What Connecticut Community Foundation does

Connecticut Community Foundation (CCF) is a 501(c)(3) public charity and community foundation incorporated in 1923, headquartered at 43 Field Street, Waterbury, Connecticut. It was the first community foundation established in Connecticut and the 23rd in the United States. CCF stewards more than 600 charitable funds and more than 150 scholarship funds on behalf of individual donors, families, corporations, and nonprofit organizations, serving a 21-town region spanning Greater Waterbury and the Litchfield Hills. Its core products are charitable fund vehicles — donor-advised, designated, field-of-interest, scholarship, unrestricted, and nonprofit agency funds — plus life-income vehicles (charitable gift annuities, charitable remainder and lead trusts). Minimum pledges for fund establishment start at $10,000.

CCF's revenue model is that of a community foundation rather than a commercial enterprise: donor contributions form the endowment, administrative fees are charged quarterly on fund balances (based on prior-quarter market value for permanent endowment funds, highest-quarter market value for non-permanent donor-advised funds), and investment management is offered via traditional and ESG endowment options. CCF does not charge grantees for grantmaking services. Go-to-market is relationship-driven, centered on the foundation's more than 100 volunteers, donor stewardship staff, professional advisor referrals, and signature community-engagement events such as the annual Give Local Greater Waterbury and Litchfield Hills 36-hour online giving campaign.

Key programs include Give Local (>$15 million raised for local nonprofits since 2013), the Second Century Fund unrestricted endowment (launched 2021), the Grassroots Leadership Program (>$200,000 deployed), the Waterbury Black Giving Circle, the Women's Fund and Women's Giving Circle, Pride in the Hills Fund, and impact areas covering Arts and Culture, Building Equitable Opportunity, Health and Environmental Justice, and Strengthening Nonprofits. CCF holds the National Standards Seal for Community Foundations from the Council on Foundations, is governed by an independent volunteer Board of Trustees, and operates with a lean professional staff of approximately 17 supplemented by more than 100 volunteers annually.

Name

Connecticut Community Foundation

Legal name

Connecticut Community Foundation

Website

https://conncf.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1923

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Connecticut Community Foundation is a 501(c)(3) community foundation stewarding 600+ charitable funds and 150+ scholarship funds for donors, families, and nonprofits across a 21-town region of Greater Waterbury and the Litchfield Hills in Connecticut.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Community Foundation and Philanthropic Services

NAICS

Grantmaking Foundations (813211)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300)

akta.pro primary industry

Community Foundations (BPAGAKAB)

akta.pro secondary industries

Public Charities & Grantmaking Intermediaries (BPAGAKAE), Scholarship & Fellowship Foundations and Trusts (EDADAHAC), Capacity Building & Nonprofit Infrastructure Funders (BPAGAKAO)

Keywords

• Community foundation services
• Charitable fund administration
• Donor-advised funds
• Philanthropic grantmaking
• Scholarship administration

Headquarters

HQ city

Waterbury

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Donor Contributions and Charitable Gifts: The foundation receives charitable contributions from donors who establish funds. These gifts form the core endowment that supports grantmaking activities. Donors can contribute cash, securities, real estate, retirement assets, life insurance, and other complex assets.
2. Administrative and Investment Fees: The foundation charges administrative fees calculated quarterly on fund balances. For permanent endowment funds, fees are based on prior quarter ending market value. For non-permanent donor advised funds, fees are calculated on highest market value. Investment management services provided through traditional endowment and ESG endowment options.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Connecticut Community Foundation is a regional community foundation that administers charitable funds on behalf of donors, makes competitive grants to local nonprofits, and administers scholarship programs for students. It manages 600+ charitable funds (donor-advised, designated, field of interest, scholarship, unrestricted, and nonprofit agency funds) with a minimum $10,000 establishment pledge, and channels grants to nonprofits in a 21-town service area across Greater Waterbury and the Litchfield Hills.

