Free funder guide · Connecticut · Last checked 27 September 2026
Which Connecticut environmental funders actually accept applications
Most private foundations in Connecticut have already told the IRS they won't read your proposal. This page explains how to spot them, and lists 13 secular funders of environmental and conservation work in Connecticut that do take applications, with what they fund, what they have given, and when they next open.
Most Connecticut private foundations that take applications and made environmental grants also gave to a church, a YMCA, Habitat for Humanity or another religious charity in their latest filing, so they are not listed here. Two state land programs, the Long Island Sound fund, community foundation environment funds and a few conservation-minded family foundations make up the list.
From my own read of IRS filings, September 2026
In Connecticut, 571 of the 738 private foundations with $1 million or more in assets that I could check tick the box on their tax return saying they don't accept unsolicited requests. That is 77%.
That leaves 167 larger Connecticut foundations that say they will read an application. It is a higher share of closed doors than in Massachusetts (72%, 1,151 of 1,592), and a lower share than in New York (82%, 3,533 of 4,309), counted the same way.
How I counted: every private non-operating foundation with a Connecticut address on the IRS Exempt Organizations Master File (September 2026 release) reporting assets of $1 million or more, checked against its most recent e-filed Form 990-PF (tax years 2022 to 2026, almost all 2024 or 2025). There are 741; 3 had no e-filed return I could find, so they are left out of the count. Operating foundations, which mostly run their own programs, are left out, as they were for Massachusetts and New York. Counting them too gives 79% (639 of 811).
What the checkbox means
One small box on the tax return tells you whether to bother.
Every private foundation files Form 990-PF with the IRS each year. Part XIV, line 2 of that return has a checkbox. A foundation that ticks it is telling the IRS, in writing, that it chooses its grantees itself. A proposal sent to it is usually wasted work.
"Check here if the foundation only makes contributions to preselected charitable organizations and does not accept unsolicited requests for funds."Form 990-PF, Part XIV, line 2
A foundation that leaves the box empty has to fill in lines 2a to 2d instead: who receives applications, what form they should take, any deadlines, and any limits on who or what it funds. For many small family foundations, those four lines are the only published guidelines they have.
The box does not tell you whether a foundation funds your kind of work. For that, read line 3a, the list of grants it actually paid. Check both before you write a letter of inquiry. Any foundation's return can be read free on ProPublica Nonprofit Explorer.
13 funders
Open to applications, and funding environmental work in Connecticut.
Every funder below is secular, says it accepts applications (on its website or its tax return), and has paid grants to environmental or conservation groups in its most recent filing. Government programs are the exception: they file no tax return. Community foundations are listed by the program that fits environmental groups. Grant examples come from each funder's latest IRS filing unless the funder's own site is named.
Verified date on the funder's own site on 27 Sept 2026Expected based on last cycle; next not yet postedRolling applications any timeFiling only no website; from the tax return, confirm firstCheck site next date not posted; open their page
Statewide and regional public grantmakers
01
Connecticut DEEP: Open Space and Watershed Land Acquisition Grant Program
Hartford · statewide
State grants to municipalities, nonprofit land conservation organizations and water companies to buy land or conservation interests for open space with public access. Awards go to projects with the highest conservation and recreational value that leverage the most private and municipal money.
Typical grant
Up to 65% of fair market value for a nonprofit land conservation organization, or 75% for land in an environmental justice community, distressed municipality or targeted investment community; awards may be lower or capped (2026 guidelines).
Next deadline
Applications due November 6, 2026; appraisal reviews due December 4, 2026 Verified.
How to apply
Application form with maps, title search and appraisals, endorsed by local planning, zoning, conservation or open space commissions, plus an advisory report from the regional planning agency. Public access to the property must be shown.
Grants to create, enhance or restore public urban green space or community gardens, including space used for environmental education. Nonprofits must be registered with the Connecticut Secretary of the State, and the project must sit in an eligible community and be open to the public.
Typical grant
Past awards ranged from $10,000 for planter boxes at a community garden to $500,000 for multi-use trail work. It is a reimbursement program covering up to 50% of project cost (2026 FAQ).
Next deadline
December 4, 2026 Verified.
How to apply
DEEP's application form (PDF on the program page); the program is run through the OSWA office.
