News

Farmington Bank Community Foundation awarded $188,00 in grants to support access to food, shelter, and other basic human needs.

Grantees include:

ACTS Ministries International, Inc.- For the ACTS Ministries food pantry serving the Elmwood section of West Hartford. The pantry is designed to be a “shopping” experience and includes partnerships with local businesses that provide fresh produce.

Bloomfield Congregational Church– For the Bloomfield Community Kitchen which builds community and address food insecurity by offering a meal every Saturday to anyone who wishes to participate, regardless of income

Bread for Life- For the soup kitchen, meal delivery program (including homebound citizens, seniors living in subsidized housing, and homeless individuals and families placed at Southington hotels and motels by the State of CT), and the Children’s Summer Lunch Program.

Connecticut Foodshare – for the Mobile Food Pantry, distributing food to those in need who lack direct proximity to a supermarket or food pantry or may not have the means to access resources outside of their neighborhood.

Covenant to Care for Children, Inc – For beds, cribs, and other essential items to address the urgent needs of families who are at-risk of losing their children, or those being reunified with their children.

Friendship Service Center, Inc.- For the Tomasso Community Kitchen which fees the FSC Shelter and Transitional Living participants, as well as hundreds of New Britain community members.

Gifts of Love, Inc.- For basic human needs items for individuals and families in the Greater Hartford area experiencing a short-term financial crisis so they can return to self-sufficiency.

Grace Baptist Church- For the Grace Pantry serving families in Bristol and the local surrounding towns including ‘door-to-door’ food delivery and distribution of food to 60 senior and disabled residents at the Bonnie Acres community.

Hands on Hartford- For the MANNA food pantry which combines a full-choice shopping option with a no-appointment schedule and for Neighborhood Services which offers referrals, utility and rental assistance to neighborhood residents.

Healing Meals Foundation Corporation – For the Healthy Meals Program which offers 12 weeks of meals to people and their families impacted by serious health crisis. 

Human Resources Agency of New Britain- For the Food Resource Center which provides food to New Britain residents two days a week as well as wraparound services through HRA’s 30+ in house programs.

Integrated Refugee and Immigrant Services- For emergency housing assistance to provide a safety net for refugees and immigrants facing eviction or the shut-off of utilities.

Journey Home- For the Encampment to Housing Initiative with the goal of rehousing 200 unsheltered individuals over the next two years.

Mercy Housing and Shelter Corp – For St. Elizabeth House which supports people who are economically disadvantaged, homeless or at imminent risk of homelessness by offering transitional housing, a day shelter and meals program.

Midwest Food Bank New England- For food rescue and distribution to Bloomfield and Wethersfield pantries.

New Britain ROOTS- For the Community Fridge Project which will expand access to locally grown fruits and vegetables through the purchase and stocking of three fridges in highly trafficked community areas.

Operation Fuel Inc. – For Emergency Energy Assistance that helps offset oil, gas and electric bills for income qualified families.

Plainville Community Food Pantry, Inc. – For the pantry which distributes food to clients bi-weekly.

Services for the Elderly of Farmington – For the medical loan closet and meals on wheels. These programs help seniors and disabled individuals to keep their independence and dignity while providing them with food safety while living in their homes.

South Park Inn, Inc. – For the emergency shelter in Hartford, which includes providing three meals a day to residents, and this past winter took on the City’s warming center. The organization works with clients to overcome barriers and secure permanent and stable housing.

St. Vincent de Paul Mission of Bristol – For emergency shelter, shelter outreach as well as the walk-in center serving the Bristol region.

Tabernacle Christian Church Inc. – For the Giving Back Food Pantry which provides weekly food to households with food insecurity in the greater Southington area.

The Bridge Family Center, Inc.- For emergency financial assistance for food and other basic necessities for clients at three Bridge program sites, the Family Resource Center at Charter Oak International Academy, West Hartford; Bridge Counseling Centers in Avon and West Hartford; and Mosaic Parenting Center in Hartford. 

The Diaper Bank of Connecticut – For diapers distributed regionally through the Diaper Distribution Network Support.

