Participarán más de 6.300 niños, jóvenes y personas con discapacidad
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 Fundación Greater Hartford Gives, 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.”
El 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 8el 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:
| Programas de verano 2026 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Organización | Descripción del programa | Conceder |
| 2-4-1 Active City Sports | 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, offering two one-week sessions. Sports of focus 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 |
| Teatro ActUp | $12,000 | |
| Escuela Americana para Sordos | American School for the Deaf's multi-week campership and tutorial programs, Extended School Year and Camp Isobella, 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 |
| Artes para el aprendizaje 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 Hartford Public Library'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 |
| Club de niños y niñas de Hartford | The Summer Fun Club's seven-week campership and CIT program provides 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 |
| Campamento 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 |
| Asociación de Restauración del Templo Charter Oak, Inc. | Charter Oak Temple Restoration Association, Inc.'s City School of the Arts Summer Camps 2026, will provide 1,000 Hartford children with a comprehensive, tuition- and audition-free arts education that fosters creativity, academic growth, and personal development through year-round classes. | $20,000 |
| 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 |
| 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. | $40,332.37 |
| Centro de Ciencias de Connecticut, Inc. | $15,954.17 | |
| ConnectiKids | The ConnectiKids Vintage Summer Program is a 5 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 |
| Universidad Goodwin | Manufacturing in Motion (MIM) es un programa de enriquecimiento que ofrece un laboratorio de fabricación avanzado móvil, que introduce a los estudiantes de escuelas secundarias y preparatorias inscriptos en varios campamentos de Hartford a las carreras de fabricación. | $10,000 |
| Green & Blue Foundation | The Green & Blue Foundation offers Summer Reading Sundays, held on select summer Reading Sundays, runs from late morning into early afternoon 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. | $13,000 | |
| Biblioteca Pública de Hartford | $20,000 | |
| Escenario de Hartford | 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 |
| Horizontes en la escuela Westminster | 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 |
| Horizontes, Inc. | Horizons ofrece un programa de campamento de verano tradicional de dos semanas para niños y adultos de 6 años en adelante con discapacidades intelectuales y del desarrollo. | $37,500 |
| Lawson Chapel/ Urban Hope Refuge Church | El Campamento de Verano Futuros Líderes Héroes de la Esperanza (HHFL) es un programa integral de cuatro semanas diseñado para cautivar a los estudiantes mediante una combinación de actividades académicas, de entretenimiento y enriquecedoras. Diseñado específicamente para niños de 4 a 10 años, el campamento se extiende a adolescentes tres noches a la semana. El campamento nocturno está diseñado para ayudar a los adolescentes a tomar decisiones de comportamiento arriesgado durante el verano, especialmente durante las horas nocturnas. | $15,000 |
| McEIVR, Inc. | Makerspace's Summer STEAM and CIT programming is a free, multi-week summer session for youth ages 11 - 18. | $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 |
| Caminos de arte real | 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. | $15,000 |
| El Ejército de Salvación del Sur de Nueva Inglaterra | 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 |
| Colegio Trinity | 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 | $15,000 | |
| Escuela Watkinson | El programa de verano SPHERE es un programa gratuito de enriquecimiento de cinco semanas para estudiantes de Hartford de primero a quinto grado. Cada estudiante tomará clases apropiadas para su edad en matemáticas, lectoescritura y tecnología, y dedicará las tardes a actividades recreativas. | $20,000 |
| YMCA del área metropolitana de Hartford, Inc. | La YMCA de Greater Hartford solicita fondos para apoyar el Campamento de Día Wilson Gray y el programa CIT del Campamento de Día Wilson Gray (Hartford). Estos campamentos de verano ofrecen oportunidades para el crecimiento y desarrollo integral del niño. La YMCA se centra en los cuatro valores fundamentales de cariño, honestidad, respeto y responsabilidad, y desarrolla programas como nuestros campamentos de día, que permiten a los niños alcanzar su máximo potencial en espíritu, mente y cuerpo. | $25,000 |
La Fundación Greater Hartford Gives es una fundación comunitaria, un centro para el cambio impulsado por la comunidad. Impulsamos el impacto en todo el Gran Hartford y sus alrededores, creando conexiones, proporcionando financiación y compartiendo conocimientos. Nuestro objetivo es crear una región inclusiva donde todos prosperen. Juntos, con una sólida red de agentes de cambio, identificamos las necesidades más urgentes de nuestros vecinos e invertimos recursos en iniciativas que eliminan las barreras raciales y económicas y mejoran la calidad de vida. En nuestros 100 años de historia, hemos invertido más de 1000 millones de dólares en toda la región. Únase a nosotros para construir un Gran Hartford lleno de oportunidades. Obtenga más información en greathartfordgives.org.