Request for Proposals for Faith Community Grants Program

Deadline: 19-Apr-21

The Hartford Foundation for Public Giving is pleased to announce a grant opportunity designed to support the diverse faith organizations in Greater Hartford in responding to critical needs of local residents.

The Greater Hartford region is fortunate to have many, diverse faith-based organizations.

Their churches, synagogues, mosques and other communities of faith make essential contributions to the communities they serve, making an impact in providing food, shelter and other basic human needs, youth development, job readiness, healing from grief and loss, as well as community-wide improvement through safety campaigns, community organizing and civic engagement.

Focus Areas

The Foundation welcomes grant requests to support individual or partnering faith organizations and/or other nonprofits in their efforts to address one or a combination of the following project areas:

Support for residents disproportionately affected by the stress, isolation and compounding economic and health impacts of COVID-19, including, but not limited to, funding to allow safe reopening of faith organization programs and facilities, strategies to reach homebound congregants, grief counseling, funeral expenses for congregants;
Support that addresses the needs of congregants and the broader community affected by racial/ethnic, geographic and/or economic disparities, including but not limited to, food, shelter, youth development and engagement, and/or job readiness; and/or
Support for community engagement focused on social and racial justice, including but not limited to, projects designed with broader community residents working for social and racial justice.

Funding Information

The Foundation expects to award grants ranging from approximately $2,500 to $10,000 to individual faith organizations, and grants up to $25,000 to support collaborative projects of two or more partnering faith organizations and/or partnerships with other nonprofits.

Eligibility Criteria

Individual faith-based organizations in the Greater Hartford region served by the Foundation.
Partnering faith and/or other nonprofit organizations in the Greater Hartford region served by the Foundation.
Faith organizations that have a 501(c)(3) designation or have a fiscal sponsor with a 501(c)(3) designation.
Organizations must not discriminate based on race, color, national origin, citizenship status, creed, religion, religious affiliation, age, gender, marital status, sexual orientation, gender identity, disability, veteran status or any other protected status.
This grant opportunity will not fund:
- Programs or projects with religious purposes or that promote religious doctrine.
- Budget shortfalls (previously incurred expenses).
- Fundraising events or campaigns.
- Unexpected funding losses due to COVID or other organizational emergencies.