The Farmington Food Pantry– For supplemental personal care products to offer to pantry shoppers such as deodorant, toothpaste, shampoo/conditioner, and laundry detergent.

Affordable Housing, Entrepreneurship, and Financial Literacy

Application closes July 31st, 2024 at 11:59PM.

The Farmington Bank Community Foundation is accepting applications for programs that provide services supporting economic empowerment for individuals and families. This grant round is focused on programs that support the process of designing, launching and running a new small business; programs that support the development of a range of affordable housing options throughout the community; and programs that support the financial skills and knowledge of individuals and families. All efforts should be focused on low to moderate income individuals, families and communities.

Applicants are encouraged to read through the Foundation’s Grantmaking Guidelines and Process prior to applying. If you are a new applicant, or are not sure if your request would qualify, please contact us at FBCF@FBCFCT.org.

Farmington Bank Community Foundation awarded $156,500 in grants to support workforce development and educational attainment.

Grantees included:

Bristol Works, Inc. – To provide workforce development training programs in Manufacturing, Healthcare, IT, and Early Childhood Education to anyone who lives or works in Bristol or surrounding towns.

Capital Workforce Partners, Inc. – To support a collaborative of service providers, employers, and private philanthropy in their effort to replicate the Eastern Connecticut Transportation Consortium (ECTC) Rides for Jobs program to meet the needs of Greater Hartford. Funding will support a consultant that will engage in a collaborative process to move the collaborative to implementation.

CCSU Foundation, Inc. – To provide stipends for student interships to level the playing field so that low-income students can realistically consider internships over other forms of employment (that may not further their career).

Charter Oak State College Foundation – To support Parents Intent on Tomorrow (PiiT), n intentional resource with an objective of providing higher educational degree completion opportunity to parents at or near poverty, single or married, moms or dads, with an emphasis on parents of color.

Compass Youth Collaborative – For COMPASS Peacebuilders, which connects (or reconnect) Hartford youth to education and training opportunities and other supports.

Forge City Works, Inc. – For culinary job training including hands-on kitchen training and customer service for residents with barriers to employment.

Fresh Start Pallet Products, Inc. – For the Fresh Start Academy, a partnership with Capital Workforce Partners that supports job training in carpentry.

Greater New Britain Teen Pregnancy Prevention, Inc.- For Pathways to Success in Higher Education which builds off of the Pathways Senderos youth programming to support young people through their transition to college.

Hartford Promise, Inc. – For the Integrated College Success Model which combines scholarship funds with outreach and support services for Hartford students pursing secondary education.

Hartford Youth Scholars – For the Collegiate Academy, High School & College Scholar Success which supports the academic attainment, personal achievement, and professional development of Hartford students, ages 7th grade through college senior.

Hartford’s Camp Courant – For the Junior Leadership Program which helps to develop basic skills in leadership, problem-solving and communication while also offering networking, mentorships, finance, entrepreneurship, resume writing and interviewing, job shadowing and internships on and off site.

KNOX, Inc. – For Green Jobs Apprenticeships which provides work experience, technical skills, and certifications in the green industry to Hartford residents.

Literacy Volunteers of Central Connecticut – For Literacy for Economic Self-Sufficiency, expanding economic opportunities for adult students by helping them learn to speak, read, and write English to gain employment, improve wages, and gain financial literacy skills.

Literacy Volunteers of Greater Hartford – For adult literacy and job training; improving the language, digital and math literacy competencies of  low literate adults living or working in Greater Hartford.

The Open Hearth Association – For the Working Man’s Center (WMC); a job-centered training initiative focused on helping clients end the cycle of homelessness.

United Way of West Central Connecticut, Inc. – For the Walsh Summer Work Experience Program; a seven-week summer workforce development program for Bristol youth.

YWCA Hartford Region Inc. – For YW Career Women Hartford, an individualized career pathways program designed to provide support low-income BIPOC women pursuing an Associate’s Degree.

