Future Forward CT’s grant will advance its mission of making college a degree accessible and achievable for adult learners, including working adults, parents, and first-generation college students. This grant will support the program’s ability to reduce financial barriers for motivated adult learners and fund opportunities that will allow learners to enhance their skills, credentials, and networking to advance their careers.
Through its partnership with Southern New Hampshire University (SNHU), Future Forward CT offers flexible, self-paced, competency-based online degree programs designed for today’s adult learners. Students receive support from a dedicated coach who provides motivation, accountability, and personalized guidance to keep learners on track to earn their degree. This model is reinforced by engagement in ongoing virtual and in person events related to academic, career, and personal success and comprehensive wraparound support, including peer support, mentorship, and referrals to community resources.
“This grant directly strengthens our ability to remove financial barriers that too often force adult learners to pause or abandon their education,” said Felecia Edwards-Smith, Founding Executive Director of Future Forward CT. “By reducing out-of-pocket tuition costs and supporting real-world, career-connected learning opportunities, this funding helps our students persist, complete their degrees, and move toward the economic mobility that supports long-term stability and growth.”
As it enters its second century of serving as the community foundation for the Greater Hartford region, the Foundation is the community foundation for Hartford and 28 surrounding towns. It recently announced that it will change its name to the Greater Hartford Gives Foundation in this month. This effort also includes the creation of a new logo, a new tagline “A strong foundation for all,” and a new website at www.greaterhartfordgives.org, which will go live on January 6.
For more information on the Latino Endowment Fund, go to www.hfpg.org/latino or www.graterhartfordgives.org/latino.
The Latino Endowment Fund was founded in 2003 by Latino leaders in Greater Hartford to increase philanthropy in their community and to strengthen nonprofits working to improve the quality of life for Latino residents. Members examine issues affecting the Latino community and recommend grants from the fund to address those issues.
In 2021, the Hartford Foundation established two five-year, $250,000 flex-funds to support the Foundation’s Latino Endowment Fund and Black Giving Circle Fund. These additional resources are intended to empower the two giving circles to increase their grantmaking capacity by up to $50,000 per year over five years and/or contribute up to $50,000 per year to their endowment to increase their perpetual grantmaking capacity.