Opportunity Overview
The Connecticut Health Foundation (CT Health) offers President’s Discretionary Grants on a rolling basis for organizations and institutions whose work advances the Foundation’s mission to improve health equity in Connecticut. CT Health describes these grants as a flexible source of support for immediate projects, including work that is time-sensitive, tests a new idea, or otherwise responds to the Foundation’s mission and strategic priorities.
Funding and Timing
Awards are available for up to $25,000. CT Health states that these grants are awarded on a rolling basis and that the process generally takes approximately one to two months. No fixed application deadline is published.
Who Can Apply
CT Health generally funds IRS 501(c)(3) nonprofit organizations, state and municipal public agencies, public entities such as health departments, universities, and social-service programs, and coalitions, advocacy groups, or collaboratives that have an eligible fiscal sponsor. Organizations based outside Connecticut may be eligible only when the proposed work is focused on Connecticut and benefits Connecticut residents.
Important Funding Limits
Applicants should not treat this as unrestricted healthcare service funding. CT Health states that it does not fund grants to individuals, projects focused only on direct service delivery without broader policy or practice change, clinical research, capital projects, projects that do not benefit Connecticut residents, legislative lobbying, or political campaigns. The Foundation also states that indirect costs are not funded for discretionary grants.
Strategic Fit
CT Health’s current focus areas include expanding health care coverage, community health workers, maternal health equity, and infrastructure for health equity. Competitive discretionary requests should connect clearly to the Foundation’s broader systems-change and health-equity objectives rather than rely only on a direct-service rationale.
Application Process
CT Health instructs prospective applicants to talk with the Foundation about the idea before submitting an application. Applicants should therefore contact the Foundation, confirm strategic fit and eligibility, and then follow the application process provided by CT Health.
Atlas Analysis
This is a credible, continuously actionable Connecticut health-equity funding lane for nonprofits, public agencies, universities, coalitions, and community organizations with projects that can demonstrate broader systems, policy, infrastructure, or practice impact. The award size is modest, but the rolling structure makes the program especially useful for timely pilots, planning, health-equity infrastructure, or other focused initiatives. Atlas Opportunity Score: 82/100.
N9+ Direct Vendor Fit: 0/100. QC Healthcare Fit: 0/100. The funder does not accept for-profit vendors as direct applicants, excludes capital projects, and does not fund projects that are solely direct-service delivery. Atlas will not manufacture a technology or clinical-service pathway where the funder has not established one.
Next Action
Confirm that the applicant is an eligible nonprofit, public agency, public entity, university, coalition, or fiscally sponsored collaborative; define the project’s Connecticut health-equity and systems-change value; and contact CT Health before submitting an application. Because the program is rolling, qualified organizations do not need to wait for a quarterly program-grant deadline.
Verified source: Connecticut Health Foundation, “Are You Seeking a Grant?” grantmaking guidance, verified September 6, 2026.