We are a learning organization.
We use learning and evaluation to understand the strengths and needs of Greater Hartford and assess how the work we support is contributing to the region’s wellbeing.
We learn from many sources — evaluations, published research, publicly available data, grantee reports, and feedback from community members to inform our priorities and grantmaking.
Building stronger partnerships through learning
Our learning and evaluation helps us be a more effective funder and supportive partner to to nonprofits and community leaders across the region.
Our work includes:
- Collaborating with nonprofit partners to develop grant-specific outcomes that align with both their goals and our shared aspirations for the region
- Reviewing grantee reports to learn what’s working, where challenges exist, and how we can better support partners to amplify their impact
- Translating grantee-reported data into actionable insights to inform our work and to share with policymakers and other funders
- Commissioning and managing evaluations, applied research, and studies that deepen our understanding of the community and the impact of grantmaking
- Facilitating learning spaces across the Foundation to promote reflection, and ensure insights shape our grantmaking, policy, research, capacity building, and other efforts
- Making strategic grant investments to strengthen the data and learning ecosystem, supporting organizations that advance equitable data practices and access to actionable, disaggregated data
** Please note that the Foundation does not accept unsolicited requests to support independent research, planning, dissertations, or scholarly work.
Supporting a strong data ecosystem in Connecticut
We collaborate with data experts and researchers to improve data collection, sharing, and use. Our Learning and Evaluation team makes grants and participates in local advisory boards and working groups focused on data analysis. These efforts help build a stronger ecosystem for gathering and using information in Greater Hartford and extracting valuable knowledge. This work includes:
- Expanding availability of actionable data disaggregated by geography, income, race, ethnicity, and other identities and demographic characteristics
- Enabling data sharing and integration across Hartford and the 29 towns in our region
- Advancing culturally responsive and equitable practices in evaluation and learning within our Foundation and beyond
What we support
Here are some examples of our Learning & Evaluation work:
DataHaven
The Foundation has supported DataHaven for years, including multi-year grants to help strengthen the availability of high quality, rigorous data in our state. We’ve been a long-time supporter of the Community Wellbeing Index, which collects and index compiles measures of wellbeing related to economic opportunity, physical and mental health, basic needs, civic engagement, neighborhood conditions, and life satisfaction — many of which are not available at the local level from other public data sources. In 2024, we helped fund the LGBTQIA+ Resident Wellbeing in Greater Hartford report, and in 2023 we sponsored an Equity Profile for Greater Hartford.
Connecticut Data Collaborative
The Connecticut Data Collaborative, or CTData, works to empower an ecosystem of data users by democratizing access to public data and building data literacy to inform decision-making. The Foundation has awarded multiple grants to support several of CTData’s accessible data initiatives, and provide organizational support.
Foundation-supported reports
The Foundation funds and partners to create reports on areas related to our strategic plan. You can read these reports on our New & Publications page.
Data resources
Are you seeking high-quality, up-to-date data on Greater Hartford? We partner with Connecticut Data Collaborative (CTData) and DataHaven, both of which offer robust tools, resources, and insights about the region. Their data helps inform our work and can guide your organization as well. Learn more about our partners:
Connecticut Data Collaborative (CTData)
Growing evaluation capacity for nonprofits
Our support of nonprofits includes Evaluation Capacity Grants and Data Strategy Planning, both offered in partnership with CTData to help organizations strengthen their internal data infrastructure and evaluation practices. Through these initiatives your organization can effectively measure your program’s success and adapt strategies to make the most impact.
You can learn more about these resources, as well as upcoming evaluation workshops and tools to support equitable evaluation practices, by visiting the Nonprofit Support Program page.
How our nonprofit partners can use data
Reliable, actionable data is a valuable resource that can help nonprofits advance their mission. Here are some ways you can use data:
- Make the case about community needs and assets in your grant application
- Identify gaps in your community when developing your programs
- Get a better sense of town demographics
- Understand social and economic trends in the region
