2026 Hartford Audubon Society Mini-Grant Recipients:
 
The Hartford Audubon Society Board of Directors is pleased to announce that the following 8 applications to its 2026 Mini-Grant program have been approved. A total of $10,400 will be disbursed.
 
1. Connecticut Audubon will receive $1,400 to support its Milford Point bird-friendly window renovations project in the room that overlooks the marsh in the Milford Point Visitors’ Center.
 
2. Horizon Wings will receive $1,500 to support its raptor rehabilitation program.
 
3. Meriden Natural Resources (aka Friends of Nature in Meriden) will receive $300 to
replace the roof on a chimney swift tower in Hanover Pond Park. The tower, which is attached to a 4-sided educational kiosk, was installed originally with financial support from Hartford Audubon Society and Connecticut Ornithological Association.
 
4. Pequabuck River Watershed Association will receive $2,000 to support the Kern Park Urban Water Sanctuary and Education Center Bird Habitat Development project in Bristol.
 
5. Ripley Waterfowl Conservancy in Litchfield will receive $700 to implement a bluebird education and nest box building project for 6-12 year olds attending its summer conservation camp.
 
6. Roaring Brook Nature Center will receive $1,500 to support the rehabilitation of orphaned, abandoned or injured birds and their release back into the wild.
 
7. Traprock Ridge Land Conservancy will receive $1,500 to replant natives at its Stout Family Fields property in Bloomfield in an area from which invasives have recently been removed.
 
8. West Hartford Garden Club will receive $1,500 for native wet meadow plantings in Spicebush Swamp.
 
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ABOUT THE MINI GRANT PROGRAM:

HARTFORD AUDUBON SOCIETY MINI-GRANTS
It is part of the Hartford Audubon Society’s mission to awaken a wider public interest in the enjoyment, preservation, and protection of birds and their habitat as well as foster and increase knowledge and understanding of birds and their place in nature.

Our mini-grant program helps to fulfill our mission by funding and supporting initiatives within the State of Connecticut, and especially within Hartford County, that specifically benefit the avian wildlife in our state.

HAS Mini-Grant Program Guidelines

1. Grants may be requested for any amount up to $2,000 to any one recipient. Proposals for one-year projects are preferred, but two-year projects are eligible. All grant proposals need to demonstrate benefit to birds, birding, or bird habitat in Connecticut.

2. Applications must be submitted by February 15, 2026 at 5:00pm. The HAS Board of Directors will evaluate and award grants at the March Board meeting and selected applicants will be notified shortly afterward.

3. The HAS Board of Directors will select projects based on criteria such as focus on birds or habitat restoration, sound design and budget, educational value, community involvement or diversity, and long-term benefits. Preference will be given to projects within Hartford County, as well as to new applicants. Grants may be limited to two consecutive years per recipient.

4. An applicant need not be a member of HAS to apply.

5. Applicants are required to use the grant funds and provide a follow-up report to HAS no later than February 15, 2027. The report must describe the use of the grant and specific expenses. Unused funds must be returned to HAS. Failure to provide this report on time may result in a requirement to repay the grant and a prohibition from applying for future grants.

6. HAS must be credited in any publicity resulting from any initiative funded either wholly, or in part, with funds from a HAS mini-grant. Recipients agree to be featured in publications of HAS.

7. HAS Board members and officers are not eligible to apply. Any HAS Board member with a conflict of interest with a submitted application shall be excluded from participating in the award evaluation process.

8. Applications and their guidelines are available for downloading as shown below:

2026 HAS Mini-Grant Guidelines FINAL

2026-Mini-Grant-Application-FINAL

Email applications to: info@hartfordaudubon.org with “Mini-Grant” in the subject line or mail to:
Hartford Audubon Society, Inc.
ATT: Mini-Grant
PO Box 270207
West Hartford, CT 06127-0207

Applications will be due by 5 pm on February 15th, 2025. Note:  The same application should be used regardless of amount requested.