Greater Hartford Gives Foundation Awards More than $800,000 to Greater Hartford Summer Programs
More than 6,300 children and youth and individuals with disabilities will participate
Summer camps provide essential safe and affordable childcare for working parents, fostering children’s independence, teamwork, leadership, and academic skills. Yet, many lower-income families are challenged to afford the costs of sending their children to camp.
Thanks to $804,893 in grants from the Greater Hartford Gives Foundation, more than 6,300 school-age children and youth across Greater Hartford will attend free or reduced-cost summer programs this year. The funding supports 32 programs, including enrichment, tutoring, and counselor-in-training opportunities.
Support for summer programs advances the Greater Hartford Gives’ interest in increasing employment and education opportunities for Black and Latine residents by supporting free or reduced-cost camperships as reliable, enriching childcare; counselor-in-training (CIT) career exposure and workforce development; and enrichment opportunities that provide specialized programming to camps.
“Summer learning programs provide thousands of Hartford families with the opportunity to ensure that their children have a safe and enriching summer experience while allowing parents and caregivers to continue working,” said Greater Hartford Gives Community Impact Officer Alexis Safo-Agyeman. “Summer programs also offer older youth with paid employment and skill-building opportunities to enhance their academic, social, and emotional well-being.”
The Music at the Red Door’s Kids Summer Community Music Camp is one of the programs supported by Greater Hartford Gives this year. The inclusive program provides 20 Hartford students entering grades 3-5 with high-quality music and dance instruction; combining instrumental lessons, singing, rhythm, and daily engagement with professional artists. The weeklong August program places an emphasis on academic, social and emotional growth, mentorship opportunities for returning campers, and accessible, culturally responsive instruction, culminating in a community performance that strengthens skills, confidence, and long-term engagement with the arts. According to Ray Giolitto, Music at the Red Door’s Operations Director, the $5,000 grant to Community Music Camp provides students an experience they may otherwise not have the resources to enjoy.
“Music at the Red Door is thrilled to receive generous support from Greater Hartford Gives,” said Music Community Camp Counselor Nicholas Capozzoli. “Though just five days long, our annual Kids Community Music Camp makes a deep impression on our young campers who may otherwise not learn how to sing, dance, or play music. With this grant, elementary students from Hartford and others from our region will receive high-quality arts instruction along with lots of food and fun!”
Another organization receiving a summer program grant Levo International which has a robust workforce development program aimed at providing a variety of technical conceptual and system knowledge alongside universally useful social skills. Levo works with a variety of programs including ReadyCT, CREC Impact Academy, ACES, and others to identify young adults and students who want to learn about the science and construction of our hydroponic systems. Through this initiative, the organization trains and hires young people recommended by community partners allowing them to make a living wage, learn important skills and support themselves and those living in their own neighborhoods. In the process, these young people contribute to providing freshly picked, healthy produce at affordable prices to the North Hartford community, a community historically denied access to high quality produce in its own neighborhoods. With the $15,000 grant from Greater Hartford Gives, Levo will be able to expand its program to include 8th grade students this summer and introduce them to the same opportunities.
“Levo is pleased with the continued support from Greater Hartford Gives to our programs,” said Levo Executive Director Bill Heiden . The foundation’s work provides important leverage for strengthening the greater Hartford community.”
The Foundation’s summer program grants support more than 3,600 campers with reduced-fee or free summer programming or cover program-related costs such as transportation and meals, enabling Hartford participants, youth, and 365 people with disabilities to attend multiple summer programs. Grants also provide more than 2,300 additional campers access to enrichment programs that provide short-duration enrichment and learning opportunities at multiple summer programs. These programs do not provide camperships themselves and may include activities such as museum, library, or on-site visits. More than 130 Hartford youth (typically ages 14–18) will participate in Counselor-in-Training (CIT) programs that include leadership development, mentoring, hands-on training, and career exploration. These often include stipends and are supervised by program staff.
