Older Adults: Pathways Grants & Mini-Grants

The Connecticut Community Foundation offers the Older Adults: Pathways Grants & Mini-Grants to support programs enhancing the quality of life for older adults. Grants are available to nonprofits and municipalities within a 21-town service area, promoting intergenerational projects and civic participation. The initiative emphasizes collaboration and innovative solutions to meet the needs of the aging population.

Grants that help older adults thrive are made possible by the East Hill Woods Fund at Connecticut Community Foundation, established in November 2009 with a contribution of $9.2 million through the sale of East Hill Woods.
As a field of interest fund, the East Hill Woods Fund provides grants to nonprofits and municipalities that offer services and opportunities for older adults living in the Foundation’s service area.
Purpose of Grants
Grant funding is also provided to local communities to help them prepare for the aging of the population.
Our grants to organizations working to improve quality of life for older adults typically fall into one of these general categories:
Healthy agingConnecting with information, benefits and resourcesAging successfully and safely in the communityEducation, arts and creative expressionWaterbury BRASS (Bringing Resources to Action to Serve Seniors): A citywide collaborationEngaging older adults in addressing community needsIntergenerational projects
Possible Projects
Develop core programs and adopt best practices that connect older adults with benefits, services and opportunities; assist with chores, home maintenance and home safety; enhance health and fitness; and build age-friendly communities that promote civic engagement and full participation for all ages.Hold a Town Conversation on Aging, open to the public, to discuss services, resources and opportunities for older adults in the town, identify needs and gaps, and prioritize action steps for the next several years. A $2,000 grant is available to each town in the Foundation’s service area for these conversations. This questionnaire provides a framework for the conversation.Connect more people over age 65+ to their libraries through Lifelong Libraries grants. Program possibilities include health, wellness, education, arts, creative expression, technology, financial security, intergenerational, and more.Collaborative programs that enhance services in a cost-effective manner are prioritized. Examples include a fitness program that rotates among towns and development of a coordinated transportation system.

Eligibility

In order 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, representative of the community, of which a majority is neither employees nor relatives of employees.Possess a Nonprofit Registration to Solicit Funds (or exemption, if appropriate) from the Connecticut Department of Consumer Protection. This registration must be renewed annually. Learn more, confirm registration or file for an exemption.

Ineligibility

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