The Community Foundation’s Commitment to Advancing Public Policy

To achieve our vision for a healthy, thriving and sustainable Eastern Connecticut with greater equity for residents, the Community Foundation advances policies to bring about lasting change to our systems. Foundation trustees and staff lead on strategic issues, bringing together the resources of donors and the expertise of our community organizations. Our work in public policy leverages the philanthropic dollars that have been entrusted to us to create lasting and systemic change in our communities to benefit all residents.

Affordable Housing

The Community Foundation is committed to supporting efforts to expand safe, inclusive and affordable housing in Eastern Connecticut. Affordable housing is the cornerstone of economic security and neighborhood stability.

Sampling of Our Work

• Championing the launch of the Center for Housing Equity and Opportunity in Eastern Connecticut (CHEO). CHEO’s mission is to advance affordable housing by bringing together a myriad of partners working in tandem with municipalities, nonprofits, statewide advocacy organizations and more. The Center is a strategic partnership between seven nonprofits led by the Community Foundation of Eastern Connecticut and includes Connecticut College, Eastern Connecticut State University, the United Way of Southeastern Connecticut, the Housing Collective, Partnership for Strong Communities, and Regional Plan Association.
• Grants to address systemic housing challenges that perpetuate child poverty. Systemic solutions are required to address the current housing affordability crisis for families. Through these inaugural grants, Access Community Action Agency and Partnership for Strong Communities will work collaboratively with many partners to create innovative ways to overcome barriers to stable family housing in Eastern Connecticut.
• Convening municipal leaders to discuss local solutions to the lack of affordable, stable housing in towns and cities across Eastern Connecticut. The Community Foundation has held meetings with various chief elected officials and town managers, as well as CHEO and nonprofits focused on affordable housing development and advocacy to answer questions, correct misperceptions about affordable housing, and brainstorm innovative solutions.
• Supporting the expansion of good cause eviction protections to support family housing stability.

Early Childhood Care & Education

The Community Foundation believes that the key to success in school and beyond begins with a high-quality pre-school and early care experience. A productive society relies on the availability of affordable childcare for working parents. We envision a comprehensive system that leads to improved outcomes for all children, families, communities and the workforce in Eastern Connecticut.

Sampling of Our Work

• Participation in the CT Early Childhood Funders Collaborative to bring a collective voice and philanthropic resources to build a comprehensive early childhood system that works for all families in the state. Current goals of the Collaborative are to:
  • stabilize, grow, and improve CT’s Early Care & Education System to ensure equitable access and quality for all
  • strengthen community and family voice in state early childhood policy and practice
  • explore the systems in CT focused on infant and early childhood mental and behavioral health
  • explore the systems in CT that address economic self-sufficiency and asset development for families of young children.
• Support the work of ConnCAN to elevate the voices of Latino families in education decision-making.

Environment & Environmental Justice

Conservation of our natural resources is critical to climate resilience. The Community Foundation supports environmental education, conservation of land and water resources, as well as initiatives that increase and ensure access to a healthy environment for all people in Eastern Connecticut.

Sampling of Our Work

• Convening experts and advocates to discuss environmental justice and community resiliency. Nonprofit, municipal and tribal advocates who are implementing conservation strategies while increasing equitable decision making and access to nature shared strategies for supporting regional efforts to mitigate the challenges presented by climate change.
• Active member of the Long Island Sound Funders Collaborative to lead on advocacy and grant-making. The health and well-being of Long Island Sound affects many people, and the problems we face cannot be solved by any one entity alone. Individuals, non-profits, agencies, and foundations need to work together.
• Funding for The Nature Conservancy to lead efforts that increase the pace and scale of conservation and in particular, climate change mitigation and adaptation.

Read more about our work around Environmental Education & Conservation

Advancing Women’s Rights

The Community Foundation’s 2017 Report on the Status of Women & Girls in Eastern Connecticut led to the development of the Foundation’s Public Policy Task Force to advance its findings. The Task Force led efforts to galvanize constituents around issues critical to the needs and rights of women in our region: economic security, domestic violence, women’s access to healthcare, and political leadership.

Sampling of Our Work

• Through our partnership with She Leads Justice, formerly Connecticut Women’s Education and Legal Fund (CWEALF), we cohosted a number of webinars on:
  • Ways to become an effective advocate and to submit testimony on pending legislation
  • Advancing legislation to establish the Paid Family and Medical Leave Act
  • Family economic security, pay equity and the child tax credit
  • Conversation with legislators who are champions of women’s rights

• Supporting expansion of paid sick days to support family economic security. This bill was signed into law in May 2024, thanks in large part to the advocacy efforts of our partner She Leads Justice.

Learn more about our Women & Girls Funds

Health Equity & Access to Mental Health

The Community Foundation believes that equal access to quality health care is critical to health and well-being. We invest in programs that support all residents, especially those who are underserved.

Sampling of Our Work

• For several years, staff of the Community Foundation have held roles on the coordinating team of the Health Improvement Collaborative of Southeastern CT (HIC). The HIC is a group of organizations and community members committed to working together to create opportunities for health for all our community. The Health Improvement Collaborative has a vision of Southeastern CT as a community healthy in body and mind that promotes access, health equity, social justice, inclusiveness, and opportunities for all.
• Participation in Health Equity Solutions & United Health Care Foundation roundtable discussions/convenings to increase investments in community health.
• Submission of written testimony in support of the State naming racism a public health crisis.