General Funding / Competitive Grants

The Community Foundation of Middlesex County provides competitive grants to nonprofit organizations serving Middlesex County. These grants are determined by the Grants Committee and recommended to the Foundation's Board of Directors for approval.

Geographic Scope: Middlesex County, Connecticut (15 towns: Chester, Clinton, Cromwell, Deep River, Durham, East Haddam, East Hampton, Essex, Haddam, Killingworth, Middlefield, Middletown, Old Saybrook, Portland, Westbrook)

Funding Sources:

• Endowment income (restricted and unrestricted)
• Funding partners (e.g., Connecticut Humanities, River View Cemetery)
• Individual donations and private foundations

Focus Areas:

• Community Enrichment (Arts/Culture/History)
• Community Health (Health/Medical/Hospital Care)
• Economic Security/Economic Opportunity
• Economic Development
• Education (Community Wide/Schools)
• Environment
• Public/Social Benefit (Civic Improvement/Social Service)
• Recreation
• Animal Welfare and Protection
• At-risk Boys & Young Men
• Women and Girls

Grant Types:

• General Organization Support/Improvement
• Program Development/Implementation
• Training/Technical Assistance
• Equipment
• Capacity Building
• Other

Target Demographics: Adults, Young Adults (18-25), Youth (13-17), Children (6-12), Birth to 5, Families, Parents/Guardians, Retirees, Students, Veterans, Women and Girls, At-risk Boys and Young Men, LGBTQIA+, BIPOC, Animals, Birds and Other Wildlife

Contact Information:

• Phone: (860) 347-0025
• Email: info@middlesexcountycf.org
• Address: 49 Main Street, Middletown, CT 06457
• Vice President, Programs & Operations: Thayer Talbott (Thayer@MiddlesexCountyCF.org)

Competitive Grant Application Process

Application Instructions:
1. Complete the application on the CFMC website
2. You may "Save and Continue Later" - the site will email you a link valid for 30 days
3. Review the instructions document before completing
4. Complete all questions (marked with *)
5. All documents must be uploaded as PDF files

Application Sections (8 steps total):

#### I. Application Information

Legal Name of Organization

Division or Department Name (if applicable)

501(c)3 status confirmation

EIN number

Dollar amount requested

Total cost associated with request

Summary statement (max 500 characters): Describe what the grant will fund in no more than two sentences

#### II. Funding Request Information
1. Proposal/Purpose (max 7,500 characters)
- State the needs or issues to be addressed
- Describe services to be furnished
- Include goals and objectives
- Identify challenges and how you propose to meet them

2. Sustainability and Assessing Impact (max 5,000 characters)
- Strategies moving forward
- How will you know if the project/program is successful?
- Specific measures to track success
- If a program/project, will it be incorporated into annual outreach?
- For technical/equipment/capacity building: explain how it assists organizational sustainability

#### III. Grant Program/Project Information

Organization Area of Impact (choose ONE)

Grant Type (choose ONE)

Target Demographics (select all that apply)

Geographic Areas Served (select only those directly served)

Total number of people in Middlesex County personally impacted

#### IV. Organization Information

Total Number of Directors/Trustees

Percentage of Directors/Trustees who contribute annually to Operations

Total Number of Board meetings held last year

Average number attending in person (including virtual attendance)

Date most recent IRS Form 990 was filed

Organization's Fiscal Year

Organization's Total Operating Budget

Division Operating Budget Information (if applicable)

National Organization Chapter Information (if applicable)

Previous competitive grants received (2023-2024, 2024-2025, 2025-2026 Fall Cycle)

Brief Background Statement (max 750 characters)

#### V. Required Documents to Upload (PDF format only)

A. Current Organization Operations Budget (Required)
- One-page summary of organization's current operating budget (expense and revenue)
- Max file size: 256 MB

B. Board of Directors and Officers List (Required)
- List of current Board of Directors and officers with professional affiliations
- Max file size: 256 MB

C. IRS Tax Exempt Determination Letter (Required)
- Copy of IRS tax exempt determination letter for 501(c)3 organizations
- Or other tax exempt status documentation
- Max file size: 256 MB

D. CFMC Budget Summary Form (Required for Program/Project Requests)
- One-page itemized budget of income and expenses related to application request
- Include amount raised or expected from other sources
- If ongoing, explain future funding
- Download from CFMC website in Word, save as PDF
- Max file size: 256 MB

E. County-Based Budget Summary (If applicable)
- For 501(c)3 organizations serving region greater than Middlesex County
- Summary operations expense/revenue budget for Middlesex County portion
- Can use similar format to organization's operations budget or CFMC Summary Budget Form
- Include portion of expenses related to work in Middlesex County and supporting revenue
- Max file size: 256 MB

Additional Requirements:

For collaborative programs: Letters of Support from non-applicant organizations and/or schools/school districts

Collaborations defined as partnerships where two or more agencies are committed through staffing, funding, and resource allocation

Only one organization completes the application and accepts responsibility for evaluative and fiduciary reporting

Additional Documentation (may be required upon request):

Organization's most recent audit

Annual report

IRS Form 990