Urban League Receives $600,000 Grant to Boost Operations

As the Urban League of Greater Hartford (Hartford, CT) continues to rebound from a financial downturn five years ago, the organization has received a boost from one of its biggest supporters.

The Hartford Foundation for Public Giving has awarded the urban league a $600,000, two-year, flexible funding grant with no direct programming requirements. The grant is among the largest the organization, which turned 60 this year, has ever received.

“We are proud to support the Urban League of Greater Hartford with this multi-year grant,” said Hartford Foundation Senior Community Impact Officer Joel Hicks-Rivera. “The Urban League's dedication to addressing systemic inequities and empowering marginalized communities aligns perfectly with our mission to promote social and economic mobility, ensuring that more individuals and families in Greater Hartford have access to the resources they need to thrive. We look forward to seeing the continued positive impact of their work in our community."

Urban League President and CEO David Hopkins said he expects that the grant will be used to help strengthen organizational infrastructure, operating efficiency, and program delivery.

"This spans updating computers and technology, enhanced data management tools, executing strategic initiatives that require additional resources, and implementing processes and procedures to increase capacity to be responsive to opportunities," Hopkins said. "In many instances, program grants do not cover program related overhead, including salaries and rents. Some grants- mostly government- are reimbursement-based, meaning we have to incur and cover the expense first and then be reimbursed after a month, quarter or end of the year report is submitted."

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