Outcome Area:

Thriving Neighborhoods

As part of our efforts to dismantle structural racism and advance equity in social and economic mobility in Greater Hartford's Black and Latine communities, the Hartford Foundation seeks to increase the number of thriving Greater Hartford neighborhoods, with a focus on Black and Latine residents’ quality of life.

Our desired outcomes

  • Increased number of residents living in stable housing
  • Increased preservation and new development of community assets in Hartford neighborhoods
  • Increased social strength and connectedness within Hartford neighborhoods
  • Increased number of stable resident-owned small businesses

Our grantmaking strategy prioritizes:

  • Leveraging the strengths and assets of Hartford’s residents to promote community-driven agency, organizing, and advocacy for social and economic development.
  • Investing in eviction prevention, homeownership accessibility, and education to ensure housing stability and wealth-building opportunities.
  • Preserving and developing community assets that reflect and strengthen neighborhood identity, rather than erasing or displacing long-standing communities.
  • Fostering the growth of resident-owned small businesses, ensuring that economic opportunities remain within the community and contribute to long-term prosperity.
  • Strengthening social connections and civic engagement, ensuring that Black, Latine, and other historically excluded residents are active decision-makers in shaping the future of their neighborhoods.

WHY THIS IS A PRIORITY

The Foundation seeks to increase the number of thriving Greater Hartford neighborhoods, with an emphasis of promoting quality of life within Hartford’s neighborhoods. In Hartford, low-income residents and people of color disproportionately face the challenges of living in low-opportunity neighborhoods. This contributes to negative long-term educational, economic, and health outcomes.

The Foundation’s Thriving Neighborhoods grantmaking strategy focuses on leveraging the strengths and assets of residents to empower community-driven agency and advocacy for social and economic development. By building on existing community resources, the Foundation is directing its investments where they can have the most transformative impact, promote equitable outcomes, foster sustainable development, and strengthen the social and economic fabric of Hartford and its neighboring areas. Thriving Neighborhoods grants aim to empower Black, Latine, and other marginalized communities in the region by increasing stable housing opportunities, preserving and developing community assets, fostering small business growth, and strengthening social connections.

What the data tells us

  1. Stable Housing
    • Connecticut has the second-largest homeownership gap in the U.S. between white and Latine residents and the 16th largest gap between Black and white residents.
    • Fifty-four percent of Hartford households are cost-burdened, spending at least 30% of their income on housing. This includes 51% of Black households and 59% of Latine households, compared to 37% of white households.
    • In Hartford, only 26% of homes are owner-occupied compared to 66% statewide. Just 33% of Hartford’s Latine residents and 44% of Black residents are homeowners.
  2. Community Vitality
    • In Hartford, 85% of residents trust their neighbors, while only 75% feel it’s a good place to raise children, and 71% feel safe talking outside at night.
    • Parks with the highest percentage of Black residents nearby had an average condition score of 66%, while those with the highest percentage of white residents scored 106% on average.
  3. Resident-Owned Business Support
    • Black and Latine Hartford residents own 15.1% of small businesses despite comprising 87.2% of the population.
    • The wealth held by self-employed families is generally over four times larger than the net worth of typical working families.
  4. Social Strength and Connectedness
    • Only 57% of families in Connecticut reported that their children lived in supportive neighborhoods.
    • The most common social challenges that affect health are feeling isolated, lonely, and not having enough social or emotional support.

What we're doing

Current or recent activities that support this outcome area:

Love Your Block Grant Program: The Foundation and the City of Hartford partner each year to provide grants for neighborhood beautification projects to clean, green, and beautify Hartford’s neighborhoods. In 2024, we committed nearly $120,000, funding 14 projects in nine different neighborhoods through the Love Your Block program.

Statewide Support for Local Housing Efforts in Suburban and Rural Towns: Three one-year grants totaling $360,000 are committed to a statewide effort, alongside other public and private philanthropic institutions and foundations, to support resident groups in suburban and rural towns across Greater Hartford to engage residents on local affordable housing opportunities, helping address regional and statewide housing crises.

LISC CT Community Development Efforts: To support the community development sector in Greater Hartford, the Hartford Foundation awarded a three-year, $1.5 million grant to LISC Connecticut to provide a system of supports to entities engaged in development work including lending, capacity building, technical assistance, planning, advocacy, and convening. This grant also includes designated pass-through grants to Hartford-based community development corporations.



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See more of our Thriving Neighborhoods work

Who will benefit?

Black and Latine residents, Black and Latine small business owners, income-restricted and working families, and other Greater Hartford residents from communities that have historically or demonstratively experienced disinvestment or exclusion.