Community Match Fund - Project Eligibility

To be eligible for Sustainable CT’s Community Match Fund your project must:

1. Be located in a Sustainable CT registered town (or towns).

Check here to see registered towns. Registering is easy, so if your town isn’t already registered, reach out to our Sustainable CT Community Partnership Manager at [email protected], and he can help you get your town registered.

2. Align with Sustainable CT’s mission of creating equitable, sustainable communities.

See the eligible project examples below to get an idea of possible projects.

3. Align with Sustainable CT actions.

By aligning with Sustainable CT your town will be able to earn points towards Sustainable CT Town Certification when the project is complete. Our Community Outreach Manager will help you determine which action your project aligns with.

4. Have a public benefit and be inclusive to members of your community(ies).

Projects cannot be aimed at securing private profit for a specific individual, family, or business.

5. Be specific and concrete.

Projects must be well-defined and specific, and your capacity to implement the work once funding is secured should be clear.

6. Have a detailed budget.

We anticipate that project budgets might range from several hundred dollars to thousands. There is no minimum project budget size and this program is designed to support projects of widely varying scale. The size of your final budget goal should be based on the costs for a specific, defined project, and take into consideration what is feasible for you to crowdfund from your networks.

Please note:

• Organizational overhead, regular operating expenses and budget allocations for existing staff's time spent on a project are not eligible for match funding.


• Your project budget may not include funds for paying yourself.


• Equipment and supplies purchased with funds secured through this program that will not be used up in the implementation of your project must have an ongoing use associated with your project that continues to provide or further a free public benefit.


• Funds already raised cannot be leveraged toward the match.


• Major funding sources (i.e. grants, corporate sponsorships, available municipal funding) cannot make up more than 35% of your crowdfunding budget goal.


• Any donation that exceeds 35% of your crowdfunding goal will only be matched by Sustainable CT up to the 35% threshold.


• While the individual, group, organization, or municipality leading a project may donate to its own campaign, that donation cannot exceed 20% of the crowdfunding goal.

7. Be determined eligible by Sustainable CT staff.

When you share your project idea, you will be contacted by Sustainable CT’s Community Outreach Manager to discuss your project and be sure that it fits within the criteria above.

8. Be your or your group’s only Sustainable CT Community Match Fund project that is actively fundraising.

While there is no limit to the number of projects that you can undertake through the Community Match Fund or to the total number of projects that can be happening in your city or town at any one time, you or your group cannot begin a new project until you have completed the prior one's fundraising campaign and have begun implementation.

9. Be implemented in a short time frame after fundraising.

The Community Match Fund is intended to support projects with immediate funding needs, so you should be planning to start work on your project in the near-term after your crowdfunding campaign is complete.

In addition, before accessing Sustainable CT Community Match Fund dollars, project leaders must...

1. Be available for a conversation with your city or town’s Sustainable CT Sustainability Team or municipal representative.

Once your project has been approved, our Community Outreach Manager will connect you to the primary contact for your town’s Sustainability Team so that you can discuss opportunities to collaborate.

2. Run a public crowdfunding campaign through our Web-based platform partner, Patronicity, that exceeds a predetermined donor threshold.

To calculate the number of donors that your campaign must reach, take your fundraising goal (this does not include Sustainable CT's match) and divide it by 100. Ex: your crowdfunding goal is $5,000. $5,000/100=50 donor minimum.

3. Commit to beginning work on the project within a specific time-frame...

and to completing the project and expending the funds within 12 months of receiving funding.

Ineligible Project Examples

• Planning exercises and other municipal projects that are not public-facing and will have no aspect of community engagement.


• Projects that are already funded through an organization or municipality’s budget.


• Events limited to the membership of a specific organization that are not reasonably accessible to community residents.


• Fundraising for a pool of funds to be re-granted to others or used for an unspecified purpose in the future.


• Fundraising for a business startup costs, or for projects through which a local business is charging a fee for a product.


• Political advocacy focused on an individual politician or party or a specific piece of legislation.

Questions on Eligibility?

The Sustainable CT Community Match Fund is a dynamic program that provides fast, flexible funding and support for engaging your community on wide-ranging sustainability projects. For a complete list of Community Match Fund Requirements please view our eligibility worksheet and or contact [email protected].