Opportunity Overview
The Dime Foundation, established by Dime Bank, completed its final 2026 grant cycle on September 9, 2026. Atlas is preserving the archived record for successor-cycle planning. The Foundation funds organizations and programs that improve community well-being and quality of life, with priorities that include basic human services for people considered most at risk, services to at-risk or underserved children, families and older adults, affordable housing, education/job training/literacy, self-sufficiency and collaborative efforts.
Deadline
Applications for the third and final 2026 cycle are due September 9, 2026. Dime Foundation’s current public grant page still lists that date but does not publish a specific clock-time cutoff or time zone. The September 9, 2026 deadline date has now passed. Because Dime Foundation did not publish a clock-time cutoff or time zone for that date, Atlas preserves the source limitation but no longer presents the cycle as actionable. Organizations should monitor the Foundation for the next published cycle rather than submit a stale 2026 request.
Who Can Apply
Dime Foundation states that grants are awarded to organizations recognized as exempt under IRC Section 501(c)(3) and to governmental units under IRC Section 170(c)(1). Applicants must primarily serve residents of New London County or the Connecticut towns of Glastonbury, Manchester, Vernon, East Hartford and Marlborough. The Foundation also serves Westerly, Hopkinton and Richmond in Rhode Island.
Funding is generally not provided to fundraising or capital campaigns, organizations that primarily fund other organizations, political or fraternal organizations, religious institutions, or parent-run organizations such as PTOs and Little League organizations.
Healthcare and Human-Services Relevance
This is a broad community-benefit program rather than a healthcare-only solicitation, but the Foundation’s current recipient list confirms a real healthcare and human-services funding track. Recent recipients listed by Dime include Community Health Resources for a homeless-diversion program, the Connecticut Oral Health Initiative for Senior Smiles, the Frank Olean Center for a healthcare program serving individuals with intellectual/developmental disabilities, Healing Therapies Thru Sharing for supportive oncology services, Reliance Health for supportive housing, and Safe Futures for counseling and advocacy.
Funding Amount
The current official Foundation page and application do not publish a universal grant minimum, maximum or typical 2026 request range. Atlas does not infer a ceiling from prior awards. Applicants should build a reasonable, project-specific request tied to the Foundation’s community priorities and disclose all internal and external funding sources for the proposed project, as required by the application.
Application Package
The Foundation’s current four-page application requires a completed application plus a written proposal describing project objectives, plans, location and duration, expected number of beneficiaries, and a budget summary identifying expenses and income. Applicants must also provide a governing-board list or organizational-structure description, the most recent financial statement, a program brochure, a mission statement, and the applicable IRS tax-classification documentation. The form also asks applicants to identify all other funding sources and the percentage of the requested grant expected to benefit low- to moderate-income clients.
The Foundation permits applicants to submit the complete package by mail or to email one PDF file to dsullivan@dime-bank.com, attention Dee Sullivan. Because the public eligibility page expressly permits governmental units while the downloadable checklist is written primarily around 501(c)(3) documentation, a governmental applicant should confirm the appropriate substitute tax/eligibility documentation with the Foundation rather than omit the item silently.
Atlas Analysis
Atlas Opportunity Score: 83/100. This archived Connecticut community-health and human-services cycle remains useful for successor-cycle planning because Dime has a documented healthcare recipient history and a simple direct-submission process. The score is moderated because the program is not healthcare-specific, the September 2026 round is closed, and the Foundation does not publish a current award range.
N9+ Direct Vendor Fit: 0/100. The current published priorities and application do not establish a connected-clinical-device, telehealth-hardware or similar equipment pathway. QC Healthcare Fit: 0/100. The source does not establish physician-coverage or recurring clinical-staffing costs as a stated funding use.
Required Next Action
The September 2026 cycle is closed. Eligible Connecticut organizations should preserve this checklist for the next Dime Foundation cycle: confirm geographic and tax-status eligibility, select a project aligned to the Foundation’s stated priorities, prepare the application and written proposal, assemble the budget and organizational documentation, and monitor the official Foundation page for the next published due date and any updated forms. Prior Dime grantees should also complete the required post-grant report before applying again.
Verified sources: Dime Foundation current grant page and current downloadable Dime Bank Foundation Grant Application; verified September 9, 2026.