Ways to Engage with the Foundation

Join Us for Visits to Area Nonprofits

When you join us for a site visit at a local non-profit, you have the opportunity to see their impact on our community. You’ll hear about issues, needs and solutions directly from the professionals who make a difference every day. It’s an amazing opportunity to see how you can make a difference too. Nonprofit visits will be returning in the spring of 2025.

Attend Our Events

There are so many opportunities to find out more about our communities at our Connecticut Community Foundation events. Whether you join a community conversation, a data-sharing panel discussion, our annual meeting or one of our giving circles, you’re sure to find out new data and information about our communities, our neighbors and how you can help them thrive.

Check our website for gatherings scheduled for in early 2025. And be sure you are subscribed to our newsletter so you can find out about upcoming events.

Participate in Collective Giving

Collective giving opportunities bring together people with common interests to learn about community issues and effective philanthropy. Members combine their generosity and ultimately decide together to make charitable gifts that have a larger impact on local issues. Connecticut Community Foundation currently offers opportunities centered on specific areas of interest, including:

The Women’ Giving Circle is a diverse group of community-minded people who want to improve and enrich the lives of women and girls in our area. Over the last eight years, the Women’s Giving Circle has awarded nearly $200,000 to 26 organizations advancing opportunities for women and girls in Greater Waterbury and the Litchfield Hills.

The Waterbury Black Giving Circle is a network of individuals who are making a positive impact and difference in the Black community. This group of changemakers is leveraging resources through charitable giving, with a goal of catalyzing and sustaining a movement toward greater economic opportunity for the Black community.

The Pride in the Hills giving opportunity celebrates and uplifts the LGBTQA+ community throughout Connecticut. Through special events like The Owl Pride Party, Shag with Pride, and the Friends and Family Fun Day at Quassy Amusement Park, this dynamic group raises funds to support the growing needs of LGBTQA+ youth.

The Trustee Fund is a unique collective giving opportunity for current and former trustees of Connecticut Community Foundation. Members pool their resources and select recipients for the annual Trustee Fund award, which recognizes organizations and initiatives that demonstrate the power of collaboration in addressing community needs.

Contribute to the Foundation’s Grant Making Funds

The spirit of donors like you makes it possible for Connecticut Community Foundation to serve our neighbors by improving lives, cultivating local leaders, and fostering a diverse, vibrant community. Your contribution can bolster our community grantmaking in the following areas:

Area of Greatest Need – you can give the Foundation the flexibility to respond to the most pressing and urgent needs
Building Equitable Opportunity – you’ll support education, workforce development, and increasing families’ financial assets to help create pathways to economic stability
Ensuring Health and Environmental Justice – by supporting efforts to ensure access to healthcare, safe and affordable housing, nutritious food, you can advocate for environmental justice and reduced environmental disparities
Strengthening Nonprofits – you’ll support nonprofits in building organizational resiliency and infrastructure so that can achieve their community-centered mission

Consider a Legacy Gift

A gift you make to Connecticut Community Foundation in your will or estate plan — a legacy gift — will impact the causes and organizations you care about for generations to come. With a legacy gift you can:

Add to your own fund or another fund at the foundation
Designate your gift to benefit one or more charities
Support a specific area that is important to you, such as education, arts, environment, etc.
Make an unrestricted legacy gift, and place your trust in the Foundation to use it for the community’s changing needs over time

Making a legacy gift can be as simple as adding a sentence to your will and costs nothing during your lifetime! Certain legacy gifts can also provide lifetime income for you or your loved ones. For more information, please contact Cindy Merrick, Director of Development (cmerrick@conncf.org, 203.753.1315 x112.)

Serve as a Give Local Ambassador

Help nonprofits thrive across our region! We’re seeking enthusiastic community members to help amplify the power of Give Local Greater Waterbury and Litchfield Hills. As a Give Local ambassador, you can help to:

Spread the Word: Share the Give Local message to encourage previous supporters to participate again and invite new ones to join.
Build Connections: Partner with area businesses and community groups to recruit new Give Local sponsors.
Empower Nonprofits: Learn about best practices and share strategies to help nonprofits make the most of their Give Local campaigns.
Be the Voice of Give Local: Distribute promotional materials in your community and online to expand awareness.

To become an ambassador, register here or contact Tricia Poirier, (tpoirier@conncf.org, 203.753.1315 x130)