Hartford Announces $1.5 Million In Arp Funding For Youth Grants

Published on August 30, 2021

HARTFORD, CONN (August 30, 2021) – Today the City of Hartford announced it has awarded $1.5 million in grants to 68 different youth-serving providers as part of the City’s community-wide youth-engagement response to the COVID-19 pandemic.  This funding, from the Biden Administration’s American Rescue Plan (ARP), will serve more than 11,000 young people in Hartford providing sports, performing arts, and cultural programs, with a focus on areas of the city identified as enrichment activity deserts.  This $1.5 million is part of $13.9 million designated for Youth Services & Support over the next three years from the City’s ARP allocation.  All programs operated by youth-serving providers will be free to Hartford residents, and residents will be able to enroll directly with those organizations. 

This Spring, Mayor Luke Bronin asked the City’s Children, Youth, and Families Recovery Working Group to partner with the Department of Families, Children, Youth, and Recreation to help ensure all of Hartford’s children and youth have the opportunity to re-engage in a fun enrichment activity of their choice, outside of the school walls, and this grant program is the latest initiative to come out of that work.

“The grants we’re announcing today, supporting sixty-eight community youth providers big and small, represent just one part of our collective effort to help our young people recover, reconnect, and heal from this pandemic,” said Mayor Bronin.  “Young people have experienced so much disruption, isolation, and uncertainty over the last year, and one of the most important things we can do is give our kids the chance to reconnect with peers and mentors, get the support of caring, dedicated providers, and just have some fun – whether it’s through sports, music, dance, or anything else.  Over the next three years, we’re committing $14 million of our American Rescue Plan funds to youth services and support, in addition to the approximately $100 million in funding that’s directly supporting the Hartford Public Schools, and I’m so grateful to the dozens of providers who are doing this vital work in our community.  We are also deeply grateful to our entire federal delegation and the Biden administration for giving us the resources to build back better.”

“Sports, performing arts, and other cultural programs are critically important to the social and emotional development of our children,” said U.S. Senator Richard Blumenthal.  “The pandemic caused Hartford’s children to lose out on these critically important experiences.  Federal funds will put kids back on the playing field and among their peers without any cost to their families.  I commend Mayor Bronin and the City of Hartford’s vision to expand its investment in our next generation.”

“The pandemic has been tough on our kids’ social and emotional health, and I was proud to fight for this funding in the American Rescue Plan,” said U.S. Senator Chris Murphy.  “Students of all socioeconomic backgrounds deserve the chance to just be kids, and this funding for Hartford Summer UNITY will go a long way to help more students participate in sports, performing arts and cultural programs outside of the classroom.”

“The organizations receiving these grants are doing the real work on the ground every day to serve our youth,” said Rep. John B. Larson.  “I fought for passage of the American Rescue Plan because of its historic investments in communities like Hartford that we have not seen since the New Deal.  I applaud Mayor Bronin and the City of Hartford for awarding these funds to groups directly engaging with young people at such a crucial time.”

Grants come in three levels of funding: 1) Less than $5,000; 2) $5,000 to less than $25,000; and 3) $25,000 and above.  The grantees are:

  • Advocacy to Legacy: $4,900
  • Angel Number Twenty-Six: $4,850
  • Big Red Bird: $18,500
  • Blue Castle Key LLC: $4,875
  • Blue Hills Civic Association, in Partnership with Creativista Charm LLC: $124,700
  • Carrie McCrorey: $4,500
  • Center for Latino Progress – CPRF: $121,091
  • Center for Urban Research, Education and Training (CURET), Inc.: $24,999
  • Chanda Cato: $4,500
  • Charise Floyd-Pickering: $4,800
  • Charter Oak Cultural Center: $4,900
  • COMPASS Youth Collaborative: $4,750
  • Corey Knighton: $3,500
  • CT Scholars: $12,500
  • Curtis Knighton: $4,400
  • Daniel Olguin: $4,500
  • Darlene Charles-Sandy: $4,960
  • Dig Inc: $3,155
  • Ebony Horsewomen, Inc.: $25,000
  • Family Essentials Network Inc.: $4,500
  • Forge City Works: $4,900
  • GHPA Youth Basketball Program INC: $24,600
  • Girl Scouts of Connecticut: $35,039
  • Hartford Consortium for Higher Education: $50,000
  • Hartford Hurricanes: $24,220
  • Hartford Knights Corp.: $58,880
  • Hartford Lions Soccer Academy, INC: $4,990
  • Hartford Performs: $34,071
  • Hartford Police Athletic and Activities League (PAAL) Program: $49,700
  • Hartford Wildcats, Inc.: $100,000
  • Hartford's Camp Courant: $60,000
  • Hartford's Proud Drill Drum and Dance Corp.: $43,727
  • Hoopwave Sport Mentoring: $4,500
  • Horizons Youth Enrichment Program Inc.: $4,900
  • HYPE - Helping Young People Evolve: $4,900
  • Inara Ramin: $4,990
  • Jacqueline Bright: $3,500
  • James Gary: $4,990
  • Judy Dworin Performance Project, Inc.: $32,576
  • K LA RUE Educational Arts Motion: $4,990
  • Kaleb J Garrett  : $4,850
  • Keney Park Sustainability Project: $18,000
  • Mamie Dash: $4,313
  • Michelle Texidor: $3,200
  • My Sisters Keeper United LLC  : $4,800
  • New England Brothahood: $4,999
  • North Family Life Center, Inc: $21,770
  • NRO NIRO Design Center: $21,250
  • Nutmeg Big Brothers Big Sisters, Inc.: $4,775
  • Nyesha McCauley: $2,200
  • Posh Paint: $4,750
  • Sheldon Oak Central, in partnership with Summer of Solutions: $25,706
  • Sign Design and Banner: $4,500
  • Sportmen's Athletic Club and Cricket Hall of Fame: $18,000
  • Supreme Being Inc: $4,999
  • Thaddeus Taylor: $4,999
  • The Dream Support Network: $4,999
  • The DreamBig College: $40,000
  • The Miracle League of Connecticut: $24,131
  • TheRiseUpGroup: $4,000
  • Tiandra D Jewell: $4,800
  • TKH Global Consulting : $4,500
  • Tracy Funnye: $3,500
  • Troy Mckoy: $4,900
  • Urban League of Greater Hartford: $24,999
  • URISE Ventures, Inc.: $139,006
  • YMCA of Greater Hartford: $30,000
  • YWCA Hartford Region, Inc.: $99,180
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