The Community Foundation of Eastern Connecticut (CFECT) is inviting applications for its Environmental Grants that strive to foster a greater region-wide understanding of and to promote action on the relationship between the health of our natural world and the health and well-being of our residents.

 For 2021, the Foundation will consider environmental grants that benefit any of the 42 towns in the region.

Priority Areas

Priority will be given to programs that:

• preserve and protect environmentally significant lands, waterways and wildlife habitats – for the benefit not only of the ecosystem, but for the health, livelihood and enjoyment of local residents;
• engage youth, especially youth of color, in environmental education to help develop the next generation of stewards of the environment; and
• focus on environmental justice: the fair distribution of environmental benefits and burdens and meaningful participation of all communities in environmental decision-making.

Funding Information

• Eligible applicants may submit grant requests of $10,000-50,000.

What CFECT will Fund?

• These grants must be for the benefit of the residents of the 42 towns in region, which includes the towns of Ashford, Bozrah, Brooklyn, Canterbury, Chaplin, Colchester, Columbia, Coventry, Eastford, East Lyme, Franklin, Griswold, Groton, Hampton, Killingly, Lebanon, Ledyard, Lisbon, Lyme, Mansfield, Montville, New London, North Stonington, Norwich, Old Lyme, Plainfield, Pomfret, Preston, Putnam, Salem, Scotland, Sprague, Stafford, Sterling, Stonington, Thompson, Union, Voluntown, Waterford, Willington, Windham and Woodstock.
• Preference is given to programs that are:
  • collaborative in nature;
  • regional in scope;
  • promote systems change;
  • rooted in evidence-based, solution-oriented approaches;
  • serve lower-income communities;
  • seek to eliminate racism and societal inequities;
  • incorporate the voices of clients, consumers and youth in planning;
  • include specific, measurable outcomes; and
  • affect positive change over the long term.
• Will also consider:
  • grants for existing programs, new initiatives or special projects;
  • public policy and general operating grants;
  • capacity-building grants (please call to discuss);
  • a limited number of multiyear grants (please call to discuss in advance of submission).
  • Note: Their policy for three-year grants requires taking a fourth year off from funding.

Eligibility Criteria

• Applicants generally must be 501(c)(3) charitable organizations, schools, municipal or governmental agencies, or partner with a nonprofit fiscal agent. We do not make grants to individuals or to for-profit endeavors.
• Applicants must serve one or more of the 42 communities in Eastern Connecticut.
• The program does not provide funding for capital or endowment campaigns, litigation costs, religious programming, endowment campaigns, deficit funding or debt retirement.  The program does not typically make grants for special events.
• Applicants may not discriminate against any person or group of persons on the basis of race, ethnicity, gender, age, sexual orientation, religion, national origin, disability, marital status or any other characteristic protected under federal, state and/or local laws.
• Grant reports must be received before a new grant award is made.

For more information, visit Environmental Grants.