These grants are designed through donor intent to benefit the residents of East Lyme, Groton, Ledyard, Lyme, Montville, New London, North Stonington, Old Lyme, Salem, Stonington and Waterford. Grants generally support programs directed toward two of our community impact priority areas:

Programs that empower youth:

• enhance quality early childhood education and intervention services;
• support mentoring programs that encourage relationships between youth and caring adults;
• support access to programs that promote mental and physical health as well as those that address disconnected youth;
• enhance educational opportunities in science, literacy, arts and culture, especially those that use experiential learning;
• support post-secondary education access and job readiness;
• support youth-led social change and elevate the voices of youth in program planning.

And programs that promote basic needs and rights:

• promote individual and family economic security;
• increase food security and access to nutritious food;
• decrease homelessness through programs that promote diversion and intervention;
• improve access to healthcare and human services, especially in communities of color;
• promote healthy relationships and address domestic violence;
• utilize arts and culture experiences to educate and improve overall quality of life.

What we will fund

Grants must be for the benefit of residents of East Lyme, Groton, Ledyard, Lyme, Montville, New London, North Stonington, Old Lyme, Salem, Stonington and Waterford.

Preference is given to programs that:

• are collaborative in nature;
• are regional in scope;
• promote systems change;
• are rooted in evidence-based, solution-oriented approaches;
• serve lower-income communities;
• seek to eliminate racism and societal inequities;
• incorporate the voices of clients, consumers and youth in planning;
• include specific, measurable outcomes; and
• affect positive change over the long term.

We will also consider:

• grants for existing programs, new initiatives or special projects;
• public policy and general operating grants;
• capacity-building grants (please call to discuss);
• a limited number of multiyear grants (please call to discuss in advance of submission).
  

Contact Jennifer O'Brien, Program Director, at JennOB@cfect.org or 860-442-3572 with questions or to discuss a proposal.

Eligible applicants may submit grant requests of $5,000 to $30,000. Most awards are in the $10,000-15,000 range.

Please review our General Eligibility Criteria for Grants

Deadlines and notifications

• The link to the grant application will be available on our website by November 1, 2023.
  
• The application deadline is 5pm on Friday, January 12, 2024.
  
• Final decisions will be made and applicants will be notified by the end of April 2024.