In 2019, the Hartford Foundation for Public Giving established a $100,000 Greater Together Community Fund for the Town of Manchester. The Hartford Foundation’s Board of Directors approved additional funding for 2022, contributing an additional $50,000 to the Manchester Greater Together Community Fund.

The purpose of the Greater Together Community Funds is to:

  • support the community in taking ownership around the needs in their towns
  • encourage broad and inclusive civic engagement and
  • anchor the Hartford Foundation in each town.

Your town has formed an advisory committee to manage a participatory process to identify your town's needs and allocate community funds.

2023-2024 Grant Cycle

The Manchester Greater Together Community Fund is pleased to announce the opening of the 2023-2024 grant cycle as of September 1, 2023. The Advisory Committee welcomes proposals that will improve or enhance the quality of life of Manchester residents or otherwise contribute to solving a direct need of the Manchester community. Individual grant awards will range from $250 to $5,000. All projects must benefit the residents of Manchester, and any nonprofit registered as a 501(c)(3) organization that serves the residents of Manchester is eligible to submit an application. Groups of town residents may also prepare an application in partnership with a registered 501(c)(3) or municipality that has agreed to serve as a fiscal sponsor for the proposed project.

For further details on project guidelines and how to apply, please review the RFP and Application by using the buttons below. Project applications or grant proposals will be accepted until 11:59 P.M. on October 15, 2023.

2023-2024 RFP

2023-2024 Application

Budget Template 

2023-2024 Grant Awards

The Manchester Greater Together Community Fund at the Hartford Foundation for Public Giving has awarded its second round of grants to nonprofit organizations serving the Manchester community. The Committee issued a call for proposals on September 1, 2023 with applications due by October 15, 2023. The Committee then reviewed all proposals and had the difficult task of narrowing the pool to the six selected projects.  Six Manchester organizations received funding in this second grantmaking cycle, with individual grants ranging from $3,600 to $5,000. Funded projects address a diverse array of community needs. December 2023 grant awards include:

The next grantmaking cycle will begin later in 2024, and the Committee encourages nonprofits serving Manchester to consider applying. Groups of town residents are also eligible to request funding through the program.

A grant reporting form is available for organizations that have completed projects.

2022-2023 Grant Awards

  • Building Healthy Families - $5,000 to quadruple the number of families served by the group’s community garden located at Main Street and Hartford Road
  • Gentle Love Diaper Pantry - $5,000 to purchase and distribute two pallets of diapers to Manchester children and families in need
  • Manchester CT HOPE Initiative - $5,000 to support Manchester families of individuals going through opioid addiction, distribution of NARCAN and training on its use
  • Manchester Women’s Club - $365 to support a community garden plot at the Spruce Street Community garden with produce donated to a local food pantry’s community kitchen
  • Operation Fuel - $5,000 to support emergency fuel and utility bill assistance efforts for Manchester residents
  • Rebuilding Together - $5,000 to support the group’s efforts to rehabilitate the houses of lower-income homeowners in Manchester
  • Second Congregational Church Food Pantry - $5,000 to support the purchase of food items not available through other partners and the installation of an internal ramp for volunteers to safely offload pallets of food/supplies
  • Trinity Covenant Church Hope 4:10 - $5,000 to support the purchase of cleaning supplies and toiletry items for distribution through the group’s food pantry

A grant reporting form is available for organizations that have completed projects.

Advisory Committee Members

The role of the Advisory Committee is to design and lead an inclusive process to identify the needs in your community and design and manage a grantmaking process aimed to ensure that the Community Funds can have the greatest impact for the benefit of town residents.

The Advisory Committee members for your town currently consist of:

Samantha Creamer, Bambi Mroz, Shea Riley, Taylor Roy, Paola Sacchetti, Debbie Streeter, and Sounthaly Thammavong

Click here to read the Advisory Committee Conflict of Interest Policy

For more information about the Advisory Committee, please review the FAQ.

For media inquiries, please contact Chris Senecal at csenecal@hfpg.org.