Open Call for Letters of Interest in Grants for Projects Benefiting Simsbury, CT

Deadline: MAY 15, 2025

The Simsbury Greater Together Community Fund is pleased to announce an open call for Letters of Interest (LOI) for grant funding to support projects directly benefiting the residents of Simsbury for the 2025 grant cycle. Deadline for LOI Submittal:  May 15, 2025, via email by 8:00 p.m.

Background:

In 2019, the Hartford Foundation for Public Giving established $100,000 community funds for each of the 29 towns in the Foundation’s region, which includes the town of Simsbury. The purpose of the Greater Together Community Funds program 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.

In 2020, Simsbury’s Community Fund Committee, composed of Simsbury residents ranging from High School students to retirees, was established. The list of current members is available at Simsbury Greater Together Community Fund: Hartford Foundation for Public Giving.

Purpose of the Call:                                                                                                           

We are inviting Letters of Interest (LOI) for funding available to programs and initiatives that will improve or enhance the quality of life in Simsbury, or otherwise continue to address a direct need in our community.

Funding may be used for projects including, but not limited to, efforts to improve access to current programs (especially for underserved populations), innovative new initiatives or enhancements of current programs. Funding may also be used for initiatives addressing barriers to access of basic human needs (food or shelter), health and human services agencies, disability or mental health services, senior services, education, arts and recreation/land conservation. Funding is reserved for projects/programs that serve and benefit residents of Simsbury, CT. Partnerships, collaborative efforts, and inventive ideas to create change are encouraged.

Criteria for Grant Eligibility:

  • Any nonprofit registered as a 501(c)(3) organization that serves the residents of Simsbury is eligible to submit a Letter of Interest.
  • Groups of town residents may prepare an application in partnership with a registered 501(c)(3) nonprofit that has agreed to serve as the Fiscal Agent for the proposed project. The Town of Simsbury may also serve as a Fiscal Agent.
  • Nonprofits do not need to be headquartered or based in Simsbury but must serve the needs of Simsbury residents.
  • Letters of Interest must describe the opportunity for all town residents to benefit without discrimination based on race, religion, or any other protected class.
  • Individuals, private foundations and for-profit businesses are not eligible to apply.
  • The Simsbury Greater Together Community Fund may not be used to fund programs of sectarian or religious purposes or for a scholarship program.

Grant Amounts:

Grant amounts will be determined based on the scope and impact of project proposals, with awards typically ranging from $5,000 to $10,000. While applicants may not receive the full amount requested, the committee aims to distribute funds strategically to support a variety of community initiatives.

Key Dates:

  • May 15, 2025: Letters of Interest due via email by 8:00 p.m.
  • June 15, 2025: Letters of Interest applicants will be notified as to whether they will receive formal Request for Proposal (RFP).
  • July 31, 2025:  Proposals due (More information to follow for selected groups)
  • Mid-October, 2025:  Proposals will be selected and grants awarded.

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All grants are awarded at the sole discretion of the Simsbury Greater Together Committee.

How to Submit Letters of Interest:

Email completed Letters of Interest in a PDF or Word document to: Simsbury@hfpgcommunityfunds.org

Letter of Interest must include: (Not more than two pages of text, 11 point font)

  • Name and address of organization and if applicable, Fiscal Agent
  • Employer Identification Number (EIN)- for 501(c)(3)
  • Website of organization or link to social media pages
  • Contact person
    • Name
    • Title
    • Phone
    • Email
  • Name(s) of partner organization(s) if this is a group proposal
  • Project or program name
  • Amount requested
  • Brief description of project/program to be funded (No more than 250 words)
  • Please specify whether this is a new project/program or continuation of an existing project/program?

For Questions about the Call for Letters of Interest, please email The Simsbury Community Fund Committee at Simsbury@hfpgcommunityfund.org ​​​​​​​

About the Hartford Foundation for Public Giving

The Hartford Foundation for Public Giving is the community foundation for Hartford and 28 surrounding communities. Made possible by the gifts of generous individuals, families and organizations, the Foundation has awarded grants of more than $795 million since its founding in 1925. For more information about the Hartford Foundation for Public Giving, visit https://www.hfpg.org or call 860-548-1888.

Representatives of organizations funded in 2024 at awards ceremony

The Simsbury Greater Together Community Fund Announces Recipients of Our 2024 Grant Funding

Simsbury, CT 11/12/24 – The Simsbury Greater Together Community Fund at the Hartford Foundation for Public Giving has announced the recipients of the 2024 grant funding cycle. After a rigorous review process, The Simsbury Greater Together Fund has awarded $31,000 in grants to 8 deserving nonprofit organizations.

