement Mini-Grants

Alexis de Tocqueville said in Democracy in America that “the health of a democratic society may be measured by the quality of functions performed by private citizens.”

We at the Community Foundation of Eastern Connecticut believe that an informed and engaged citizenry is an essential ingredient of a healthy democracy. Through our initiatives, we hope to create an inclusive table and invite all voices to participate. Our civic engagement grants are intended to support initiatives that share these inclusive values and will further the depth of understanding and likelihood of participation in civic life in the community. 

Our commitment to civic engagement seeks to impact the lives and well-being of residents throughout the region. Mini-grants of up to $1,000 are available to support efforts to build and strengthen our communities towards a just and civil society. Contact Deb Battit at

deb@cfect.org for eligibility.

Civic Engagement Grant Application

Click here for examples of the range of civic engagement activities from PACE (Philanthropy for Active Civic Engagement).

Note: Grants may not be requested for event sponsorship, staff training or general program support. Additionally, they cannot be used to endorse or denounce a political party or candidate, or to withhold or refuse Information or other assistance based on support for or opposition to particular candidates, parties, or policy/platform positions.

Thriving Community Conversations: Mini-Grants

Thriving Community Conversations: Mini-Grants

If you attended one of these conversations and would like to continue the conversation of one of our "Thriving Community Conversations," the Community Foundation of Eastern Connecticut is offering Mini-Grants to support this effort. Contact Jennifer O'Brien at JennOB@cfect.org for eligibility.

Thriving Community Conversation Grant Application

 

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