Connecticut Community Foundation is proud to announce it has awarded $1,054,553 in grants to support 115 nonprofit organizations serving residents throughout the Foundation’s 21-town service area. With these grant awards, organizations will be able to provide essential services, health and wellness initiatives, and programs for older adults, and enhance access to the arts, strengthen nonprofits, and advance equitable opportunities.
Foundation President and CEO Kathy Taylor, stated, “Nonprofit organizations are the heart and soul of our community, tirelessly addressing the needs of residents throughout Greater Waterbury and the Litchfield Hills. Their dedication brings us closer to realizing a vision of a more inclusive, prosperous and vibrant community where everyone has what they need to thrive. We are incredibly proud to support this vital work and deeply thankful to the local donors whose generosity makes these grants possible. Together we are creating a brighter future for so many.”
Among the recent grantees is Connecticut Farmland Trust (CFT) which aims to preserve Connecticut farmland for current and future generations of farmers. Additionally, CFT is incorporating an equity lens in its strategic planning and will spend 2024 conducting a series of listening sessions to better understand and facilitate pathways for Black, Indigenous, or other People of Color (BIPOC) farmers to access farmland.
“We know there are many new farmers eager to farm. And, nearly 20% of new farmers looking for farmland on CT FarmLink self-identify as BIPOC, but only 2% of CT farmland owners identify as BIPOC,” said Elisabeth Moore, Executive Director of Connecticut Farmland Trust. “We know we need to reflect and listen to make our services helpful to all farmers, especially BIPOC farmers who may not have trusted that our work could be relevant to them. The Foundation’s support helps us reflect and listen more to those farmers as we gear up to truly support all future generations of farmers.”
These grants are made possible by the generosity of donors who have established over 600 charitable funds at the Foundation aimed at benefiting the residents of Greater Waterbury and the Litchfield Hills. View all the grants awarded by the Foundation in the spring 2024 grant round at: https://conncf.org/grants-awarded/.
