Dear Friend,
The Community Foundation of Eastern Connecticut is proud to announce that it has awarded $3,082,264 in grants in the first few months of 2026 to support nonprofit organizations across the region. As we work tirelessly to advance equity in our community, your support has inspired and helped us achieve so much. Without your partnership none of this would be possible. Thank You!
It is our goal to provide transparency to our Fundholders regarding our investment strategy. Our first quarter’s returns were in keeping with current investment trends surrounding world events. The first two months of 2026 saw a continuation of 2025 trends for large cap US stocks, with many technology stocks moving higher on optimism around the economic impact of and profitability growth from artificial intelligence. However, the month of March brought a dramatic change with the start of the military conflict in Iran. The uncertainty of the outcome of this war, along with the threat of inflation from higher energy costs, caused a sharp selloff in US large cap stocks, particularly technology companies, in the month of March. It also caused large cap integrated energy stocks to rally sharply, and they were up about 38% for the first quarter.
Overall, the S&P 500 Index fell -4.3% in the first quarter. Despite the fact that the Foundation’s portfolios have no exposure to energy stocks, which have been screened out due to their environmental impact on our climate, our total returns were down an average of -2.6%. Various diversification strategies and prudent investment in high-quality companies helped protect the Foundation’s portfolios and provided some buffers in this period. We continue to believe that a well-diversified mix of investments, aligned with the mission and work of the Foundation, will serve our donors and community well in the months and years to come.
There is still so much to do. And we are ready for it. Together, with your trust and support, we will advance a healthy, thriving, sustainable Eastern Connecticut with greater equity for all.
The Community Foundation of Eastern Connecticut is proud to announce that it has awarded $3,082,264 in grants in the first few months of 2026 to support nonprofit organizations across the region. As we work tirelessly to advance equity in our community, your support has inspired and helped us achieve so much. Without your partnership none of this would be possible. Thank You!
It is our goal to provide transparency to our Fundholders regarding our investment strategy. Our first quarter’s returns were in keeping with current investment trends surrounding world events. The first two months of 2026 saw a continuation of 2025 trends for large cap US stocks, with many technology stocks moving higher on optimism around the economic impact of and profitability growth from artificial intelligence. However, the month of March brought a dramatic change with the start of the military conflict in Iran. The uncertainty of the outcome of this war, along with the threat of inflation from higher energy costs, caused a sharp selloff in US large cap stocks, particularly technology companies, in the month of March. It also caused large cap integrated energy stocks to rally sharply, and they were up about 38% for the first quarter.
Overall, the S&P 500 Index fell -4.3% in the first quarter. Despite the fact that the Foundation’s portfolios have no exposure to energy stocks, which have been screened out due to their environmental impact on our climate, our total returns were down an average of -2.6%. Various diversification strategies and prudent investment in high-quality companies helped protect the Foundation’s portfolios and provided some buffers in this period. We continue to believe that a well-diversified mix of investments, aligned with the mission and work of the Foundation, will serve our donors and community well in the months and years to come.
There is still so much to do. And we are ready for it. Together, with your trust and support, we will advance a healthy, thriving, sustainable Eastern Connecticut with greater equity for all.