Stories of Philanthropic Leadership in Advancing Regional and ...

organizing project, the Connecticut Coalition forEnvironmental Justice, which aims to “protect urbanenvironments primarily in Connecticut througheducating communities, promoting changes in local,state, and national policy, and promoting individual,corporate, and governmental responsibility towards ourenvironment.” 14 In its work with parishes and theCoalition for Environmental Justice, CenterEdge hasbrought attention to the high concentration of regionalwaste-processing facilities near low-income minorityneighborhoods in Hartford.ResultsDuring recent funder visits to Connecticut, CCHD haswitnessed first-hand the CenterEdge Project’s results.Individuals from various socioeconomic backgroundsoffered personal testimony demonstrating increasedknowledge and voicing a common vision and goalthanks to their participation in CenterEdge’s trainingsand discussions, analysis, and actions.For the Hartford Foundation for Public Giving, themost beneficial outcome is the broad citizenengagement. According to Porth, as a result of theProject’s activities, individuals from various racial,ethnic, social, and economic backgrounds have theopportunity to learn about how patterns of growthand development can affect access, social equityissues, and a range of other quality of life factors.Lessons LearnedBoth CCHD and the Hartford Foundation for PublicGiving see a strong value in the regional organizingwork accomplished by the CenterEdge project. At thesame time, one of CCHD primary funding principlesis to give priority to projects initiated and led by lowincomeindividuals. Thus, for Vitillo, “The evolutionin the organizing process, from local to regional, willpresent challenges to CCHD in terms of how manylevels of organizing activity it will be able to fund andhow it will succeed in monitoring effectiveness inthese complex processes.”In order to ensure its sustainability and success, theProject needs to explore additional funding alternativesas well as new project activities to build upon theircurrent accomplishments. Today, the CenterEdgeProject finds itself at a critical turning point as it maturesfrom a catalyst of local pockets of activism to asustainable and systematic regional equity movement.14www.environmental-justice.org.Contact PeopleThomas Chabolla, Associate Director for ProgramsFather Robert Vitillo,former Executive DirectorCatholic Campaign for Human Developmenttchabolla@usccb.org(202) 541-3367Richard PorthVice President for GrantmakingHartford Foundation for Public Givingrporth@hfpg.org(860) 548-1888Patricia WallaceDirector of ProgramsThe Office of Urban Affairs of theArchdiocese of Hartfordpwallace@oua-adh.org(203) 777-7279EQUITABLE PUBLIC INVESTMENTLiberty Commons is a supportive housing development in Middletown, Conn.Formerly the Arriwani Hotel, a rundown nest of drug dealing and prostitution,it was renovated and converted in the mid-1990s. After the conversion,businesses that had vacated the area returned and the neighborhood isrevitalizing. A bookstore and performing space, The Buttonwood Tree,occupies the bottom floor. (Source: Partnership for Strong Communities).Part III: Section 1: Promoting Equitable Public Investment 40