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Funding by state · CT

Grantmaking in Connecticut

2,045 grantmakers are based in Connecticut. Together they granted $5.0B across the 2022 and 2023 filings, the 19th most of any state, and kept 71% of it in Connecticut. Funding here stays close to home, the 26th most in-state of any state.

Connecticut's 19,275 nonprofits, by cause, size and age ↓
2,045
grantmakers
22nd of 52
$5.0B
granted, FY2022 and FY2023
19th of 52
$690
given per resident, per year
6th of 51
71%
stays in-state
26th of 52

The short version

  • 2,045 grantmakers are based in Connecticut, granting $5.0B across the FY2022 and FY2023 IRS filings, the 19th most of any state.
  • 71% of grant dollars from Connecticut funders stayed in Connecticut; the rest went to organizations in other states.
  • Connecticut's grantmakers give $690 a year for every resident of the state.
  • Connecticut is a net importer of grant money, its organizations drawing $194M more from other states than Connecticut funders send to them.
  • Grant money reaching Connecticut organizations goes to international at 2.44× the national rate.
  • Connecticut has 19,275 organizations registered with the IRS as 501(c)(3)s, 53 for every 10,000 residents; 90% of its public charities that report revenue or file the e-Postcard take in under $1 million a year.

Where Connecticut sits among the states

Each dot is a state, sized by its grant dollars. Connecticut is in green.

Given per resident, per year

CT
$103$7,460

Share that stays in-state

CT
0%100%

Net flow with other states

CT
−$4.8B+$3.5B

Connecticut and the other states

Connecticut's organizations draw $194M more from other states' foundations than Connecticut's send out. Switch direction to see who it funds and who funds it.

Largest destinations
  1. New York$418M
  2. Massachusetts$147M
  3. California$131M
  4. Washington, D.C.$118M
  5. Florida$55M
  6. Kentucky$48M

Donor-advised funds, related-party transfers and regrants through intermediaries are left out, so these ties show where the state's own grantmakers reach.

$3.5B stays in-stateConnecticutGRANTMAKING$1.6Bimported from funders elsewhere$1.4Bexported to orgs elsewhere
Connecticut is a net importer of grant money, $194M more arrives than leaves.

Largest funders based in Connecticut

Grantmakers headquartered in Connecticut, sized by total grants made. Pick one for its dossier.

Organizations in Connecticut that draw the most

The nonprofits in Connecticut that received the most grant money.

Biggest funders reaching in from elsewhere

Out-of-state funders sending the most money to organizations in Connecticut.

What draws money in Connecticut, against the country

Each cause by how much of the grant money reaching Connecticut's organizations it takes, relative to the national rate. Right of the line is overweight, left underweight. Connecticut is most overweight on international, at 2.44× the national rate. Dot size is the cause's share.

0.25×0.5×national2×4×Education25% · 1.1×International14% · 2.44×Health11% · 0.86×Human services10% · 0.93×Philanthropy10% · 1.42×Arts and culture7% · 0.94×

Where the money goes by org size

Grant dollars to organizations in Connecticut, by the recipient's size, against the national average (the marker). Connecticut sends a larger share to $1M to $10M organizations than the country as a whole, and less to $100M and up.

Under $100k1% vs 1% national
$100k to $1M11% vs 10% national
$1M to $10M35% vs 31% national
$10M to $100M32% vs 33% national
$100M and up21% vs 26% national

Find funders by cause in Connecticut

Who funds each cause in Connecticut, with the largest funders and how to reach them.

The nonprofit sector · CT

Connecticut's nonprofits

Connecticut has 19,275 organizations registered with the IRS as 501(c)(3)s: 17,317 public charities, 2,764 of them congregations, and 1,958 private foundations. 90% of the public charities that report revenue or file the e-Postcard take in under $1 million a year, and together they report 2% of the sector's revenue. The largest 1% report 72%.

19,275
registered 501(c)(3)s
27th of 52
53
per 10,000 residents
20th of 51
$52B
charity revenue, latest returns
24th of 52
32%
file a full Form 990 or 990-EZ
12th of 52

Registered 501(c)(3)s per 10,000 residents

CT
34164

Each dot is a state, sized by its number of 501(c)(3)s. Connecticut is in green.

What they do, by count and by money

Religion is the largest group by number, 18% of Connecticut's public charities and 0.3% of their revenue. Health is 6% of the charities and 46% of the revenue. Connecticut has 1.35× the national share of environment charities.

