The Changemaker Fund
The Changemaker Fund: A Power Building Initiative is a three-year (36-month) guaranteed income pilot for 120 low-income resident 'Changemakers' organizing and building community power in Bridgeport, Hartford, and New Haven, Connecticut. It is administered by the Connecticut Urban Opportunity Collaborative (CUOC) — a partnership of Fairfield County's Community Foundation, Hartford Foundation for Public Giving, and the Community Foundation for Greater New Haven — in partnership with UpTogether, which distributes the funds. The initiative was co-designed with a 15-person resident Community Advisory Council convened in 2023. It is funded entirely by private philanthropy, with over $1.4 million raised toward an $1.8 million+ goal as of late 2024.
Community organizing stipend, Civic engagement eligibility, Power-building, Invitation-only enrollment, Benefits-cliff research
Headquarters
- Organization Name
- Connecticut Urban Opportunity Collaborative (CUOC)
- City
- Hartford
- State / Province
- Connecticut
- Country
- United States
Contact
- Phone
- +1 860 548 1888
Status & Funding
- Organization status
- Active
- Program status
- Active
- Application status
- Timed
- Number of recipients
- 120
- Funding type
- Philanthropic
Benefits
- Currency Type
- Fiat
- Currency
- USD
- Total Amount
- 12,600 USD
- Avg. Per Month
- 350 USD
- Payment frequency
- Monthly
- How long the program lasts
- 36 months
- Distribution Type
- Digital/Virtual payment card (UpTogether Virtual Wallet/Mastercard), Check, Direct deposit to bank account
- Benefit details
Each of the 120 participating households receives $12,600 total over three years via monthly payments (averaging roughly $350/month), distributed through UpTogether's virtual wallet system, which can be cashed out via virtual/physical card, bank transfer, or check. A 2024 Benefits Navigation Study found the guaranteed income could jeopardize other public benefits for many households (average $736/year loss; 107 of 120 households at risk of a combined $78,876/year in losses), prompting CUOC to add a peer benefit-navigation support component. Seed data describing $250 bi-weekly payments over 12 months conflicts with all verified sources, which consistently describe $12,600 total over 3 years paid monthly.
Eligibility
Overview
- Eligibility details
Eligible participants are adult residents (18+) of Bridgeport, Hartford, or New Haven, CT with low incomes who are engaged in community organizing, advocacy, or neighborhood/civic power-building work — described by the program as 'Changemakers.' Enrollment is not an open public application; participants receive invitation codes distributed through Community Partner Representatives and grassroots/community organizations partnering with UpTogether and CUOC in each city. Of the 120 slots, 40 are allocated to Greater Bridgeport, with the remainder split between Hartford and New Haven. The program was co-designed by a 15-person resident Community Advisory Council convened by CUOC and UpTogether in 2023.
Demographics
- Minimum age
- 18
- Language
- English, Spanish (roughly one-quarter of participants prefer Spanish per CUOC evaluation RFQ)
Geography
- US states covered
- Connecticut
- Countries covered
- United States
- Cities covered
- Bridgeport, Hartford, New Haven
- Residency of Target Geography
- Yes
Participation
- Research / data sharing
- Required
- Research / participation requirements
UpTogether conducts an ongoing in-house quantitative evaluation (survey-based data on participant well-being and self-investment). CUOC issued a Request for Qualifications (Nov. 2025) for an external qualitative evaluation partner to conduct focus groups/interviews on financial stability, benefits navigation, employment, housing, and community power-building; an interim findings summary is proposed for Nov. 2026 and a final report for Nov. 2027. A separate 2024 Benefits Navigation study, produced with Hartford Foundation for Public Giving, examined how guaranteed income affects participants' other public benefits.
Application Process
- How to apply
Not an open/rolling public application. Participants receive an invitation code from a Community Partner Representative (local community organizations partnered with UpTogether/CUOC in Bridgeport, Hartford, or New Haven), which they use to enroll via UpTogether's platform.
- Selection process
CUOC and UpTogether work with community-based organizations in each of the three cities to identify and recommend resident leaders already engaged in organizing and community power-building work; the overall model and criteria were shaped by a 15-person resident Community Advisory Council that met over six sessions in 2023 to recommend the payment amount, cadence, duration, and community-investment approach.
