Opportunity Overview
Farmington Bank Community Foundation 2026 Cycle Two: Access to Job Training and Education is open for nonprofit programs that help low to moderate income individuals and families build skills and obtain credentials that lead to higher wages. The Foundation describes Cycle Two as its “striving” economic mobility round and gives priority consideration to requests serving Bristol, the Farmington Valley, and New Britain.
Funding and Deadline
The Foundation reports an average grant size of about $8,000 and a normal maximum of $20,000, with larger grants possible in special circumstances. Grants generally cover a one year period, and an organization is generally eligible for one grant per calendar year.
The 2026 Cycle Two application closes October 15, 2026 at 11:59 PM. The current official announcement publishes the clock time but does not separately state a time zone, so applicants should submit early rather than infer one.
Eligibility and Geography
Applicants must be registered 501(c)(3) organizations serving the Foundation’s funding region or use a qualifying fiscal sponsor. The 16 town region is Avon, Berlin, Bloomfield, Bristol, Burlington, Canton, Farmington, Hartford, Newington, New Britain, Plainville, Rocky Hill, Simsbury, Southington, West Hartford, and Wethersfield. FBCF identifies 10 core communities and is specifically seeking increased grantmaking in Bristol, Farmington, and New Britain.
The Foundation does not fund religious activities, endowments or foundations, previously incurred expenses, event sponsorships, fundraisers or other one time events, public entities, or individuals.
2026 Cycle Two Priorities
This round focuses on access to job training and education, particularly job training and credential attainment that lead to higher wages. Proposed work should support low to moderate income individuals, families, and communities within the eligible region. Current public guidance does not publish a mandatory match or cost share requirement.
Eligible Uses and Application Controls
Under the Foundation’s current grantmaking guidelines, support may include ongoing program costs or one time start up costs, including capital, when aligned with the Foundation’s mission and current priorities. Some general operating support may be considered for nonprofits with a proven record of impact and a history of Foundation support.
All applications must be submitted through the Foundation’s online portal. The public grant process page provides an application reference copy, but applicants should use the live portal as the controlling 2026 application and attachment checklist. New applicants and organizations proposing a new program are encouraged to contact fbcf@fbcfct.org before submission.
Healthcare Workforce Relevance
This opportunity can support eligible nonprofit healthcare workforce pipelines when the project is fundamentally a job training or credential attainment program serving the Foundation’s target population and geography. In its 2025 workforce cycle, FBCF funded Bristol Works, Inc. for training in Manufacturing, Healthcare, IT, and Early Childhood Education. That prior award demonstrates historical healthcare workforce alignment but does not guarantee eligibility or funding for any 2026 proposal.
Atlas Analysis
Atlas Opportunity Score: 89/100. The opportunity is current, locally controlled, clearly aligned to workforce mobility, and can support legitimate healthcare workforce projects. The principal constraints are nonprofit eligibility, the defined 16 town geography, the broad workforce focus, and the ordinary $20,000 maximum.
N9+ Fit Score: 55/100 conditional. A legitimate role for the Nonagon N9+ device and platform could exist only where an eligible nonprofit is operating a healthcare training or credential program and can demonstrate that hands on clinical technology is an allowable, necessary program or start up capital cost. The current cycle does not create a medical device preference, so Atlas should not force an equipment use case.
QC Healthcare fit is conditional. QC Healthcare could potentially support an applicant led healthcare workforce or clinical training model, but it is not itself an eligible nonprofit applicant under the published rules. No applicant outreach is authorized solely from this general opportunity record.
Next Steps
Confirm 501(c)(3) or fiscal sponsor status, verify that the program serves the eligible Central Connecticut region and low to moderate income participants, document how the training or credential directly improves employment and wage prospects, and confirm any proposed capital or technology cost in the live application. Submit through the official portal before October 15, 2026 at 11:59 PM.
Official source: Farmington Bank Community Foundation.