Hartford Foundation Announces $1 Million in Transitional Support to Alleviate Public Funding Cuts

The Hartford Foundation for Public Giving, the community foundation for Hartford and 28 surrounding towns, recognizes that our communities, and the nonprofit agencies that serve them, are reeling from the State fiscal crisis. Faced with declining revenues and increased costs, the State and many of our region’s municipalities are making significant cuts to vital areas that impact the service delivery capability of the region’s nonprofits to the neediest in our communities.

In response to these circumstances, the Foundation is working with area nonprofits to determine the impact of potential cutbacks and how the Foundation can assist. While we will continue to evaluate the needs, as a first step, the Foundation has allocated $1 million from our general grantmaking budget to assist qualifying nonprofits affected by unexpected losses of support, particularly in the areas of critical human needs. Additionally, for long-term effectiveness, we are providing capacity building and sustaining strategies to help nonprofits address the changing funding environment in a strategic and sustainable way.

With an estimated State budget deficit of nearly $3 billion over the next two years, and serious deficits in our cities, we will continue to work with our many partners to assess the impact on our communities and ways that collectively we can address them. For this reason, the Foundation fosters partnerships and collaborations with state and local government, other funders, the business community, nonprofit providers and our donors to create opportunities for all residents, and a collective response that helps our region to thrive, now and into the future.

For information on whether your nonprofit qualifies for transitional support during this fiscal crisis, or to participate in the capacity building supports please contact Erika Frank at 860-548-1888 extension 1057 or EFrank@hfpg.org.