This year's grant funding program was highly competitive, with a number of thorough and well-prepared applications from organizations across our community. The selection process was guided by the Simsbury Greater Together Community Fund’s commitment to supporting initiatives that address critical community needs and create lasting, positive change.

"We were delighted to award grants to both familiar local organizations as well as some new (to us) organizations whose missions were right in line with our values," said Greg DeFrancesco, Chairperson at The Simsbury Greater Together Community Fund Advisory Committee. "A number of the selected organizations serve multiple towns in the area including Simsbury and assured us that the grant money would be utilized here."

The 2024 Grant Funding recipients are:

Let Me Run ($1,750) - Let Me Run Simsbury will host two teams in Fall 2024 with trained volunteer coaches who provide a safe and supportive space for boys to grow in mental, emotional, social, and physical health. The grant award will make full and partial program scholarships, athletic shoe purchases, and race entry fees available to up to 28 participants. No family will be turned away for lack of funds or appropriate gear for running safely.

Gifts of Love ($5,000) – Gifts of Love is a nonprofit organization which helps meet the basic needs of individuals and families in the Greater Hartford area experiencing a short-term fiscal crisis so they can return to self-sufficiency. A grant was awarded for the second year in a row in support of the Weekend Food Backpack Program. The program serves students in need from Simsbury to help ensure that they have access to basic necessities and can focus on their education without worrying about hunger or other financial hardships.

Operation Fuel, Inc. ($2,500) – Operation Fuel will use the grant to provide energy and utility assistance to residents of Simsbury. The greatest challenge is that Operation Fuel receives many more requests for assistance than can be provided.  The grant will allow more struggling families to be help thus reducing the number of families who will be turned away. 

Healing Meals Community Project  ($5,000) – Healing Meals Community Project (HMCP) is a non-profit organization with a mission to provide healthy, organic meals to people who are in a health crisis while fostering compassion and empowering youth and adult volunteers in our communities. A grant was awarded to support this mission.

Greystone Foundation ($5,000) – The Simsbury Basic Needs Initiative will provide both monetary assistance and financial advice free of charge to residents of Simsbury in need. The Greystone Foundation works directly with eligible clients who are struggling to pay for housing, utilities, transportation, healthcare, or other essential services.

Covenant to Care for Children ($2,500) – Covenant to Care for Children (CCC) provides a safety net for abused, neglected, or impoverished children in Connecticut by providing essential support in moments that are critical for a child's ability to thrive and a family's ability to stay together.  Through a collaborative system of program delivery, Covenant mobilizes the generosity of caring individuals and leverages the resources of social service agencies to provide direct assistance and critical goods to families struggling to meet the basic needs of their children.

Hartford Partnership & Horizons at Westminster ($4,250) – Horizons at Westminster provides a six-week summer academic enrichment program for students from Hartford. The grant from the Community Fund is to support the hiring of Simsbury high school students as counselors. The program is proud to provide this annual employment opportunity and training to students from Simsbury and is grateful for the partnerships with many other constituents in the town that enable the program to provide a robust experience for Horizons students each year.

Simsbury Community Media ($5,000) – With the generous support of the Simsbury Greater Together Community Fund, SCM will undertake a comprehensive redevelopment of its website. This project will involve modernizing the backend technology to ensure a more reliable, user friendly, and accessible platform. By improving the website's design and functionality, SCM will be able to better serve the community with timely updates, more engaging content, and enhanced digital accessibility.

These organizations represent a range of worthy causes including food insecurity, general assistance to families enduring hardships, children’s welfare, improving communication within our town, and growth opportunities for local students.

"We are proud of the process we utilize to select our grant recipients, which is effective due to the compassion, openness, and flexibility of our board members," added Mr. DeFrancesco. "I want to recognize the members of the Simsbury Greater Together Community Fund Advisory Board this year for serving the community with their time, skills, and dedication: Christine Bilotti Peterson, Ben Cerny, Megan Leonard, Steve Ruth, Craig Thompson, Sarah Knortz, Steve Lombardi, Shiamala Palani, Abby Wilson, and Rafaella Rosadio. And of course, none of this would be possible without the partnership with the Hartford Foundation and the support of Ashley Coleman and team.”

The grant recipients were honored at a special awards ceremony, where they had the opportunity to share more about their projects and how the funding will be utilized.

For more information about Simsbury and its grant programs, please visit https://www.hfpg.org/donors/ways-to-give/community-funds/simsbury

GTCFs Committee Members

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

The Committe members for your town are:

Greg DeFrancesco, Chairman, Craig Thompson, Sarah Knortz, Shiamala Palani, Ben Cerny, Steve Ruth, Megan Leonard, Abigail Wilson, Rafaella Rosadio, Steve Lombardi

Click here to read the Committee Conflict of Interest Policy.

For questions, contact the committee at Simsbury@hfpgcommunityfunds.org 

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