Funding opportunity for non-foodshare pantries

ELIGIBILITY

1. Operate and be located in Connecticut.
2. Not be associated with the Connecticut Foodshare Agency Network.
3. Be a 501(c)(3) organization in good standing or a municipality that operates a food pantry.
4. Have provided food for human consumption to the general public at no charge for at least twelve (12) months prior to submission.
5. Provide documentation of the food pantry’s annual food purchase costs for their most recent fiscal year.
6. Be listed in 211 Connecticut (211ct.org) or agree to create a 211 listing within 30 days of the award.

REQUIREMENTS

Please gather these required documents before starting your application.

Non-profit Organizations:

1. A certificate of legal existence from the Connecticut Secretary of State
2. A copy of your IRS exemption letter.
3. Upload a completed and signed W9. A blank form is available here: https://www.irs.gov/pub/irs-pdf/fw9.pdf

Municipalities:

1. Municipal authorization documentation, such as a letter from the mayor, first selectman, town manager, municipal department head or finance director confirming the pantry is municipally operated or authorized to apply.

All applicants must:

1. Upload substantiation of their expenditure on food purchases from their most recent fiscal year. (Examples: General ledger report showing food purchases; accounting system expense report; vendor statements; invoices; receipts; check register or payment report; credit card statements tied to food purchases.)
2. Provide their budgeted amount for food expenditures for the current fiscal year.
3. Be prepared to show proof of operation as a food pantry in Connecticut. (However, this proof is required at the time of application.)

FUNDING AMOUNTS

Applicants may apply for up to 25% of their annual food purchase cost (excluding donations) from the most recent fiscal year or $50,000 – whichever is less.

(Example: If your food pantry’s annual food purchase cost (excluding donations) is $50,000, 25% of that is $12,500. Therefore, you may apply for any amount up to and including $12,500.)

PROCESS

1. Log in or create a Submittable Account here: https://manager.submittable.com/signin
2. Complete the Eligibility Form.
3. If eligible, you will be directed to complete the Application Form, upload required documents and agree to the conditions of the award.
4. UWCT will review submitted applications and award applicants on a rolling basis with a quick turn-around time.
5. All documents, including award letters, will be sent through Submittable, so make sure Submittable is a trusted account in your email and check your spam folder often.
6. Grants will be issued as soon as individual applications are complete, fully reviewed and processed.
7. Funds will be disbursed quarterly, and reporting will be required after each allocation of funds is spent.

DATES

QUESTIONS?

Please review our FAQ (https://www.ctunitedway.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/F.A.Qs_Food-Pantry-Grants-1.pdf). For additional questions, please email us at FoodPantry@ctunitedway.org

TECHNICAL QUESTIONS?

Having trouble with your password or uploading a form? Check out the Submitter Resource Center (https://submittable.help/en/collections/185534-submitters) or contact Submittable Customer Support (https://www.submittable.com/help/submitter/).

TIPS ON USING SUBMITTABLE:

• Submittable works best on Google Chrome, Firefox and Safari. Internet Explorer is not supported. Please make sure you are using a supported browser.
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• You do not need to complete the application all at once. There is an autosave feature, but you can also manually save your draft by clicking the button at the bottom of the form. To return to a saved draft, follow these instructions: https://submittable.help/en/articles/904868-how-can-i-return-to-a-saved-draft. If you need to, you can delete a saved draft and restart the application.
• We will contact you about your submission by email. Please be sure to safelist notification emails from Submittable and check the email you used for your Submittable Account regularly. To safelist emails, please follow these instructions: https://submittable.help/en/articles/3221476-how-can-i-safelist-notification-emails-from-submittable