The Hartford Foundation for Public Giving Kickstarts Hartford’s Camp Courant’s Entrepreneurial Plan Fundraising With Up to $30,000 Match
The nonprofit is participating in the Social Enterprise Accelerator, an opportunity from the Hartford Foundation for Public Giving to strengthen mission impact through earned-income strategies
HARTFORD, Conn. (March 1, 2024) – The Hartford Foundation for Public Giving’s Nonprofit Support Program (NSP) is strengthening Hartford’s Camp Courant’s effort to implement entrepreneurial strategies by matching up to $30,000 in startup and growth capital investments toward its earned-income plan. Hartford’s Camp Courant is one of the regional nonprofit organizations currently participating in the Social Enterprise Accelerator, an opportunity presented by the Hartford Foundation that helps nonprofits develop and implement an earned-income plan to strengthen their impact in our community.
Nonprofits are selected to participate in the Social Enterprise Accelerator’s 30-month planning and implementation process after a months-long application period. No Margin, No Mission, a social enterprise and national consulting firm engaged by the Hartford Foundation, consults with the participating nonprofits on strategies and best practices to generate revenue throughout that process.
The campsite, located in Batterson Park in Farmington, is a 36-acre facility that otherwise sits dormant for 45 weeks out of the year, when camp is not in session. Now, Camp Courant’s full campsite can be rented out for any private event of any kind. Whether it be a staff retreat, board meeting, family reunion, birthday party, or even a wedding, Camp Courant can accommodate rain or shine. Additionally, all proceeds from facility rentals directly support the organization’s mission. Members of the Camp Courant board and staff recently shared its earned-income plan with potential investors during a fast-pitch-style event presented by the Hartford Foundation.
“We are incredibly excited to be expanding in this capacity and sharing Camp’s space with the community,” said Corrianne Chipello, executive director & CEO of Hartford’s Camp Courant. “Not only is Camp a great venue to host your event, but every rental directly supports our mission of continuing to provide a safe, enriching oasis for our campers.”
Donations and investments contributed to Hartford’s Camp Courant’s earned-income plan will be matched dollar-for-dollar by Hartford Foundation up to $30,000. Pledges, in-kind contributions and debt funding are not eligible to be matched.
“The enthusiasm and effort that area nonprofit organizations have brought to the Social Enterprise Accelerator program has far exceeded our expectations,” said Meher Shulman, Associate Director of the Nonprofit Support Program. “While the creative ideas these organizations have brought forward are truly exciting, we have been even more impressed by their level of commitment to developing detailed and viable business plans. Nonprofits in Greater Hartford have an appetite for social enterprise and a need for new revenue sources; we are proud to help them meet that need.”
The Social Enterprise Accelerator is part of the Hartford Foundation for Public Giving’s Nonprofit Thrivability initiative. This initiative connects nonprofits with expertise and resources to learn concepts like strategic decision-making while adopting and implementing entrepreneurial principles to generate enough revenue to support and eventually grow their operations.
For more information about The Social Enterprise Accelerator, please visit www.hfpgnonprofitsupportprogram.org
To learn more about Camp Courant’s mission or contribute to its effort, please visit www.campcourant.org.
About Hartford’s Camp Courant
Celebrating its 130th anniversary in 2024, Hartford’s Camp Courant is a youth development organization and the oldest and largest free summer day camp in the United States. For six weeks every summer, Camp Courant hosts over 750 children a day who get to participate in over a dozen educational and enriching programs, in addition to the summer camp classics like sports & recreation and arts & crafts. Campers receive breakfast and lunch on site daily and transportation is covered to and from the City of Hartford. Additionally, Camp Courant launched a spring enrichment program in 2023, a specialized, one-week session during spring break. All services come at no cost to families.
About the Hartford Foundation for Public Giving
Established in the late 1980s, the Nonprofit Support Program (NSP) at the Hartford Foundation is key to the Foundation’s capacity-building efforts, annually serving more than 200 nonprofits and giving more than $2 million in grants. NSP’s close contact with Greater Hartford’s nonprofits provides it with a unique understanding of the trends within the sector.
The Hartford Foundation for Public Giving is the community foundation for Hartford and 28 surrounding towns. Through partnerships, the Foundation seeks to strengthen communities in Greater Hartford by putting philanthropy in action to dismantle structural racism and achieve equity in social and economic mobility. Made possible by the gifts of generous individuals, families and organizations, the Foundation has awarded grants of more than $998 million since its founding in 1925. For more information, visit www.hfpg.org or call 860-548-1888.
CONTACT:
Sam Tapper
Hartford’s Camp Courant
(860) 370-3476
stapper@campcourant.org