Who Can Apply

Jewish Community Foundation grants are made only to organizations that are described in Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code and have been classified as public charities.

In awarding grants from unrestricted community funds, the Jewish Community Foundation gives preference to grant requests from organizations located in the Greater Hartford area and to projects that have Jewish content. The Foundation will consider grants to charitable organizations not serving exclusively Jewish needs when appropriate to alleviate extraordinary community problems or to address public issues of special concern to the Jewish community.

How to Start

First, review our grant guidelines. Then call the Foundation at 860.523.7460 and talk with our Grant Programs Officer or Executive Director.

How to Apply for a Grant 

Once you have confirmed with the Foundation that your agency is eligible for a Foundation grant, you will be sent a grant application packet that includes detailed instructions, an application and a list of required attachments.

The Foundation follows a two-stage application process. The first "letter of inquiry" stage consists of an informal proposal to determine basic eligibility and relationship to funding priorities. If it is determined that the project is suitable to be taken to the next stage of review, the applicant will be invited to submit a formal proposal.

When to Apply 

Letters of inquiry for applications for grants from unrestricted community funds are due no later than September 7.  If your organization is invited to apply, the completed application must be submitted by November 15.

How and When Decisions are Made

The Foundation's Grant Programs Officer and Executive Director carefully review each grant application, conduct background research and shepherd the proposals through the grantmaking process. Their roles are to ensure that the funding request is clear and complete for consideration by the Grants Committee and Board of Trustees. While always trying to be helpful to applicants, they serve as objective reviewers for the Grants Committee and Board, and are not advocates for the applicant. The final decision on all grant applications rests with the Board of Trustees, which considers proposals at its March meeting.

In addition to reviewing the written proposal, grant application evaluation activities typically include:

• One or more site visits.
• Contact with other agencies, community leaders, and individuals familiar with the applicant and the need that the proposal addresses.
• In-depth analysis of financial and other relevant data.
• Discussion of the application with the Chair of the Foundation’s Grants Committee and with the Executive Director of the Jewish Federation of Greater Hartford.
• Review of the application by the Planning and Allocations Steering Committee of the Jewish Federation of Greater Hartford for comments on the project’s relevance to community priorities.
• Review by the Commission on Jewish Education of the Jewish Federation of Greater Hartford for programs/projects that are educational in nature.

A Grants Committee consisting of community leaders reviews each application, along with a detailed proposal summary prepared by Foundation staff.  The Grants Committee makes recommendations to the Board to approve, deny or table proposals for further information.

Once the grant application review process is completed (normally 60-90 days from submission), the application is presented to the Board of Trustees for a final decision.  Expedited decisions may be made for emergencies and complex applications may require more time.

Notification

Applicants will be notified of the Board’s decision on pending proposals shortly after the Board has voted.