News release from M&T:
M&T Bank today announced the first of a group of Amplify Fund-Connecticut grants totaling $6 million awarded to 44 non-profit organizations across Connecticut. First announced in May 2022, the $25 million fund is aimed at providing unrestricted multi-year support to trusted organizations to enable them to improve the lives of their communities through programmatic, capacity-building or policy-based work.
The creation of the Amplify Fund–which serves Connecticut, New York, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Maine, and Vermont–was a result of the merger and conversion between People’s United Bank and M&T Bank, which was completed earlier this year, and represents a significant investment in the organizations which serve the communities across M&T’s expanded footprint. The grants were awarded based on the responses to proposals submitted by the nonprofits earlier this year.
Amplify Fund grants provide finite, multi-year funding to community-based organizations and intermediaries with a demonstrated commitment to high-need, underserved, or marginalized communities. Priority was given to applicant organizations that most clearly articulated the needs to be addressed, the strategies to be employed in response to those needs, and a plan to demonstrate the effectiveness of those strategies. Additionally, there was a separate category devoted to organizations working to address environmental justice and equity in communities across Connecticut.
RFPs for the next round of grants will be announced at a later date. The work must correspond to documented community need and can include a range of organizational or societal issue areas.
Awarded grants include funding for projects that include but not limited to:
— Helping low-income BIPOC individuals find new career pathways via job training and mentorship programs, and direct support to BIPOC and women owned small businesses to help develop and grow their businesses.
— Funding and expansion of safe and stable mission-driven housing to low-income households, and expansion of physical and mental health services for homeless youth in Connecticut.
— Hiring of additional staff and expansion of organizational capacity across numerous organizations of different types and missions.“M&T is a community-focused bank, and we are proud to support and stand alongside these impactful organizations to help them do good in the communities which we all value,” said Mike Keegan, M&T Bank Senior Executive Vice President and Head of Community Banking. “This first round of Amplify Fund grants being invested in Connecticut is part of a broader commitment to initiatives that are focused on supporting local partners with more capacity to achieve their objectives.”
The full list of Connecticut Amplify Fund recipients include:
— Alliance for Community Empowerment
— Arts for Learning CT
— Barnum Museum Foundation, Inc.
— Bridgeport Caribe Youth Leaders
— Bridgeport Economic Development Corporation (BEDCO)
— Bridgeport Neighborhood Trust, Inc.
— Capital for Change
— Cardinal Shehan Center
— Career Resources, Inc.
— Central Connecticut Coast YMCA
— Community Action Agency for New Haven
— Connecticut Association for the Performing Arts (Shubert Theatre)
— Connecticut Community Outreach Revitalization Program (ConnCORP)
— Connecticut Institute for Refugees and Immigrants
— CT Council for Philanthropy
— CT Students for a Dream
— Eastern Connecticut Housing Opportunities Inc
— Fairfield County’s Community Foundation
— Forge City Works
— Habitat for Humanity of Coastal Fairfield County
— Hartford Land Bank, Inc
— HEDCO, Inc.
— Housatonic Community College Foundation
— Housing Development Fund, Inc.
— International Hartford Ltd.
— Junior Achievement of Fairfield County
— LifeBridge Community Services, Inc.
— Local Initiatives Support Corporation Connecticut
— Make the Road Connecticut
— Mutual Housing Association of Greater Hartford Inc
— Mutual Housing Association of South Central Connecticut, Inc.
— Mutual Housing Association of Southwestern Connecticut (Connecticut Housing Partners)
— Neighborhood Housing Services of New Haven, Inc
— Our Piece of the Pie, Inc.
— Regional Youth Adult Social Action Partnership (RYASAP)
— SCSU Foundation
— Sheldon Oak Central, Inc.
— The Center for Family Justice, Inc.
— The Open Door Shelter
— The San Juan Center
— The WorkPlace
— United Way of Coastal Fairfield County
— Women’s Business Development CouncilThe full list of Amplify Fund Equity and Environment Initiative recipients include:
— Connecticut Green Building Council
— Connecticut Zoological Society, Inc. (DBA Connecticut’s Beardsley Zoo)
— Greater Bridgeport Community Enterprises, Inc.
— Groundwork Bridgeport
— Save The Sound
— The Trust for Public LandFor more information on the Amplify Fund, please visit www3.mtb.com/homepage/about-us/getting-involved/amplify-fund.