Access to Food and Shelter

Application closes April 30^th, 2024 at 11:59PM

The Farmington Bank Community Foundation is accepting applications for programs that provide services supporting economic stability for individuals and families. This grant round is focused on organizations that provide short-term emergency assistance for households including shelters and homelessness diversion programs, food pantries and programs that improve access to healthy food, as well as programs that provide access to other essential goods (diapers, formula, etc.).

Applicants are encouraged to read through the Foundation’s Grantmaking Guidelines prior to applying.  The narrative questions and link to apply can be found here. If you are a new applicant, please contact us at FBCF@FBCFCT.org prior to submission to discuss eligibility.

Farmington Bank Community Foundation awarded $166,000 in grants in December 2023. $116,500 was awarded to support access to healthcare and abuse prevention. This grant round also included $49,500 in grants to special projects and off-cycle requests as noted below.

Grantees included:

Center for Children’s Advocacy —For the Medical Legal Partnership Project which provides legal services to children to help resolve medical problems and address health-harming social and environmental conditions.

Children in Placement – For the Guardian ad Litem program. Guardians are appointed by the court to represent children in cases of abuse and neglect and receive training through CIP.

Connecticut Children’s Foundation – For the “Baby Safety Shower” which purchases safety-related supplies to help keep young children in our community safe and provides educational opportunities for new and expectant mothers.

Connecticut Institute for Refugees and Immigrants – To provide case management and immigration legal services for minor survivors and foreign-born adult survivors of human trafficking

Hartford Hospital – For the Neighborhood Health Program, a regularly-occurring mobile health clinic that partners with community-based organizations to provide primary health care and other resources at community based locations.

Hartford Interval House, Inc. – For its preventive education and outreach program, aimed at reaching area youth, first responders, and community members with information aimed at breaking the cycle of abuse.

Hospital of Central CT – For the Breast Cancer Early Detection Program which provides mammograms, ultrasounds, and biopsies to medically underserved populations, including uninsured and/or underinsured women, women with high deductible health insurance and women impacted by unemployment, ethnic, racial, socio-economic and language barriers.

Malta House of Care – To provide access to healthcare for uninsured adults through its mobile and stationary clinics which provide free exams, diagnoses, vaccinations, medications, diagnostic lab tests, and radiology.

New Horizons Inc. – For safety equipment for 14 wheelchair accessible vehicles as a part of Sunshine Wheels. Sunshine Wheels brings hundreds of adults with physical disabilities and other mobility challenges to critical medical appointments.

Prudence Crandall Center – For the Children’s Intervention and Prevention Services which addresses the emotional, social, and educational needs of children/youth served through the organization’s emergency shelter, supportive housing programs, and community-based programs.

Saint Francis Hospital and Medical Center – For the Greater Hartford Family Advocacy Center which provides comprehensive services to child and adult victims of abuse and violence. The grant specifically supports Circle of Security Parenting facilitator training, materials and removing barriers that could prevent clients from attending the classes.

Senior Transportation Services Inc. – To provide rides to doctor and health treatment appointments for seniors and those dealing with long term illness. 

The Underground NE, Inc. – For the Mentor Program, which is staffed by trained adult survivors with lived experience and community allies, who together provide coaching, advocacy, case management, financial assistance, and support to survivors through one-on-one mentoring.

University of Connecticut Foundation, Inc. – To improve access to Self-Measured Blood Pressure (SMBP) and education for at-risk pregnant women through real-time dissemination of preeclampsia cuff kits.

Additional year-end grants were made to:

Community Foundation of Greater New Britain – For capacity building workshops and small grants for New Britain area nonprofit organizations and their boards.

Connecticut Council for Philanthropy – For the work of the Housing Affinity Group, which in 2024 seeks to unite funders in a strategy to support statewide systems change in housing.

Farmington Community Chest – For Community Chest Cares, a program that supports low-income Farmington citizens in need of critical household repairs.

Gifts of Love – For food, household items, and other basic human needs.

Literacy Volunteers of Central Connecticut – For iPads and other learning tools to support the learning needs of adult students.

Saint Vincent de Paul Mission of Bristol – For the overflow shelter and other emergency housing needs this winter.

