The West Hartford Greater Together Community Fund awarded grants to five local organizations in the most recent round.

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The West Hartford Greater Together Community Fund Advisory Committee has announced its fourth cycle of grants to local nonprofit organizations. The all-volunteer committee of town residents is one of 29 Community Funds established by the Hartford Foundation for Public Giving. The purpose of each Community Fund is to take ownership around the needs in individual towns, encourage broad and inclusive civic engagement, and anchor the Hartford Foundation in each town it serves.

The five grants awarded this year will help to fund programs or projects that will “improve or enhance the quality of life in West Hartford or otherwise contribute to addressing a direct need” of the West Hartford community. This year’s grant cycle focused on organizations with annual operating budgets under $2 million with preference given to programs/projects specifically supporting parents, youth, seniors and historically underserved communities in West Hartford focusing on Building an Inclusive Community, Youth Mental Health Services, and Basic Human Needs.

The Five 2024 West Hartford Greater Together Community Fund (WHGTCF) grant recipients are:

• Dignity Grows, Inc. – Support West Hartford residents through its Hope in a Bag program with 500 reusable tote bags each filled with a full month’s supply of six full-sized comprehensive hygiene items plus 2 full packages of menstrual hygiene products. The totes are distributed monthly – free of charge – through partnerships with community support agencies and social service organizations.
• Golden Door: A Center for Immigrants – Will expand their book club programs this year. In addition to the book club for adults, there is a teen program (West Hartford Immigrant Teens), and a pilot program for babies and young children (Babies Love Books).
• Greystone Foundation – Provides both monetary assistance and financial advice free of charge to clients. The objective is to resolve the household’s immediate financial issues to avoid evictions, repossessions, collections, or service interruptions; minimize missed health care visits, work and school absences; promote long term household economic self sufficiency.
• Volunteers in Psychotherapy – Funding will provide 90 therapy sessions to West Hartford residents with limited resources and no insurance, who, in turn, would provide 360 hours of volunteer work to local organizations. This model protects the privacy of the clients and provides them with the opportunity to contribute to the community.
• West Hartford Parent Community of Concern – Funding will support West Hartford Community of Concern Teen Wellness Fair, a joyful, expressive event for adolescent youth and parents/caregivers featuring a variety of engaging activities, information about youth mental health, mental health screenings and suicide prevention training, an exhibit of student art, and networking to be held in the spring of 2025.

“We are thrilled to be able to continue to support the great work of organizations serving the community of West Hartford and to learn about the creative and thoughtful programs being put forth to serve many different individuals,” said Mike Fournier, Obinna Nwafor, and Tracy Wu Fastenberg, co-chairs of the West Hartford Greater Together Community Fund. “This cycle we received 18 award requests, including 10 organizations who applied for the first time. We are grateful that we were able to fund a diverse group of organizations that met targeted needs, including basic human needs, mental health services, and building an inclusive community.”

The West Hartford Greater Together Community Fund held a celebration in 2023 for grant recipients, and is actively recruiting new advisory committee members. Courtesy photo (we-ha.com file photo)

Fall 2024 Event

The West Hartford Greater Community Fund is planning to host an event in Fall 2024 to celebrate organizations that have received funding in the 2021-2024 funding cycles.

Come join us and make a difference in your community. Additionally, it will begin the recruitment process for Advisory Committee members in Fall 2024 as well. Individuals interested in applying to serve as a member of the Committee in the future are encouraged to follow the WHGTCF on Facebook or visit the website for more information about the work of the Committee.

About Hartford Foundation for Public Giving

In 2019, the Hartford Foundation for Public Giving established community funds for each of the 29 towns in the Foundation’s region, which includes the town of West Hartford. Each Community Fund is administered by a volunteer advisory committee of town residents inclusive and reflective of all of the residents of that community. Each builds its own grantmaking process and funding criteria to best meet the needs of the town it serves. Hartford Foundation staff provide guidance on topics such as inclusive group practices, participatory decision making, and grantmaking. All grants are awarded at the sole discretion of the WHGTCF Advisory Committee.

Each Community Fund is supported by an amount provided by Hartford Foundation with a portion available for immediate grantmaking. The remainder is allocated towards our endowment. A percentage of those dollars will be available every year for subsequent grant cycles, following the Hartford Foundation’s spending policy. WHGTCF was fortunate to receive a generous anonymous donation from a town resident, allowing for additional impactful grantmaking in the community.

Hartford Foundation for Public Giving welcomes organizations and individuals to make tax-deductible contributions to the West Hartford Greater Together Community Fund to be utilized in support of West Hartford residents. For additional information, email [email protected].

The Hartford Foundation for Public Giving is the community foundation for Hartford and 28 surrounding communities. Through partnerships, the Foundation seeks to strengthen communities in Greater Hartford by putting philanthropy in action to dismantle structural racism and achieve equity in social and economic mobility. Made possible by the gifts of generous individuals, families and organizations, the Foundation has awarded grants of more than $998 million since its founding in 1925. For more information, visit www.hfpg.org or call 860-548-1888.

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