​The Community Fund of Darien invests in the community by making investments in vital, nonprofit health and human services organizations that:

• Meet our Eligibility Requirements;
• Support our Investment Goals of Basic Needs, Youth Success, Workforce Development and Community Health; and
• Serve the population of Darien, Norwalk, and Stamford.

Investments typically range from $5,000 to $40,000 and are awarded at the end of our June fiscal year.​

Eligibility Requirements​

To be eligible for a community investment from The Community Fund of Darien, an organization must:

• Serve human services needs addressing Basic Needs, Youth Success, Workforce Development and Community Health (see Investment Goals for more detail)
• Demonstrate that the recipients of an applicant’s services, or specific applying program, are primarily residents of Darien, Norwalk and/or Stamford. We prioritize organizations which are predominately serving our local catchment area.
• Clearly demonstrate outcomes, impact and trends through key performance indicators and metrics, including specific outcomes for program recipients in Darien, Norwalk and Stamford
• Provide three years of audited financials
• Adhere to a non-discrimination policy on the basis of age, race, religion, sexual orientation, physical or mental disabilities, gender or national origin or any other characteristic protected by law in all aspects of organizational operations including hiring, leadership, and service provision
• Be a 501(c)(3) tax-exempt organization

​Ineligibility

The Community Fund of Darien generally will NOT consider investments for:

• Individuals
• Annual appeals or membership drives
• Fundraising events
• Capital campaigns
• Capital projects
• Religious activities, projects or organizations which do not serve the public on a nondenominational basis
• Political or lobbying efforts
• Endowment campaigns
• Scholarships
• Conference fees
• Research
• Environmental programs
• Arts or cultural programs

Application Process

If your organization or program meets all the Eligibility Requirements, we encourage you to submit an Initial application. The link to the Initial Application will be available by October 21, 2021 and is due back by November 19, 2021. All information must be submitted through our online portal, Smarter Select.

Organizations submitting the Initial Application will be informed in mid-January if they are invited to submit a Full Application, which will be due at the end of February. Invitation to proceed with the community investment application process is at the sole discretion of The Community Fund of Darien.

Community Investment applications must conform to the format and content specifications provided in the application forms. Late or incomplete applications will not be considered. The Community Fund of Darien may not approve an investment request even though it meets the established criteria. Community Investments will be announced at the end of our June 30 fiscal year and will be distributed in July 2022. The Community Fund of Darien reserves sole discretion to award or deny investments as it deems appropriate.

Reporting Requirements and Investment Agreement

• Investees will be required to sign and return an investment award agreement
• Investees will be required to submit interim (6-month) and final (12-month) reports detailing how funds were used