A Message from CHEFA’s Executive Director

As CHEFA’s 60th anniversary year comes to a close, we reflect with pride on six decades of advancing projects that strengthen Connecticut’s communities. Since 1965, CHEFA has partnered with nonprofits, schools, healthcare providers, and childcare organizations to help turn mission-driven ideas into lasting impact—and 2025 stands as a powerful example of that legacy in action.

Over the past year, CHEFA delivered meaningful investments across the state through grants, loans, and tax-exempt bond financing. In calendar year 2025 alone, we awarded $2,935,901 in grants, issued $708.8 million in bonds, and closed $1.6 million in Capital Investments Loan Program loans, helping organizations move critical projects from vision to reality.

Our Capital Investments Loan Program continues to be a vital tool for organizations undertaking targeted, high-impact projects. Canterbury School, a repeat participant in the program, secured its third loan since inception—$196,000 to purchase two 14-passenger student activity vehicles—building on prior financing for Micro Bird buses that expanded safe transportation options for students. Taft School financed $500,000 toward a $1.7 million project to construct a new dormitory with flexible gathering space and faculty residences, supporting student life and campus sustainability. At the Ocean Community YMCA, a $500,000 loan helped advance a $1.1 million project that includes a new camp building and improvements to pickleball courts and athletic fields—enhancing recreational access for families across the region.

CHEFA’s bond financing also played a significant role in 2025, with $708.8 million issued, including a notable transaction on behalf of Area Cooperative Educational Services (ACES), supporting critical renovations at interdistrict magnet schools across south central Connecticut and strengthening the educational infrastructure serving more than 2,000 students in the region.

Our grantmaking further reflects CHEFA’s commitment to access, opportunity, and innovation. In Waterbury, a $75,000 CHEFA grant enabled Waterbury Promise to hire a full-time College Success Coordinator, supporting more than 875 scholars statewide and welcoming its largest cohort to date—a 25 percent increase over the prior year. The organization also celebrated its first bachelor’s degree recipients and looks ahead to its first four-year graduates in 2026.

In healthcare, Moving With HOPE received a $45,390 CHEFA grant to expand advanced neurorehabilitation services through the Bioness Integrated Therapy System, benefiting more than 100 individuals annually and launching a research partnership with Quinnipiac University. CHEFA also supported the YMCA of Greater Hartford with a $75,000 grant to replace aging roofs at Camp Jewell, ensuring safe and uninterrupted programming for approximately 2,300 individuals each year.

As we look ahead to 2026, we remain focused on the work that has defined CHEFA for 60 years: helping mission-driven institutions thrive so they can better serve the people of Connecticut. In the year ahead, we will continue to expand our grant programs, deliver innovative financing solutions, and deepen collaboration with partners statewide—ensuring organizations have the tools and capacity they need to meet evolving community needs.

We enter our seventh decade energized by both our history and the opportunities ahead. Together with our partners, we look forward to building on CHEFA’s legacy while continuing to enhance education, health, and wellbeing across Connecticut for generations to come.

Warm regards,

Jeanette W. Weldon
Executive Director, CHEFA