Nonprofit Capacity Building

As part of our efforts to dismantle structural racism and improve social and economic mobility for Black and Latine residents of Greater Hartford, the Hartford Foundation seeks to increase stability, effectiveness and resilience of nonprofits and nonprofit leaders to meet mission and community needs.

Our desired outcomes

  • Increased stability, effectiveness and resilience of nonprofits and nonprofit leaders to meet mission and community needs
  • Increased capacity of small agencies
  • Increased support to region’s nonprofit capacity building ecosystem

Nonprofits and the impact of COVID-19

According to post-COVID survey data:

  • Nonprofits led by leaders of color, and/or serving communities of color, have been hit hardest.
  • Nonprofits engaged in health and human services delivery were more likely to face increased demand for services, resulting in staff stretched to do more work, under tighter constraints.
  • Smaller organizations face greater financial and management challenges than larger organizations.

What we're doing

Current or recent activities that support capacity building:

Nonprofit Support Program: For more than 25 years, the Hartford Foundation's Nonprofit Support Program has been working to strengthen nonprofits in Greater Hartford.

Enhanced Human Resources for Priority Partners: The Foundation successfully launched a partnership with Catchafire to offer access for 200 local nonprofits to skill-based virtual volunteers, resulting in more than 2,600 volunteer hours, valued at more than $500K.

Expanded Access to Capital for the Region’s Nonprofits: The Foundation expanded the capacity of the Nonprofit Revolving Loan Fund (managed by HEDCO) with a capital infusion of $900K. The NPRLF quickly deployed loans to an additional 20 organizations, increasing the total number of nonprofits served to 53, with total loan commitments of more than $2.8M.

We Will:

  • Prioritize capacity building to nonprofits aligned with outcome teams and Foundation priorities
  • Increase capacity building support to small agencies
  • Support to region’s capacity building ecosystem
  • Provide online learning and capacity building opportunities for all nonprofits in the region