Community Grants

What We Fund

To address the needs of the communities we serve across 64 towns, the Foundation accepts requests for up to $5,000 in the areas of education, human services, and arts and culture. Applications are reviewed in two cycles each year.

Eligibility Criteria:
This program is designed to provide a more streamlined application process for:

1. Local Programs - Agencies of any size may apply for a Community Grant for programs and services in our 64-town service area, outside of New Britain and Waterbury.
2. Small nonprofits serving New Britain or Waterbury - Organizations with an agency budget greater than $250,000 must use the Program Grant application for any program taking place in or primarily serving New Britain and/or Waterbury.

Organization must be tax exempt under IRS section 501(c)(3).

Key Guidance:

• Grants are primarily awarded for program expenses for direct services to the community. Program requests cannot include computers or other capital purchases.
• Limited requests for essential capital equipment may be considered as a stand-alone application (not part of a program grant request). You must call the Foundation for guidance before applying for a capital expense.
• The requested amount should represent a meaningful percentage of the specific program budget for which funds are being requested.
• Organizations may reapply for funding for up to three consecutive years, but renewals are never automatic. If awarded in three consecutive years, there is a one-year waiting period before reapplying.
• Only one Community Grant can be awarded per agency in a calendar year. Agencies awarded a Program Grant in the past 12 months are not eligible to apply for a Community Grant.

With very few exceptions, we do not fund:

• General operating support or unrestricted grants
• Primary or secondary schools -- public, private independent, or parochial -- or colleges and universities
• Funding to replace municipal, state or federal funding, or direct funding to municipal organizations.

If your request is for any of the above purposes, we strongly encourage you call the Foundation before submitting a proposal.

Ineligible for funding:

• Political advocacy and lobbying
• Religious institutions, except for non-sectarian activities that benefit the community at-large
• Individuals
• Annual campaigns
• Endowment funds
• Travel (e.g. sports teams, field trips)
• Animal welfare organizations
• Disease-specific or other scientific research 
• Environmental conservation, land trust, or other related causes 
• Sponsorships, including for events or sports teams*
• Private Foundations

*Event sponsorships - while we will consider support for an artistic organization's full performance season, we generally do not provide funding for a single event. We also do not support fund-raising events (golf tournaments, galas) or anniversary events. Rare exceptions may include a youth concert or science event that is programmatic in nature, incorporating meaningful learning elements both before and after the event.  

The Foundation operates a large college scholarship program (see Scholarships) and does not provide funding for scholarship programs operated by schools or other nonprofit organizations.
 

For more information about Community Grants, contact Jenna Cowan at jcowan@asfdn.org.