National Fish and Wildlife Foundation: Long Island Sound Futures Fund
Washington, DC · Long Island Sound watershed (habitat projects in the coastal watershed only)
Water quality, habitat restoration and community stewardship projects for Long Island Sound, run with the EPA and the Long Island Sound Partnership. Nitrogen reduction projects can be anywhere in the Connecticut part of the watershed; habitat restoration must be in the coastal watershed.
Typical grant
$50,000 to $2 million for implementation; $50,000 to $500,000 for design and planning or for outreach and education; 50% non-federal match (2026 request for proposals). Connecticut grants in its filing for the year to September 2025 include Middlesex Land Trust $459,772 (fish passage), Aspetuck Land Trust $56,339 (water quality buffers), Farmington River Watershed Association $32,246 and Norwalk Land Trust $13,016 (the filing does not name the program).
Next deadline
About spring 2027 Expected. The 2026 round closed May 19, 2026, with awards due in November 2026; the 2027 request for proposals is not posted yet.
How to apply
Online proposal in NFWF's Easygrants system. The request for proposals lists one-to-one proposal help for Connecticut applicants.
Matches local crowdfunding campaigns for community sustainability projects with a free public benefit, such as pollinator pathways, invasive species removal, tree planting, community gardens and composting. Nonprofits, towns, schools and residents can lead projects.
Typical grant
A dollar-for-dollar match of what a 30 to 60 day campaign raises, up to $6,000 (its site). Its 2025 report shows a $3,500 match for Friends of Boulder Knoll (community composting in Cheshire). Grants in its 2024 filing include Farmington Land Trust $15,000 and Litchfield Land Trust $7,500 (the filing does not name the program).
Next deadline
No deadlines; projects are taken on a rolling basis Rolling.
How to apply
Email [email protected] to check eligibility and project readiness, then run a crowdfunding campaign on Patronicity with its coach.
Community Foundation of Eastern Connecticut: Environmental Grants
New London · 42 towns in New London, Windham and Tolland counties
Competitive grants to protect land, waterways and wildlife habitat, to involve young people, especially youth of color, in environmental education, and for grassroots environmental justice work.
Typical grant
$10,000 to $50,000 (its site). Its 2026 environmental grants include Audubon Connecticut $70,000, Alliance for the Mystic River Watershed $40,000, Denison Pequotsepos Nature Center $30,000, New London Trees $25,000 and Connecticut River Conservancy $24,000 (its grantee list).
Next deadline
January 15, 2027, for Community Impact Grants, which include the environmental area Verified.
How to apply
Online application portal. First-time applicants must have an initial conversation with the foundation before applying.
Community Foundation of Middlesex County: Janvrin Fund for Birds, Other Animals and Nature
Middletown · Middlesex County
A field-of-interest fund for programs that "preserve, protect, and steward land, waterways, and wildlife habitats" in the county. It is not limited to traditional environmental groups. General operating requests are also taken in both cycles.
Typical grant
Minimum $500; no maximum published (its site). Environmental grants in its 2025 filing include The Nature Conservancy $140,965, Eastern Connecticut Conservation District $82,241 (Connecticut Watershed Network), Connecticut River Conservancy $21,300 and Chester Land Trust $9,500 (the filing does not say which fund paid them).
Next deadline
Fall cycle October 1, 2026; spring cycle April 1, 2027 Verified. Applicants must attend an information session first; the fall sessions were held September 2 and 8, 2026.
How to apply
Online application in the fall or spring cycle after attending an information session; contact the foundation if you missed one.
Northwest Connecticut Community Foundation: Cycle Grants
Torrington · 20 towns in northwest Connecticut
Competitive grant rounds for nonprofits serving its 20 towns (Barkhamsted to Winchester), with the environment one of five areas. Support can go to programs, capital, capacity building or operating costs.
Typical grant
Average about $5,000 (its guidelines). Environmental grants in its 2025 filing include Cornwall Conservation Trust $164,000, Winchester Land Trust $100,200 (Laurel Ridge project) and Great Mountain Forest $10,000 (the filing does not separate cycle grants from donor-advised gifts).
Next deadline
September 30, 2026 Verified. Rounds run three times a year; the date after that is not posted yet Check site. Its 2023 guidelines list due dates of January 31, April 30, September 30 and November 30.
How to apply
Online grant portal (Grant Lifecycle Manager); guidelines and a quick start guide are on the page.
Community Foundation for Greater New Haven: Quinnipiac River Fund
New Haven · Quinnipiac River and New Haven Harbor watersheds
Grants to improve the environmental quality of the Quinnipiac River, New Haven Harbor and their watersheds: pollution and ecology studies, habitat restoration, land purchase, public education and advocacy (not litigation). It came from a 1990 court settlement over wastewater discharges.
