Nonprofits across Fairfield County, including those serving Greenwich residents, will share more than $3.75 million in grants after the region's community foundation boosted its annual strategic funding by 18 percent. The foundation did not name specific Greenwich grantee organizations in its announcement, though Greenwich is among the towns it serves.
Fairfield County's Community Foundation announced Aug. 13 that its fiscal year 2026 Community Impact grants will support 200 nonprofit organizations working across a range of community needs. The Norwalk-based foundation serves towns and cities across the county, including Greenwich.
"This 18 percent increase means more local nonprofits can meet urgent needs today while also investing in new solutions that will strengthen Fairfield County for the future," President and CEO Mendi Blue Paca said in the foundation's announcement.
The $3.75 million in Community Impact grants was distributed across six categories: Youth Education & Workforce, Health, Housing, Income & Asset Building, Women & Girls and Civic Engagement.
Combined with $19.6 million in grants from donor-advised funds, the foundation's total FY2026 grantmaking reached $23.3 million.
More flexible funding
The foundation also increased its use of general operating support in FY2026. That matters. Instead of restricting every grant to a single program, general operating dollars let nonprofit leaders direct funding where demand is greatest.
Lutonya Russell-Humes, the foundation's vice president of grants and programs, said in the Aug. 13 announcement that organizations are stretching every dollar further as more families seek help for the first time. She called flexible operating support "one of philanthropy's most direct responses to this urgency" because it lets leaders adapt in real time.
The increase comes as food insecurity in Fairfield County continues to climb. In an interview with Inside Philanthropy, Blue Paca said the foundation anticipates more than 11,000 families in the county could be at risk of losing some or all of their SNAP benefits due to federal policy changes.
Over three decades, the foundation has awarded more than $420 million in grants to nonprofits in Fairfield County and beyond. Twenty-four nonprofits received their first-ever grant from the foundation this fiscal year, and 11 are partnering on multi-year initiatives focused on career pathways for youth and Black maternal health.
What's ahead locally
Russell-Humes will appear as a panelist at the Foodshed Forum Fairfield County event "Localizing Food in Connecticut" on Wednesday, Sept. 2, from 6:30 to 8 p.m. at North Greenwich Congregational Church. The event is free but requires registration, available through thefoodshednetwork.org/foodshed-forum-2026.
