
The Community Foundation created the Fund for Racial Justice in 2021 with the purpose of advancing racial equity, supporting organizing and advocacy, and allocating flexible resources to organizations and movements, especially those led by People of Color in Eastern Connecticut.
This Fund supports grassroots organizations, existing nonprofits, and other movement builders throughout Eastern Connecticut whose vision is to increase education and awareness of racial inequities and work towards solutions that build a greater understanding and move the needle towards racial equity and justice.
The purpose of this grantmaking is to eliminate racial injustice through a variety of means including community organizing, advocacy, and education.
In June of 2022, the Fund for Racial Justice awarded its inaugural cycle of competitive grants in the amount of $205,640 to 24 organizations across the region (see list here). Recognizing the need to continue this important work, the Community Foundation endowed the Fund so it will support racial justice work in perpetuity. Our plan is to grow the endowment to $1 million before starting the next grant cycle.
When the endowment of the Fund was announced in June 2023, we had donor commitments of over $350,000... well on our way to reaching our $1 million goal! We hope you will join us in addressing racial equity issues throughout Eastern Connecticut!