Dear Friend:
The Community Foundation of Eastern Connecticut (CFECT) works tirelessly to advance equity in our community – your support has inspired us and helped us achieve so much.
If there’s anything we’ve learned from our recent experiences, it’s that we can surmount any challenge when we work together and amplify our voices. Our recent work, with your support, has served as a foundation on which we can continue to improve the lives of Eastern Connecticut residents. We are focused on solutions – immediate and long-term.
During the pandemic, many people in Eastern Connecticut experienced job losses, food insecurity, and other challenges. You helped us address these pressing needs by joining our Circle of Kindness and giving to the Neighbors for Neighbors Fund, providing over $1.5 million to those in need. We continue to advocate for state funding to address these priority areas.
With one of the most severe housing shortages in the nation, affordable housing remains a crucial issue in Connecticut. Since 2023, CFECT has led a strategic partnership of regional partners to pursue housing solutions. The Center for Housing Opportunity in Eastern Connecticut is committed to uniting a diverse coalition to identify and implement community-driven and data-informed options that preserve, protect, and produce safe housing for all.
The number of children living in poverty rose sharply after the expiration of federal pandemic relief programs. This issue has also been defined by stark racial inequalities, with Black and Hispanic children being three to four times more likely to experience poverty. We are addressing these inequities by directing resources and our voice to change some policies.
The Brighter Futures Fund advances equitable outcomes to improve the lives of children and youth in Eastern Connecticut, supporting grants for early childhood education, after-school enrichment, mentoring, and other opportunities that enrich the lives of our youngest residents.
The Fund for Racial Justice advances racial equity, supports racial justice organizing and advocacy, and allocates flexible resources to organizations and movements led by people of color in Eastern Connecticut.
In one of our most monumental undertakings, we embarked on the End Child Poverty Now campaign, a statewide outreach and advocacy movement to eradicate child poverty in Connecticut. With more than 110 partners, our lobbying efforts have helped achieve Paid Family Medical Leave and Universal Preschool Endowment (for children 0-5) are now a reality.
There is still so much to do. And we are ready for it. Together, we are resilient, and will create a healthy, thriving, sustainable Eastern Connecticut with greater equity for all. Thank you for being part of our efforts, and for being an invaluable member of our community.
Warm regards,
Maryam Elahi
President & CEO
The Community Foundation of Eastern Connecticut (CFECT) works tirelessly to advance equity in our community – your support has inspired us and helped us achieve so much.
If there’s anything we’ve learned from our recent experiences, it’s that we can surmount any challenge when we work together and amplify our voices. Our recent work, with your support, has served as a foundation on which we can continue to improve the lives of Eastern Connecticut residents. We are focused on solutions – immediate and long-term.
During the pandemic, many people in Eastern Connecticut experienced job losses, food insecurity, and other challenges. You helped us address these pressing needs by joining our Circle of Kindness and giving to the Neighbors for Neighbors Fund, providing over $1.5 million to those in need. We continue to advocate for state funding to address these priority areas.
With one of the most severe housing shortages in the nation, affordable housing remains a crucial issue in Connecticut. Since 2023, CFECT has led a strategic partnership of regional partners to pursue housing solutions. The Center for Housing Opportunity in Eastern Connecticut is committed to uniting a diverse coalition to identify and implement community-driven and data-informed options that preserve, protect, and produce safe housing for all.
The number of children living in poverty rose sharply after the expiration of federal pandemic relief programs. This issue has also been defined by stark racial inequalities, with Black and Hispanic children being three to four times more likely to experience poverty. We are addressing these inequities by directing resources and our voice to change some policies.
The Brighter Futures Fund advances equitable outcomes to improve the lives of children and youth in Eastern Connecticut, supporting grants for early childhood education, after-school enrichment, mentoring, and other opportunities that enrich the lives of our youngest residents.
The Fund for Racial Justice advances racial equity, supports racial justice organizing and advocacy, and allocates flexible resources to organizations and movements led by people of color in Eastern Connecticut.
In one of our most monumental undertakings, we embarked on the End Child Poverty Now campaign, a statewide outreach and advocacy movement to eradicate child poverty in Connecticut. With more than 110 partners, our lobbying efforts have helped achieve Paid Family Medical Leave and Universal Preschool Endowment (for children 0-5) are now a reality.
There is still so much to do. And we are ready for it. Together, we are resilient, and will create a healthy, thriving, sustainable Eastern Connecticut with greater equity for all. Thank you for being part of our efforts, and for being an invaluable member of our community.
Warm regards,
Maryam Elahi
President & CEO