GE Foundation, Boehringer Ingelheim Foundation Top Grant List

Statistics from The Foundation Center, which tracks philanthropy across the country, indicate that hundreds of millions of dollars flow annually from the largest foundations based in Connecticut to charities worldwide.  As reported in The Hartford Courant, the top grant maker in Connecticut is the GE Foundation ($103.5 million), followed by the Boehringer Ingelheim Cares Foundation ($81.1 million). Following the leading foundations - bearing the names of two of the world's leading corporations - are a handful of foundations likely less well known:  Steven A. and Alexandra M. Cohen Foundation ($27 million), Hartford Foundation for Public Giving ($25.7 million), and Smith Richardson Foundation ($23.5 million).

At #6 on the list is Newman's Own Foundation ($20 million) followed by The Community Foundation for Greater New Haven ($15.5 million).  The Dalio Family Foundation ($12.7 million) and the Aetna Foundation ($12.2 million) complete the top nine foundations by grants paid.  The numbers are from 2009, the most recent data available.

Hartford Foundation Receives Recognition; Efforts in Education, Workforce Intensify

President Obama has pointed out that “there is no greater predictor of individual success than a good education.”  The Hartford Foundation for Public Giving is certainly on the same page, moving to implement their most recent strategic plan which has two primary areas of focus – education and workforce development, described as the region’s “two toughest issues.”  The Foundation receives financial support from thousands of individuals and families, and is among the nation's largest public foundations.   In 2011, they awarded grants of more than $28 million to a broad range of area nonprofit organizations. The Hartford Foundation recently was announced as a recipient of the 2012 Wilmer Shields Rich Award for effective communication efforts to increase public awareness of foundations and corporate giving programs.  The award – one of 12 designated out of 140 entries in four categories – will be presented during the Council on Foundations Annual Conference, April 29-May 1, in Los Angeles, CA.

Finances Challenging Connecticut Nonprofits

The Nonprofit Finance Fund’s 2012 State of the Nonprofit Sector Survey reveals Connecticut nonprofits continue to face increased demand for services and decreased funding, with 29% of the 158 respondents closing the 2011 fiscal year with an operating deficit. According to the  Survey, in Connecticut alone:

• 84% of nonprofits anticipate an increased demand for services in 2012, yet only 45% of nonprofits expect to be able to fully meet the demand
• Nearly one-third (29%) of nonprofits surveyed ended the 2011 fiscal year with an operating deficit
• 47% of Connecticut nonprofits that receive federal funding report receiving late payments from the government
• 70% of the nonprofits in Connecticut that receive funding from State or local government report receiving late payments

Read more: http://www.digitaljournal.com/pr/668915#ixzz1sjTsx0cp

Efforts to End Hunger Among Seniors, Children in CT

AARP Connecticut is teaming up with End Hunger Connecticut and Foodshare, a  nonprofit serving Hartford and Tolland counties, to enroll more qualified state residents in the federal Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP. AARP reports that in Connecticut  more than 386,000 residents receive help paying for groceries each month under the program, but that only 34% of adults age 60-plus who are eligible for SNAP have enrolled - many because they didn't know they were eligible. State residents 60-plus may qualify if their monthly income is less than $1,680 for an individual or $2,268 for a couple.

Foodshare recently announced that in 2011, 3,685 Foodshare volunteers contributed over 38,000 hours to advance their local efforts to support people in need of food.

And last week, End Hunger Connecticut launched the state's participation in No Kid Hungry, a national initiative to end huger among children by 2015.  It has been estimated that there are 127,000 children in Connecticut who are going hungry.  The organization will be sponsoring the state's first School Breakfast Summit on May 4 at Rentschler Field in East Hartford.

10 Year Low for Nonprofit Fundraising in CT

The Connecticut Council for Philanthropy  reports that in 2011, nonprofit organizations in  Greater Hartford, Greater New Haven and Fairfield County ran the lowest number of fundraising campaigns and had the lowest combined fundraising goals  in the past 10 years. The combined total of the 50 campaigns set goals of just over $344 million, down nearly 30% from $492 million in 2010.   The reports on the three regions include detailed information on 51 major fundraising campaigns in the state. The Council's report notes that of the 22 major capital campaigns that ended since a year ago, 12 met their stated goals, 5 organizations decided not to proceed with their campaigns, and others simply made due with less.  Among the 43 campaigns that are continuing from a year ago, the majority are re-evaluating their goals, extending the length of their campaigns or seeking alternate financing.

$28 Million Helps Sustain Hartford Area Nonprofits

The Hartford Foundation for Public Giving awarded more than $28 million in grants during 2011 in support of the 29-town region's nonprofit agencies and educational institutions.  More than 1,600 grants were awarded, with more than one-third ($10 million) to programs supporting education and economic development, key to the Foundation's recently adopted strategic plan.  The Greater Hartford Arts Council received $1.3 million, which was re-granted to more than 100 local arts, heritage, cultural and community groups; $700,000 was provided in support of programs at three agencies that provide emergency and permanent housing for the homeless in Hartford; $450,000 was provided for programs at 66 area agencies providing basic human needs.  Founded in 1925, the Foundation has more than 1,000 funds established through the years by individuals, families and organizations.

Nonprofits Mean Business

Connecticut's nonprofit business sector employs 11 percent of the state's workforce.  Ron Cretaro, executive director of the Connecticut Association of Nonprofits - the largest membership organization in the state dedicated exclusively to working with nonprofits - points out that the nonprofit sector is a multi-billion dollar slice of the state's economy, and therefore critical to achieving a sustained economic recovery in the state.

Trending Up

For Hartford-area nonprofits, things are looking up.  At least that's what they're hoping.   The latest United Way Non-Profit Pulse Survey reflects an increase in "optimism" from 53 percent of responding organizations to 66 percent, over the past two years.  The survey, published in 2011, included 82 nonprofits - and noted concerns about public sector funding, increased demand for services and uncertainty about the future amidst the growing optimism.