Salvation Army Bristol Corps – For rapid response funds to keep people housed this winter.        

Workforce Development and Educational Attainment

Application closes January 31st, 2023 at 6PM.

The Farmington Bank Community Foundation (FBCF) is accepting applications for programs that support job training and employment programming, as well requests related to educational attainment that better prepares residents for a career (high school or GED completion, adult education, degree/certificate completion). All efforts should be focused on low to moderate income individuals, families and communities.

In 2024, FBCF has a new online grant portal! We hope that moving to this new system will be easy and painless for all applicants however, if you do notice something confusing, or not working quite right, please let us know. Tutorials on using the new system can be found here.

Applicants are encouraged to read through the Foundation’s Grantmaking Guidelines and and Grant Process prior to applying. If you are new to the FBCF, please contact us at FBCF@FBCFCT.org to talk more about the request prior to submitting an application.

Farmington Bank Community Foundation awarded $129,500 in grants through its third quarterly grant cycle. This round of grants was focused on entrepreneurship, financial literacy and availability of permanent affordable housing.

Grants were awarded to the following organizations:

Bedrock Credit America, Inc. – For credit seminars and credit counseling services for Financial Opportunity Center staff and clients.

Catholic Charities Inc. – Archdiocese of Hartford – For the Economic Development and Entrepreneurship Initiative which offers extremely low-income, previously unemployed, and underemployed individuals an integrated approach to employment, financial coaching and entrepreneurial services.

Chrysalis Center Inc. – For Community Supportive Housing which provides housing and case management services to individuals and families coming from homelessness. 

First Church of Christ Simsbury – As fiscal agent for the Simsbury DEI Council’s Housing Subcommittee. For work to educate community members on housing issues.

Greater Bristol Homes – For construction costs at two houses on Gridley Street in Bristol which will be built to support homeownership for low-to-moderate income families.

Hands On Hartford – For the shared kitchen which helps clients develop the capacity to create, manage, and grow their start-up culinary businesses. The licensed commercial kitchen provides participants with the space and equipment to prepare, test, and produce their products.

HEDCO, Inc. – For interns from local colleges who will provide small business support in the organization’s Business Resource Center and work alongside other HEDCO departments.

International Hartford – For assistance to immigrant owned businesses to help them become bankable and grow their business.

Jewish Family Services of Greater Hartford – For its comprehensive community supports that uses a three-pronged approach to help low-to-moderate income clients by providing case management, volunteer support, and safety net resources.

Local Initiatives Support Corporation – For financial and technical assistance to community development corporations to revitalize neighborhoods, build wealth for low- and moderate-income families, and produce quality affordable housing.

Minority Construction Council –  To enhance its services to businesses in New Britain, Bloomfield and Bristol including the MBE Capacity Building Bootcamp, and technical assistance to businesses seeking to obtain their MBE certification, loans and small business grants.

Social Enterprise Trust, Inc. – For the Hartford Culinary Collaborative which grows the skills and capacity of moderate-income individuals who have the idea and recipe(s) for a food business, but not the entrepreneurial know-how.

The Village for Families & Children – For the Financial Opportunity Center which provides financial literacy education, benefits assessment, and job readiness support, through workshops and one-on-one coaching.

URISE Ventures, Inc. – For the “Up Your Hustle” youth business accelerator which gives youth and young adults the opportunity to start or scale their own micro-enterprises and learn critical academic, business and life skills in the process

YWCA New Britain – For the Childcare Business Incubator, which trains individuals in the operation of their own family childcare business; supports the establishment of that business for a period of years; and helps them move to an independent location once their tenure in this project is completed.

Access to Healthcare and Abuse Prevention

Application closes October 31st, 2023 at 6PM.

In its last grant cycle of the year, The Farmington Bank Community Foundation is accepting applications for programs promote access to quality preventative and routine healthcare; reduce inequities in the healthcare system; or that support the prevention and reduction of child, elder or partner abuse. All efforts should be focused on low to moderate income individuals, families and communities.

