American Savings Foundation Community Grants

The Community Grants program is offered by the American Savings Foundation to support initiatives in education, human services, and arts and culture across 64 towns in Connecticut. The foundation, based in New Britain, operates with a focus on responsive community philanthropy and places strong emphasis on geographic equity in its grantmaking. Through the Community Grants program, the foundation aims to provide funding for direct service programs that meet local needs outside of its primary cities of New Britain and Waterbury. Eligible applicants include tax-exempt organizations under IRS section 501(c)(3) that deliver community-based programs in the eligible 64-town service area. Agencies of any size may apply if their work is located outside New Britain and Waterbury. Within these two cities, only small nonprofits with annual budgets of $250,000 or less are eligible to apply for this specific program. Organizations that exceed this budget threshold and serve New Britain or Waterbury must apply through the separate Program Grant process. The foundation awards grants of up to $5,000 primarily for programmatic expenses that deliver direct community services. Requests for computers or other capital equipment as part of a program budget are not eligible; however, limited capital-only requests for essential equipment may be considered but require prior consultation with the foundation. Applications that seek to replace public funding or support general operations, fundraising events, or educational institutions are typically not eligible. Religious institutions may only apply for non-sectarian activities that serve the general public. The application process is open year-round, but submissions are reviewed twice annually. For the 2025 cycle, applications must be received by April 10 for decisions in June, or by October 9 for decisions in December. Once submitted, applicants will receive a confirmation email. The foundation clarifies that applications are not confidential and may be discussed with others in the community as part of the evaluation process. A final report is due within one year of receiving a grant or when the project concludes, whichever comes first. New applications will not be accepted from organizations with outstanding final reports. Agencies are limited to one Community Grant per calendar year and may apply for funding up to three years in a row, followed by a one-year break. Organizations that received a Program Grant in the last 12 months are not eligible to apply for a Community Grant. For technical support with the online application portal, applicants can contact Jenna Cowan at jcowan@asfdn.org. For questions related to program eligibility or capital expense proposals, Maria Sanchez is the primary contact at msanchez@asfdn.org. This grant opportunity does not support individuals, private foundations, political activities, research, or sponsorships tied to a single event. While the foundation may consider requests to support an artistic organization’s full performance season, funding for individual or fundraising events is rarely granted. A few exceptions exist for youth-focused or educational programming events that feature meaningful learning before and after the event. The foundation’s broader funding philosophy emphasizes sustaining impactful, localized services and avoids duplicating government funding streams.

Applicants must call the foundation before submitting proposals involving capital requests. Past recipients must submit a final report before reapplying.