Building Equitable Opportunity

From Connecticut Community Foundation

The mission of the funder is to support healthy communities by fostering civic engagement, community organizing, and the involvement of civic groups. They strive for responsiveness and flexibility in funding initiatives, prioritizing actions and decisions made by individuals and organizations that are intimately acquainted with community issues. A key aspect of their mission is to empower resident leaders and organizers in Waterbury through a funding process that is directly influenced by the community, for the community.

Type of Support

Overview

The Building Equitable Opportunity grant program represents an effort to unify various grant areas, such as Cradle to Career (early care and youth development) and Economic Vitality grants, under one umbrella to more holistically address systemic disparities. This consolidation reflects an understanding that individuals and families navigate a complex interplay of policies, systems, and programs that are traditionally siloed. The program is geared towards:

  • Supporting programmatic, advocacy, and systemic changes that foster equitable opportunities and economic mobility.
  • Enhancing access to culturally responsive education, with a particular focus on reducing disparities in Waterbury based on race and income.
  • Developing employment and career pathways that offer livable wages.
  • Promoting asset building for BIPOC families historically excluded from traditional banking systems.
  • Implementing targeted education interventions that incorporate the perspectives of BIPOC students, and parents, making for more inclusive decision-making processes.

Efforts supported by this grant include fostering collaboration between preschools and school systems for better transition and readiness, backing evidence-based initiatives to improve pre-k and K-12 experiences for marginalized groups, interventions to reduce minority overrepresentation in education disciplinary actions, and programs aimed at enhancing long-term economic stability and mobility for community members.

Eligibility

Organization's Location
USA
Program Location
CT (Litchfield County, New Haven County)
Organization Type
Organizations with IRS 501(c)(3) tax-exempt status
Municipal entities seeking a grant for public purposes
Organizations with a nonprofit fiscal sponsor
Other
  • Have a board representative of the community, a majority of whom are not employees or relatives of employees
  • Possess a Nonprofit Registration to Solicit Funds (or exemption, if appropriate) from the Connecticut Department of Consumer Protection, with annual renewal

Ineligibility

Nonprofits requesting funds for political or religious purposes
Nonprofits seeking capital expenditures on buildings not owned by the nonprofit.
not specified

Submission

Review Criteria

We welcome proposals that:

  • Offer services or assistance to the populations within our designated service area of 21 towns
  • Promote systemic change and advocate for policy reforms
  • Include funding for essential nonprofit activities, including personnel expenses, administrative costs, and program assessment
  • Prioritize organizations headed by individuals from Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) communities.

Similar grants

not specified
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Due 10/1
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