Other summer programs receiving grants include:
| Organization | Program Description | Grant |
|---|---|---|
| 2-4-1 | The 2-4-1 Active City Sports Camp will follow the principles of both the American Development Model (ADM) and Long-Term Athlete Development (LTAD) model to offer a free sports-based summer program at a Hartford public school site for children and youth ages 6 – 18. The two one-week sessions will include basketball, soccer, volleyball, as well as golf, double-Dutch, and fencing. | $24,106 |
| Auerfarm | Auerfarm's Growing Opportunities for Career & Educational Development for High School Students with Special Needs and High School Students campership, counselor in training (CIT), and tutorial program provides workforce development skills in agriculture and small group tutorial science, technology, engineering, art, and math (STEAM) focused activities, offered through six one-week sessions free of charge. | $48,000 |
| ActUp Theater | ActUp Theater’s Arts Academy (ATAA) is four weeks, serves up to 75 Hartford youth and 15–20 paid Teen Fellows, providing intensive arts instruction, cultural enrichment, and leadership development while supporting working families. Participants rotate through acting, dance, music/voice, creative writing, and workforce development studios led by Master Teaching Artists using The BluePrint curriculum, culminating in a community showcase and a Broadway cultural experience in New York City. ATAA advances equitable access to arts education while driving measurable gains in confidence, communication, cultural awareness, and workforce readiness. | $12,000 |
| American School for the Deaf | American School for the Deaf's multi-week campership and tutorial programs, Extended School Year and Camp Isola Bella, serves deaf and hard of hearing students, as well as hearing students with unique communication needs. The Extended School Year tutorial program provides additional academic support to retain the academic skills acquired during the school year for children and youth ages 6 - 18. Camp Isola Bella provides deaf and hard of hearing campers, ages 8 - 17, with a variety of recreational and educational activities fostering teamwork, enhanced communication, and cooperation. | $23,000 |
| Arts for Learning Connecticut | Arts for Learning Connecticut, in partnership with the Hartford Public Library, is an enrichment program that will provide eight week-long residencies at each of HPL's summer programming sites. Teaching artists will build curricula for students ages 6 - 18 to learn varied artform expressions, which will incorporate social and emotional learning, culturally responsive teaching, and National Core Arts Standards. | $15,000 |
| Boys & Girls Club of Hartford | The Boys & Girls’ Summer Fun Club is a seven-week campership and CIT program providing a comprehensive summer experience for children ages 6 - 13 and CITs ages 15 - 18 that will enable and empower youth to discover and develop their individual intellectual, social, and physical potential, as well as expose them to communal responsibilities. Youth will engage in daily literacy and recreational activities, cultural programming, and arts and life skills development. | $50,000 |
| Build a Better You, LLC | The Build a Better Community Summer Enrichment program will offer a free, five-week summer session for children ages of 5 - 11 years at the Swift Factory campus. In collaboration with Build a Better You, LLC, a black-owned mental health agency, Community First School will offer morning academic programs, use of nearby outdoor parks, and afternoon recreational and arts activities. Summer camp will close with a family engagement event to showcase summer accomplishments and performances. | $20,000 |
| Camp Courant | Camp Courant's campership provides free, six one-week sessions for Hartford youth ages 5 - 12 to participate in a safe, educational, and recreational environment at its Farmington campsite. Campers will have access to traditional outdoor camp adventures, specialized music and performing arts programs, STEM and manufacturing, and an Early Learning Center for the youngest campers. | $50,000 |
| Charter Oak Temple Restoration Association, Inc. | Charter Oak Temple Restoration Association, Inc.'s City School of the Arts Summer Camps 2026, will provide 1,000 Hartford children [BD1.1]with a comprehensive, tuition- and audition-free arts education that fosters creativity, academic growth, and personal development through year-round classes. | $20,000 |