Applicants are encouraged to read through the Foundation’s Areas of Giving and Eligibility prior to applying.  The narrative questions are available on the Grantseeker Tips page. If you are not sure if your request would qualify, please contact us at FBCF@FBCFCT.org.

Farmington Bank Community Foundation awarded $145,200 in grants through its second quarterly grant cycle. This round of grants was focused on access to food, shelter and other basic human needs.

Grants were awarded to the following organizations:

Bread for Life- For the soup kitchen, meal delivery program (including homebound citizens, seniors living in subsidized housing, and homeless individuals and families placed at Southington hotels and motels by the State of CT), and the Children’s Summer Lunch Program.

Bloomfield Congregational Church– For the Bloomfield Backpack Program, an interfaith community partnership that provides weekend meal supplies to food insecure Bloomfield children and their families.

Connecticut Foodshare – For the Mobile Food Pantry, distributing food to those in need who lack direct proximity to a supermarket or food pantry or may not have the means to access resources outside of their neighborhood.

Covenant to Care for Children, Inc – For beds, cribs, and other essential items to address the urgent needs of families who are at-risk of losing their children, or those being reunified with their children.

Diaper Bank of Connecticut – For diapers distributed regionally through the Diaper Distribution Network Support.

Friendship Service Center, Inc.- For the Tomasso Community Kitchen which fees the FSC Shelter and Transitional Living participants, as well as hundreds of New Britain community members.

General Federation of Women’s Clubs Newington/Wethersfield – For the supplemental weekend food program for the families of school age children in Newington.

Healing Meals Foundation Corporation – For the Healthy Meals Program which offers 12 weeks of meals to people and their families impacted by serious health crisis.  

Journey Home- For the Greater Hartford and Central CT Coordinated Access Networks (CAN). This includes overseeing, contracting, coordinating, and monitoring new homeless outreach programs, rapid rehousing programs, shelter diversion programs, and homelessness prevention programs in the region.

Mercy Housing and Shelter Corp – For St. Elizabeth House which supports people who are economically disadvantaged, homeless or at imminent risk of homelessness by offering transitional housing, a day shelter and meals program.

Operation Fuel Inc. – For Emergency Energy Assistance that helps offset oil, gas and electric bills for income qualified families.

Plainville Community Food Pantry, Inc. – For the pantry which distributes food to clients bi-weekly.

Services for the Elderly of Farmington – For the medical loan closet, medical transportation for seniors and friendly shopper programs. These programs help seniors and disabled individuals to keep their independence and dignity while providing them with safety while living in their homes.

South Park Inn, Inc. – For the emergency shelter in Hartford, which includes providing three meals a day to residents, and this past winter took on the City’s warming center. The organization works with clients to overcome barriers and secure permanent and stable housing.

St. Vincent de Paul Mission of Bristol – For Client Basic Needs Kits for the homeless adults and families with children who are exiting its Residential Emergency Shelter and entering housing.

Tabernacle Christian Church Inc. – For the Giving Back Food Pantry which provides weekly food to households with food insecurity in the greater Southington area.

Urban Alliance – For the monthly Free Food Distribution program. In partnership with Midwest Food Bank, UA organizes each event, selecting partner locations at the most vulnerable areas in the region. Depending on need and opportunities, additional services such as free health screenings, clothing, community resource guides and other items are made available.

Zion Evangelical Lutheran Church– For the soup kitchen that operates 4 nights per week with the help of volunteers, serving primarily Bristol residents.

Affordable Housing, Entrepreneurship, and Financial Literacy

Application closes July 31st, 2023 at 6PM.

The Farmington Bank Community Foundation is accepting applications for programs that provide services supporting economic empowerment for individuals and families. This grant round is focused on programs that support the process of designing, launching and running a new small business; efforts to improve the financial skills and knowledge of individuals and families; and programs that support the development of a range of affordable housing options throughout the community. All efforts should be focused on low to moderate income individuals, families and communities.

Applicants are encouraged to read through the Foundation’s Areas of Giving and Eligibility prior to applying.  The narrative questions are available on the Grantseeker Tips page. If you are not sure if your request would qualify, please contact us at FBCF@FBCFCT.org.