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The J. Walton Bissell Foundation is a private foundation providing funding to non-profit organizations that advance change for individuals and families, primarily in Hartford.  

We who are privileged to be servants of J. Walton Bissell’s mission are led by the humility which he exemplified, and the dedication to inclusion, to which he was committed.

We are determined to use the resources Mr. Bissell gave in ways that match his stand.

We are focused on the aspirations of others who have gone unseen and excluded.  We are at others’ disposal.

We are seriously examining what our partners are teaching: meaningful lessons and relationships are incorporated into 2025 designs and goals.

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PLEASE WATCH THIS SPACE FOR INFORMATION ABOUT 2026

PRIORITIES AND DATES

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** WE HAVE A NEW APPLICATION PORTAL IN 2025 **

WHAT THIS MEANS FOR YOU:

I.        Your Prior Submissions

II.      Applying in 2025

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I.     Many of you have accessed, referenced, and pasted responses from prior applications submitted by your agency.  All of your agencies’ applications – from as far back as 2016 – remain in the former portal through December 31, 2025.  [The vendor has extended the old portal's availability for agencies seeking to access historic submissions.]

You may sign into the former “old” portal here in order to download your applications.  Some find this institutional history meaningful to preserve. If previous applications you seek are not visible, it means your agency’s sign-in credentials were changed at some point.  Send us word if you want previous applications transferred to your portal.

After December 31, 2025, the former portal will no longer be available.

II.     For the remainder of 2025, our funding attention will be focused on partners to whom we gave grants in the three most recent years.  Thus, you are eligible to apply for funding from the Bissell Foundation if you received funds in one or two of these years:

2022, 2023, and 2024

The red link below first invites you to establish a new grant portal for your organization.  This portal is the access point for the Term II 2025 application form.   We take this time to remind you that a longstanding policy of the Bissell Foundation precludes making a grant in a fourth [4th] consecutive year.  If your have received funding in each of the last three years (2022, 2023, and 2024) you are not eligible for funding in 2025.  Please ask us if you are unsure.

Click here to access the Term II 2025 portal and application. 

NOTE:  The 9/5/25 application deadline has now expired.

Please watch this space for relevant updates and 2026 deadlines.

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TWO [2] TERMS OF GRANTMAKING IN 2025

APPLICATION DEADLINE 1 of 2:

February 28,  with a grace period through March 5 

                         Decision-making about applications will occur by May 31

APPLICATION DEADLINE 2 of 2:

August 31,  with a grace period through September 5

                    Decision-making about applications will occur by December 10

WE URGE YOU TO WATCH AND LISTEN TO THE VIDEO TUTORIAL ON THIS WEBSITE BEFORE

BEGINNING YOUR GRANT APPLICATIONS. IT WILL ANSWER QUESTIONS ABOUT THE FORM.