As a philanthropic partner, the Community Foundation can help donors support their favorite programs and organizations, identify and evaluate new giving opportunities and research current issues facing communities.

The Community Foundation board and staff are comprised of skilled grant makers and community leaders.   The grant-making process at the Foundation is predicated on our intent to be of benefit to the entire community.   We support southeastern Connecticut’s rich and varied nonprofit sector not only with grants, but also with technical assistance and advice.   Our role as grant maker is to analyze and recommend funding for a broad spectrum of projects and programs within the region each year, in areas such as literacy and education, health and human services, community economic development, the environment and the arts.   We work with many community volunteers who help us review proposals and we benefit from their perspective. As a donor with the Community Foundation, you can access this wealth of information at no charge.

Individual Consultation for Grantmaking

Staff members are available to:

• Help you identify, focus and re-evaluate your philanthropic interests and optimize the impact of your grantmaking
• Assist you in determining the appropriate type of giving arrangement at the CF that will fulfill your charitable goals
• Conduct research on a topic or nonprofit in which you are interested, and help you visit and evaluate various programs
• Share with you best practices from our nearly twenty-five years of grantmaking experience
• Provide you with post-grant evaluation of the effectiveness of a grant where feasible
• Help you craft a plan to involve your children and grandchildren in philanthropy
• Identify other donors with common interests with whom you might partner

Connecting to Community Issues

Many fund advisors request summaries of proposals we receive as part of our competitive grant programs.   These referrals provide advisors with opportunities to review the types of organizations seeking funding and learn more about the issues facing our community.   If you would like to receive proposal summaries, please contact us.   Additionally, as staff learn more about your interests, they are able to bring interesting funding ideas to your attention.

Donor Networking

The Community Foundation also provides a variety of networking opportunities for donors and fund advisors to connect to other funders and charitably minded individuals.   We do this through various events such as our annual meeting, roundtable discussions with other organizations, and gatherings around our special initiatives.  Visit the News & Events section of this site for more information about upcoming events.

Partnerships and Convening

Community foundations are in a unique position to bring people together.  We do not have the agenda of a particular family, individual, group or political entity.   We seek to strengthen our shared community.   We simply represent generous people of good will.   We can often bring people together who would not otherwise meet, and we can help them look at issues and become aware of new ways to approach them.