Share of charitiesShare of revenue

The thin mark on the left is the national share of charities in the same cause.

Many small, a few very large

Public charities by the revenue on their latest return. Each band is drawn twice: by its share of the charities on top, and by its share of the revenue underneath.

Charities14,342 reporting revenue or filing the e-Postcard
Revenue
  • Under $50k
    65% of charities · under 0.1% of revenue
  • $50k to $250k
    15% of charities · 0.5% of revenue
  • $250k to $1M
    10% of charities · 1% of revenue
  • $1M to $10M
    8% of charities · 7% of revenue
  • $10M to $100M
    2% of charities · 18% of revenue
  • $100M and up
    0.5% of charities · 73% of revenue

What the IRS sees

Only charities filing a Form 990 or 990-EZ report their finances. Financial figures about nonprofits, here and in any study built on 990s, describe 32% of Connecticut's public charities.

  • 32% file a Form 990 or 990-EZ
    5,455 charities · 26% nationally
  • 52% file only the e-Postcard (990-N)
    8,981 charities · 54% nationally
  • 17% file no return of their own (mostly congregations)
    2,881 charities · 20% nationally

How new they are

Half of Connecticut's public charities were recognized by the IRS in 2010 or later, and 29% since 2020 (32% nationally). The register lists only organizations still recognized, so the older decades count survivors.

12%
Before 1970
6%
1970s
7%
1980s
11%
1990s
13%
2000s
23%
2010s
29%
2020s

The line across each bar is the national share for that decade. The 2020s are a partial decade.

How they are doing

Financial health of the charities that file full returns, against every state.

44%
ran a deficit
42% nationally · 6th highest of 52
5.1
months of cash, median
5.4 nationally · 42nd highest of 52
19%
in deficit on under three months of cash
18% nationally · 7th highest of 52

FY2023 returns from 6,124 Connecticut charities filing a Form 990 or 990-EZ and spending $50k or more; cash figures are from the 4,566 full 990 filers among them. The national health report.

Counts, causes, revenue and recognition dates are from the IRS Exempt Organizations Business Master File, which records recognitions through May 2026. A charity is placed by its mailing address. Causes are NTEE major groups, with health's sub-groups folded in; a congregation the IRS has given no NTEE code counts under religion. Revenue is each organization's own latest return, summed, so payments between related organizations are counted on both sides.

Questions and answers

What does it mean for grant money to stay in-state?
It is the share of grants made by funders based in Connecticut that reached organizations also located in Connecticut, rather than organizations in other states. A high share means local funders mostly back local causes; a low one means the money largely leaves.
Is Connecticut a major grantmaking state?
Connecticut ranks 19th of the 52 states and territories by grant dollars from resident funders. The largest grantmaking states are California and New York; the most outward, where money mostly leaves, are domiciles like Delaware.
How can a nonprofit find funders in Connecticut?
Start with the largest grantmakers based in Connecticut, currently Boehringer Ingelheim Cares Foundation Inc and Steven & Alexandra Cohen Foundation Inc. Out-of-state funders also reach in, led by Liana Foundation Inc. Grant money reaching Connecticut favors international above the national rate, so funders active there are worth approaching.
How many nonprofits are there in Connecticut?
19,275 organizations in Connecticut are registered with the IRS as 501(c)(3)s: 17,317 public charities, 2,764 of them congregations, and 1,958 private foundations. Only 32% of the public charities file a full Form 990 or 990-EZ; 52% file only the e-Postcard, for organizations normally taking in $50,000 or less, and the rest, mostly congregations, file no return of their own. The count is from the IRS Exempt Organizations Business Master File.
How recent is this Connecticut grant data?
It is read from IRS Form 990 and 990-PF e-file filings for fiscal years 2022 and 2023, the two years with complete coverage. US charity filings lag 12 to 24 months, so this is the most recent complete picture.

More from the funding graph

Read from IRS Form 990 and 990-PF e-file XML for fiscal years 2022 and 2023. A funder is placed by the state on its most recent filing. Grants only: payments into and out of donor-advised fund sponsors, transfers to related organizations, regrants through intermediaries, non-philanthropic payments and grants to individuals are left out. In-state share is among grants whose recipient state is known; ties with other states and the net flow count only grants placed at both ends. Residents are Census ACS 5-year estimates (2019 to 2023). Source: IRS Form 990 downloads.