Community Economic Development Fund
Donna Wertenbach, Executive Director
860-249-3800
d.wertenbach@cedf.com  
430 New Park Avenue, 2nd Floor
West Hartford, CT 06110-1142
http://www.cedf.com

CEDF was created in 1994 to revitalize Connecticut’s distressed neighborhoods by providing greater access to capital, technical assistance to small businesses, and support for community economic development. Since then, CEDF has provided millions of dollars in loans to small businesses, created and retained hundreds of jobs for the state’s residents, and funded innovative community planning efforts. 

Joining forces with the state, leading lenders, and community representatives.  CEDF is bringing resources to Connecticut’s small businesses and neighborhoods.  CEDF initially served the 53 public and targeted investment communities.  As of October 1, 2003 CEDF expanded its geographic area to include low and moderate-income small businesses statewide.

Connecticut Housing Coalition
Jeff Freiser
860-563-2943
info@ct-housing.org  
30 Jordan Lane
Wethersfield, CT 06109
http://ct-housing.org

The Connecticut Housing Coalition works to expand housing opportunity and to increase the quantity and quality of affordable housing available to people with low and moderate incomes throughout Connecticut through advocacy, education and collaboration. Our 250-plus member organizations represent the broad, vibrant network of community-based, affordable housing activity across the state - including nonprofit developers, housing service agencies, resident associations and diverse other housing practitioners and advocates. The Coalition's activities include conferences, training workshops, networking/referral services, action alerts and a quarterly newsletter. We sponsor the Nonprofit Developers Network and the Public Housing Resident Network.

Connecticut Housing Investment Fund
Cynthia Russell
860-233-5165
cynthia@chif.org  
121 Tremont Street
Hartford, CT 06105
http://www.chif.org

The Connecticut Housing Investment Fund, Inc. (CHIF) is a statewide non-profit community development financial institution that provides flexible financing, loan servicing and technical expertise to developers of affordable housing and neighborhood revitalization projects. CHIF provides housing financing solutions to help strengthen Connecticut communities. CHIF provides nonprofit organizations, municipalities, and individuals with construction, homeowner energy conservation, downpayment, interim bridge, and rehabilitation loans. CHIF also provides loan servicing and portfolio management services to state agencies, municipalities and non-profit organizations.

Connecticut Main Street Center
John Simone, Executive Director
860-280-2337
john@ctmainstreet.org  
c/o CL&P, Box 2370
Hartford, CT 06146-2370
http://www.ctmainstreet.org

The Connecticut Main Street Center is a non-profit organization devoted to the revitalization of Connecticut’s downtown districts.  We believe that by spurring economic development within the context of historic preservation, we can help Connecticut’s Main Streets once more become thriving centers of commercial and social activity.

Today, Americans are tiring of anonymous sprawl and yearn for the rich fabric of life that vital neighborhoods can provide.  They recognize that a healthy downtown is key to the viability of the entire community surrounding it.  However, reviving a central commercial district is a complex, long-term process.

Part of a national network that has been in place for over 20 years, the Connecticut Main Street Center brings together public officials, business owners, financial resources, community activists, and the economic development and historic preservation communities under one umbrella organization.  We help communities analyze core issues and set attainable objectives.  We provide training workshops, design and technical assistance, and advocacy.  Our organized yet flexible approach allows communities to identify and develop their unique assets in an incremental and comprehensive way. 

The Connecticut Main Street Center follows a national model called the Main Street Approach to Downtown Revitalization™.  Developed by the National Trust for Historic Preservation, the program advances economic development within the context of historic preservation and advocates public-private partnerships to ensure lasting success.  Today forty-four states have Main Street programs in a total of more than 1,600 separate communities, ranging from small towns to targeted neighborhoods in big cities.

Connecticut Trust for Historic Preservation
Helen Higgins, Executive Director
203-562-6312
contact@cttrust.org
940 Whitney Avenue
Hamden, CT  06517-4002
http://www.cttrust.org

The Connecticut Trust for Historic Preservation is the only state wide organization dedicated to protecting and preserving the state's irreplaceable historic resources.  The Trust protects the character and beauty of Connecticut's historic architecture, streetscapes, urban neighborhoods and country landscapes.

Founded in 1975 by a Special Act of the Connecticut General Assembly, the Connecticut Trust is a non-profit, tax exempt organization with more than 3,000 affiliates across the state, including among its members local preservation groups, historical societies, conservation and environmental groups, government agencies and libraries.

We assist individuals and groups with preservation questions and issues through our Circuit Rider program and award Historic Preservation Technical Assistance Grants to non-profit organizations and municipalities.  The Trust's easement program protects historic building facades across the state and we educate citizens about Connecticut's historic resources and ways to preserve and maintain them.  We also advocate before the state legislature each year for community planning, historic districts, and funding for historic preservation grant programs.
 

Corporation for Supportive Housing
Janice Elliott, Southern New England Director
203-789-0826
snep@csh.org  
129 Church Street, Suite 608
New Haven, CT 06510
http://www.csh.org

"CSH helps communities create permanent housing with services to prevent and end homelessness."

Founded in 1925, the Hartford Foundation for Public Giving is the community foundation for the 29-town Capitol Region.  Devoted to enhancing the quality of life in the region, the Foundation provides grants and other support to a broad range of nonprofit organizations, helps donors make effective charitable giving decisions, and brings people together to discuss important community issues.  For more information about the Foundation, call 860-548-1888 or visit www.hfpg.org.

Northside Institutions Neighborhood Alliance, Inc. (“NINA”) is a not-for-profit corporation organized to further the revitalization of Hartford’s Asylum Hill neighborhood.  NINA is a collaborative effort by six major institutions to work cooperatively with neighborhood groups to boost community reinvestment in Asylum Hill.  NINA’s member companies are The Hartford Financial Services Group, Aetna, Inc., Mass Mutual Financial Group, ING, Saint Francis Hospital and Medical Center and Webster Bank.  Program priorities for NINA include public safety, housing, economic development and education.

Partnership for Strong Communities

Diane Randall, Director

Tel: 860-244-0066

diane@ctpartnershiphousing.com
at The Lyceum

227 Lawrence Street

Hartford, CT  06106

The Partnership for Strong Communities is dedicated to raising public

awareness and advancing solutions to end chronic homelessness, create

affordable housing and build healthy and economically vital communities.

The Partnership's goal is to educate the public about the human and

financial costs of homelessness and the lack of affordable housing.  The

Partnership promotes proven solutions that enhance the lives of people

who have been homeless, foster the growth of communities and more

effectively use public and private resources.

The Partnership for Strong Communities is a program of the Melville

Charitable Trust--a Connecticut-based foundation dedicated to finding

and fighting the causes of homelessness. The Trust has recently

purchased and renovated The Lyceum, a historic structure that has

provided a common ground for policymakers, teachers, researchers and

other scholars as they devise strategies to fight homelessness and

develop housing for workers and their families. The Partnership for

Strong Communities is located at The Lyceum and provides oversight for

The Lyceum Resource and Conference Center.

South Hartford Initiative (SHI)
Rex Fowler, Executive Director
Tel:    860 296-7005
R.Fowler@SHILoans.org
434 Franklin Avenue
Hartford, CT  06114
http://www.SHILoans.org

Funded by the State of Connecticut Dept. of Econ. & Community Development, SHI is a certified Community Development Financial Institution (CDFI) focused on economic and housing development activities in the City of Hartford.  SHI provides senior and subordinated debt to businesses and residential property owners in its investment area.