Typical grant
Varies by project; the fund distributes more than $100,000 a year (its site). Grants in its 2024 filing include River Advocates of South Central CT $17,000 (public access on the lower Quinnipiac) and Southwest Conservation District $12,000 (a Quinnipiac River watershed coordinator).
Next deadline
About December 2026 to February 2027 Expected. The 2026 round opened December 8, 2025 and closed February 6, 2026.
How to apply
Online application through the Community Foundation when the round opens.
Berkshire Taconic Community Foundation: Crane Family Fund
Sheffield, MA · Northwest Litchfield County, with Berkshire, Columbia and northeast Dutchess counties
Projects at "the intersection of environmental quality and community health and well-being", with particular interest in connecting low-income and at-risk young people to the environment.
Typical grant
$1,000 to $4,000 (its site). Connecticut environmental grants in its 2024 filing include Sharon Audubon Center $7,520 (the filing does not say which fund paid it).
Next deadline
February 15, 2027 Verified.
How to apply
Online application portal linked from the fund page.
Madison · Connecticut and elsewhere in the Northeast
No website; everything here comes from its 2025 tax filing. It says it focuses on grants to land trusts and other groups protecting land in ecologically sensitive areas, native plant restoration and environmental education.
Typical grant
Nine grants totaling $676,000 in 2025, including The Wyndham Land Trust $100,000, Nature Conservancy of Connecticut $100,000, Joshua's Trust $50,000 and Madison Land Conservation Trust $15,000.
Next deadline
No deadline given in the filing Filing only.
How to apply
Write to The Summer Hill Foundation, 888 Summer Hill Road, Madison, CT 06443 (phone 203-421-3669, per the filing). Grantees fill out its application form.
No website; everything here comes from its 2025 tax filing. Every grant it made that year was for the environment, and it says it prefers environmental issues, "particularly water quality".
Typical grant
Median $1,000 across 36 grants in 2025. Examples: Buzzards Bay Coalition $10,000, Greenwich Land Trust $5,000, Save the Sound $5,000, Great Mountain Forest $2,500, SoundWaters $1,000.
Next deadline
No deadline, per the filing Filing only.
How to apply
A letter request to N. George Host, 725 Palm Trail Apt 6, Delray Beach, FL 33483.
Projects on the marine environment (coastal and estuarine land conservation, research, stewardship education) and on safety at sea. It favors discrete projects and smaller organizations, and applicants must be public charities.
Typical grant
Generally about $10,000 or less (its site); median $4,410 across 30 grants in 2025. Connecticut examples: New England Science $4,500 (Stonington) and SoundWaters $4,200 (Stamford).
Next deadline
Twice a year: February 1 for the March board meeting and September 1 for the October meeting (its standing schedule) Verified. Next deadline February 1, 2027.
How to apply
Its Grant Summary Form plus a full proposal package by email to [email protected].
Auburndale, MA · New England and upper New York State
Community-based nature and land conservation groups: land protection, trails and public access, and projects that involve local residents in conservation. It is unlikely to fund routine operating budgets or deficits.
Typical grant
$500 to $25,000, most $2,000 to $15,000 (its site). Connecticut grants in its 2024 filing: Groton Open Space Association $10,000, Winchester Land Trust $10,000, Northern Connecticut Land Trust $7,500, Steep Rock Association $5,000.
Next deadline
Any time; the directors meet regularly through the year Rolling.
How to apply
Email a full proposal of three or four pages plus attachments, or start with a one-page outline.
It is not exhaustive and it is not a ranking. Deadlines and guidelines change, so open each funder's own page before you start. Grants are competitive, and past grant sizes describe what a funder gave, not what it will give you. I list secular funders only.
The full version
Want this done for your own organization?
A Funding Roadmap ($1,200, flat fee) gives you ten to fifteen funders matched to your mission, place and size, the grants each one paid to groups like yours, how to apply, and a 12-month grant calendar. Every deadline is labeled the same way as on this page.
Email me your organization's name, rough budget and what you'd like funded. You'll get a written reply within two business days.
You fill in a short intake questionnaire, then answer one round of written follow-up questions.
About three weeks later you get the roadmap, a two-page note on how to use it, and 14 days of email questions.
Everything happens in writing. There are no calls or meetings.