Product overview

Connecticut Community Foundation is a community foundation offering a portfolio of charitable giving products and programs. The core products include various types of charitable funds (donor-advised, designated, field of interest, scholarship, unrestricted, and nonprofit agency funds) that donors can establish with a minimum of $10,000. The Foundation administers more than 600 charitable funds and 150+ scholarship funds. Key programs include the annual Give Local Greater Waterbury and Litchfield Hills online giving campaign, the Grassroots Leadership Program, Women's Fund and Women's Giving Circle, Waterbury Black Giving Circle, Pride in the Hills Fund, Second Century Fund, and various grantmaking programs addressing Arts and Culture, Building Equitable Opportunity, Health and Environmental Justice, and Strengthening Nonprofits. Life income giving options include charitable gift annuities, charitable remainder trusts, and charitable lead trusts. The Foundation serves 21 towns in Greater Waterbury and the Litchfield Hills region.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Waterbury Black Giving Circle: A network of individuals who pool charitable dollars to have greater impact and make a difference in the Black community in Waterbury.
• Women's Giving Circle
• Give Local Greater Waterbury and Litchfield Hills
• 1923 Legacy Society

Products and services

• Donor-Advised Funds

Quantifiable outcome

• $15 million+ raised for local nonprofits through Give Local campaign since 2013
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers6 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration2 records

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core and supporting.

• United Way of Greater WaterburycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLong-standing partnership with United Way includes joint initiatives such as the COVID-19 Response Fund created at the onset of the pandemic, the Nonprofit Assistance Initiative (NAI) launched in 1998 to match nonprofit executives with volunteer mentors, and YouthNET special initiative providing after school programs to middle school students.
• Network for GoodcoreTechnology or IntegrationNetwork for Good provides the online donation platform powering the foundation's website donation functionality, including ImpactNOW Fund, Second Century Fund, and various other fund-specific donation pages.
• CatchafiresupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerIn 2018, the foundation engaged Catchafire.org to connect nonprofit grantees with volunteers offering skills and expertise. Made available to 150 nonprofits serving Greater Waterbury and Litchfield Hills in pilot year.
• Leever FoundationsupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerJoint initiative partner for YouthNET alongside United Way, providing after school programs to over 400 Waterbury middle school students. Saran D. White, Executive Director of Leever Foundation, serves on CCF Board of Trustees.

Scale indicators9 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Fairfield County's Community Foundation: Stamford-based community foundation serving Fairfield County, CT. Comparable as a 501(c)(3) public charity with donor-advised funds, scholarship administration, and regional grantmaking in Connecticut.
• Community Foundation of Eastern Connecticut: Norwich-based community foundation serving eastern Connecticut. Comparable structure of charitable funds, grantmaking, and scholarships with a similar regional service-area model.
• Hartford Foundation for Public Giving: The largest community foundation in Connecticut, serving Greater Hartford. Directly comparable as a public charity administering donor funds, making grants, and running regional community programs across an urban Connecticut service area.
• The Community Foundation for Greater New Haven: Connecticut-based community foundation administering charitable funds, scholarships, and grantmaking across Greater New Haven. Closely mirrors CCF's structure of donor-advised, designated, and scholarship funds with similar revenue streams.

Emerging players

• National Philanthropic Trust: Major sponsor of donor-advised funds nationally. Represents an alternative infrastructure for donors considering community foundation DAFs versus commercial DAF sponsors, putting it in partial competition for donor assets.

Others

• Council on Foundations: National membership organization that issues the National Standards Seal held by CCF. Comparable as a sector ecosystem partner rather than a competitor; shapes standards and peer benchmarking for community foundations.

Regional players

• Maine Community Foundation: Statewide community foundation administering hundreds of charitable funds, scholarships, and grantmaking programs. Operates a similar donor-engagement and regional-grantmaking model to CCF across a comparable rural/small-city geography.
• Vermont Community Foundation: Statewide community foundation in Vermont with similar donor-advised funds, scholarships, and regional grantmaking. Comparable in mission and structure, serving a New England rural/suburban footprint.
• Berkshire Taconic Community Foundation: Community foundation serving Berkshire County (MA), Columbia County (NY), and Litchfield County (CT). Overlaps geographically with CCF's Litchfield Hills footprint and operates a comparable fund-and-grantmaking model.
• Foundation for the Greater Capital Region: Community foundation serving New York's Greater Capital Region. Comparable in operating model (donor-advised funds, scholarships, regional grantmaking) but geographically focused on New York rather than Connecticut.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/conncf
• Facebookfacebook.com/TheConnecticutCommunityFoundation
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/ct-community-foundation
• Instagraminstagram.com/connecticutcommunityfoundation
• Xx.com/CCF1923

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles10 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Connecticut Community Foundation