Direct Cash Assistance Supports Changemakers
Pilot Program Empowers Individuals, Communities
States across the country are increasingly looking at direct cash assistance programs as a means for increasing economic mobility. In Connecticut, The Community Foundation is invested in a pilot called The Changemaker Fund, which is providing cash assistance to 120 community leaders in Bridgeport, Hartford and New Haven.
The extra income is designed to help participants gain enough financial freedom to devote more time and energy to community building and advocacy. The program was launched through the Connecticut Urban Opportunity Collaborative (CUOC), a partnership of The Foundation’s with the Hartford Foundation for Public Giving and Fairfield County’s Community Foundation.
Over the next three years, direct cash assistance in Connecticut is expected to total more than $13 million, with private philanthropy providing all the funding.
