CCF: Pride in the Hills Fund (LBGTQ+) Grant

The Pride in the Hills Fund, managed by the Connecticut Community Foundation, aims to support and celebrate LGBTQ+ individuals in Greater Waterbury and Litchfield Hills. Established in 1923, the fund seeks to inspire generosity and foster an equitable community by funding programs that address critical issues and support local organizations. Applicants must be 501(c)(3) organizations or municipal entities, and the fund encourages projects that promote advocacy, system change, and core nonprofit operations.

Note: In advance of submitting a first-time request to the Foundation, applicants are required to set up an in-person meeting with the Program Officer who staffs the area of interest of the request. These conversations are an important part of the process and are tied to eligibility. Please contact the program officer to set up a meeting as soon as possible. Staff contact information is listed at the bottom of each grant opportunity page on our website.
While serving this 21-town region, the Foundation works to address the community’s critical issues, funds programs benefiting local residents, supports efforts to improve systems to foster more equitable outcomes for residents, strengthens local organizations through learning and outreach, and works with individuals, families and corporations to steward charitable and scholarship funds.
The Pride in the Hills Fund at Connecticut Community Foundation has a mission to support, inspire and celebrate LGBTQ+ people in Greater Waterbury and the Litchfield Hills.

Eligibility

To apply for funding, an organization must: Be a not-for-profit organization recognized under Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code, or a municipal entity seeking a grant for public purposes. Organizations may also have a nonprofit fiscal sponsor if they do not have their own nonprofit status. Have a board that is representative of the community, of which a majority are neither employees nor relatives of employees.
Organizations can apply for funding for the same project over multiple years and can apply for more than one grant from the Foundation during a competitive round.Typically, organizations may submit one grant proposal per priority area per grant round. If you would like to submit more than one proposal within a priority area, please discuss it with our Program staff first.The Foundation offers support to organizations outside of our service area if the project is focused on impacting residents in our 21-town region. If you are applying for a grant as a statewide agency or for a statewide program, please include detailed information in your application about the number of people served and the intended outcomes and impact that will happen within our service area. It is also important that any organizations out of our region establish connections and develop partnerships in our community so that the work is informed by residents of our towns.You may apply for funding outside of the Fall and Spring grant periods if it is an urgent request.There may be limited discretionary funds available that can be explored. We highly encourage a conversation with a program officer about this type of request.The foundation typically funds direct costs. Organizations are also encouraged to include indirect/overhead expenses, and the budget allows for a flat 10% for this purpose (it may be higher, with additional explanation).

Ineligibility

We do not fund:Requests for political or religious purposes. Requests for capital expenditures on buildings not owned by a nonprofit.