| Community First School | The Career Exploration and Employment Enrichment is a free six-week tutorial program for individuals ages 15 - 18 with disabilities. The program incorporates six modules, including vocational assessment and team building, exploring skilled trades such as carpentry and painting, electrical and plumbing, learning computer technology, engaging in landscaping and gardening, and participating in field visits to work sites or post-secondary campuses. | $20,000 |
| Connecticut Science Center, Inc. | The Science Center's “Science of Summer” programs address summer learning loss head-on for students by delivering access to science experiences for more than 500 students during the summer months when informal learning is essential to stoking children's curiosity and wonder, which is in turn essential for a long-term positive relationship with STEM. Science Center exhibit content not only teaches scientific concepts but also require students to directly engage with the scientific process. | $15,954 |
| ConnectiKids | The ConnectiKids Vintage Summer Program is a five-week program, which includes book club and afternoon enrichment. Classes will combine activities to nurture students' reading, writing, and critical thinking skills. On Fridays, they will have coordinated field trips related to the themed curriculum, wherein the students will use the skills learned in the classroom. | $40,000 |
| Futures, Inc. | The Career Exploration and Employment Enrichment is a free six-week tutorial program for individuals ages 15 - 18 with disabilities. The program incorporates six modules, including vocational assessment and team building, exploring skilled trades such as carpentry and painting, electrical and plumbing, learning computer technology, engaging in landscaping and gardening, and participating in field visits to work sites or post-secondary campuses. | $40,332 |
| Goodwin University | Goodwin’s Manufacturing in Motion (MIM) is an enrichment program that offers a mobile advanced manufacturing lab, introducing middle and high school students who are enrolled at various Hartford camp sites to manufacturing careers. | $10,000 |
| Green & Blue Foundation | Hartford Athletic’s Green & Blue Foundation offers Summer Reading Sundays, runs from late morning into early afternoon on select dates and begins with a story time led by librarians from the Hartford Public Library, Hartford Athletic players and coaches, and family members. Children gather on the stadium field to enjoy reading together, transforming books into a shared, engaging experience that fosters a love of learning while supporting summer literacy goals. The program also features a free soccer clinic along with pizza and refreshments, giving youth the opportunity to be active, develop their skills, and engage with coaches in a fun and supportive environment. | $10,000 |
| HARC, Inc. | HARC, Inc.'s Capable Kids program is a free, six-week summer camp for children and youth ages 5-21 with intellectual and related disabilities. The 2026 summer theme is "Capable Kids Celebrating Culture & Diversity" | $35,000 |
| Hartford Lions Soccer, Inc. | The Hartford Lions Soccer, Inc., “Goal Getters,” Youth Summer Soccer Program provides half-day, age-based sessions that combine soccer skills development with socio-emotional learning, teamwork, cultural awareness, and confidence-building in a safe, inclusive environment. | $13,000 |
| Hartford Public Library | Hartford Public Library’s Summer Literacy and STEM Enrichment Camp program will offer a literacy program for children and youth ages 3 - 18 visiting from external summer camps. The Library will host an official exhibit and offer literacy resources including books, poetry, storytelling, songs, and hands-on STEAM and arts components. | $20,000 |
| Hartford Stage | Hartford Stage Summer Studio multi-week campership program engages young artists ages 3 - 18 in age-appropriate, theatre-based activities. | $10,000 |
| Horizons at Ethel Walker School | The Literacy Leaders program is a free, six-week literacy campership program for Hartford girls ages 3 - 14 to improve their educational outcomes and close learning gaps through academic and athletic instruction, cultural enrichment opportunities, mentoring, and educational guidance. | $38,000 |
| Horizons at Westminster School | Horizons at Westminster is a free, six-week academic program for Hartford youth ages 6 - 14 to improve their educational outcomes and close learning gaps through academic and athletic instruction, cultural enrichment opportunities, mentoring, and education guidance. Its curriculum focuses on literacy and STEAM education as well as social and emotional learning. | $38,000 |
