Neighborhood Revitalization Effort Receives Vote of Confidence and Funding from Hartford Foundation for Public Giving

Hartford, CT -- The Hartford Foundation for Public Giving awarded a grant of $400,000 to Trinity College in support of the ambitious neighborhood revitalization initiative the college is pursuing with its partners in the Southside Institutions Neighborhood Alliance (SINA). The grant will support key aspects of the educational component of the initiative and promote continued neighborhood-wide planning for future programs.

"This generous funding from the Hartford Foundation will ‘jumpstart’ the implementation phase of the revitalization initiative -- particularly the educational dimension of it -- and at the same time will make possible an extended community planning process in our neighborhoods," said Trinity President Evan S. Dobelle.

The grant, which will support the continuation of the planning process and accelerate implementation, represents a significant first step toward establishing a management and oversight structure for the educational aspects of the project apart from Trinity College’s own hands-on involvement, according to Dobelle.

For the past year, the SINA partners -- Trinity, Hartford Hospital, Connecticut Children’s Medical Center, the Institute of Living, and Connecticut Public Television & Radio -- have been engaged in a collaborative planning process to shape the educational and family-centered programs and facilities that will be at the center of what SINA has termed the Learning Corridor. The Learning Corridor, to be located on the 9-acre site of the former Connecticut bus garage adjacent to Trinity’s campus, is a cornerstone of the overall revitalization initiative. It will house three new schools spanning K-12 opportunities, the new Aetna Center for Families, a relocated Greater Hartford Academy for the Arts, and a professional teacher training and development center.

"The Learning Corridor is one of Hartford’s most important neighborhood revitalization efforts. The Hartford Foundation for Public Giving is pleased to help fund the high quality early planning and coordination work that is critical to the ultimate success of the Learning Corridor and its programs," said Christopher Hall, director of programs at the Hartford Foundation.

The funding from the Hartford Foundation will support key components of the Learning Corridor project. Specifically, the grant will provide for enhanced management capacity; a community input process to sustain and deepen local involvement in the project; continued physical planning for the Learning Corridor and surrounding 15-block area; initiation of a resident enterprise and employment program to re-stimulate the neighborhood economy; establishment of a consultants’ bank to assist in program design; and centralized, temporary space to house program staff and consultants. The Foundation-funded project will extend from July 1, 1997 through June 30, 1999.

The Hartford Foundation for Public Giving is a community foundation -- a collection of funds contributed by individuals which forms an endowment for the community. The income from the endowment provides a permanent, flexible source of charitable support for a broad spectrum of organizations serving residents in the 30 towns of the capital region.

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