| Horizons, Inc. | Horizons offers a two-week traditional summer camp program for children and adults ages 6 and up with intellectual and developmental disabilities. The program includes swimming, arts, camp crafts, music, performing arts, physical education, health and fitness, science, pioneering, and language arts. | $37,500 |
| Lawson Chapel/ Urban Hope Refuge Church | Heroes of Hope Future Leaders Summer Camp (HHFL) is a comprehensive four-week program crafted to captivate students through a blend of academic, entertainment, and enriching activities. Specifically designed for children 4-10 years of age, the camp extends its reach to teenagers three evenings a week. The evening camp is intended to assist teens in making risky behavior choices over the summer, particularly during evening hours. | $15,000 |
| McEIVR, Inc. | Makerspace's Summer STEAM and CIT programming is a free, multi-week summer session for youth ages 11 - 18. Campers explore valuable skills and trades for career exploration, including 3D design, 3D printing, virtual reality, art mediums including woodworking, paint, and metal, and coding. | $25,000 |
| Organized Parents Make a Difference (OPMAD) | OPMAD Unplugged campership and CIT program will provide enrichment and academic remediation for children and youth from kindergarten through eighth grade, ages 6 - 14, at five Hartford Public school sites. The program will offer literacy, math, science, art, sports, life skills, and cultural enrichment activities as core components. | $50,000 |
| Real Art Ways | Park Art campership is a free, multi-week summer program for children and youth ages 3 - 18 to engage in comprehensive art workshops that align with Core Art Standards. Park Art primarily serves the neighborhoods of Frog Hollow and Parkville. Activities include painting, drawing, printmaking, and pottery, environmental-based arts, movement and dance, literary arts, and live music. | $15,000 |
| The Salvation Army of Southern New England | The Salvation Army's summer programming include a one-week academic program as well as a one-week overnight youth camp for youth ages 6 - 14. The academic program prioritizes literacy and offers additional enrichment activities. The youth overnight camp introduces youth to a rural setting, and offers traditional camp activities including arts and crafts, aquatics, and organized sports. | $35,000 |
| Trinity College | Dream Camp at Trinity College provides a five-week CIT program for 15 - 17 year-olds to participate as counselors in its summer camp for children. CITs are offered learning opportunities designed to promote, nurture, and encourage their personal growth, develop leadership, and provide valuable first-time work opportunities and mentorship. | $20,000 |
| Urise Ventures | Urise’s Future Founders is a one-of-a-kind summer campership that offers participants a unique opportunity to “Invent, Innovate, Imagine” all while learning 21st Century skills in the process. With a focus on essential 21st Century workplace skills of creativity, communication, collaboration, critical thinking, problem solving and opportunity recognition, the program opens doors for students to learn what it takes to succeed in business and in life. The paid camperships and CIT internships will run for 5 weeks and will be free to all participants. | $15,000 |
| Watkinson School | Watkinson’s SPHERE summer program is a free five-week enrichment program for Hartford students between first and fifth grade. Each student will take age-appropriate classes in math, literacy and technology, and they will spend the afternoons engaging in recreational activities. | $20,000 |
| YMCA of Metropolitan Hartford, Inc. | The Wilson Gray Day Camp and the Wilson Gray Day Camp CIT program programs offer opportunities for growth and development of the whole child. The Y focuses on the four core values of caring, honesty, respect, and responsibility and develops programs like our day camps that allow children to reach their fullest potential in sprit, mind, and body. | $25,000 |
Greater Hartford Gives Foundation is a community foundation, a hub for community-driven change. We fuel impact throughout Greater Hartford and beyond by making connections, providing funding, and sharing knowledge. Our goal is to create an inclusive region where everyone prospers. Together, with a powerful network of changemakers, we identify our neighbors’ most pressing needs and invest resources in initiatives that dismantle racial and economic barriers and improve quality of life. In our 100-year history, we have invested more than $1 billion throughout the region. Join us in building a Greater Hartford full of opportunity. Learn more at greaterhartfordgives.org.