Urban League of Greater Hartford Receives $140K from M&T Bank’s Amplify Fund
Funding Will Support Its Community Financial Opportunity Programs
HARTFORD, CONN., April 25, 2025 – The M&T Charitable Foundation, the philanthropic arm of M&T Bank (NYSE:MTB), has announced that it has awarded $140,000 over two years to the Urban League of Greater Hartford. The grant is part of the third round of giving through the Amplify Fund providing more than $4.9 million to 51 lead nonprofit organizations throughout New England, Long Island, and Rockland County, NY.
“This grant means a lot to our ability to help the families and communities we serve achieve economic self-reliance,” said David Hopkins, President and CEO of the Urban League of Greater Hartford, which is celebrating 60 years of economic empowerment in the Connecticut community. “We appreciate the leadership and team at M&T Bank, a 2024 Equity Partner, for their support of our social enterprise, community engagement, and leadership development, and now this Amplify Fund award will help enrich our financial opportunity program.”
The Urban League of Greater Hartford is a community-based, not-for-profit 501(c)(3), established in 1964 as the National Urban League’s 66th affiliate. Its mission is to promote racial equity through economic empowerment programs in the areas of youth development, adult education, workforce development, affordable housing, personal financial management, community health, and social justice, impacting more than 3,000 individuals and their families every year. Visit www.ulgh.org.
“The M&T Charitable Foundation is proud to support the work of nonprofits like the Urban League of Greater Hartford that are dedicated to advancing equity and creating positive and lasting change,” said Dominique Goss, Executive Director of the M&T Charitable Foundation. “We look forward to seeing the progress of their work and the collective outcomes of our partnerships in the months and years ahead.”
First announced in May 2022, the Amplify Fund is a $25 million philanthropic investment as part of the merger between People’s United Bank and M&T Bank. Powered by the M&T Charitable Foundation, the Amplify Fund is a one time supplemental charitable program to provide further support in the legacy People's United communities.
The first round of funding totaled more than $11.8 million to 105 nonprofit organizations and focused on equity and environmental initiatives, mission-driven and capacity-building work, community and tenant organizing, and financial empowerment and education for individuals and small businesses. The second round provided $8.2 million of funding to 68 organizations addressing issues like food security and affordable housing, income and wealth equity, workforce development, and access to quality and affordable healthcare.
Grantees in this third and final round of funding include nonprofit organizations that are centered on advancing financial inclusion and spurring economic growth and prosperity, with a particular focus on creating equitable change through homeownership, small business development and entrepreneurship, career growth, and financial resilience. As a legacy Civil Rights organization, the Urban League’s mission is rooted in creating opportunities and pathways towards economic self-reliance. The Amplify Fund will support Project Ready youth scholarships and employment stipends, workforce development services, Project STABLE financial capabilities initiatives to close the wealth gap, and Project Wellness investments in community health to strengthen economic sustainability.
The Amplify Fund is designed to drive sustainable impact that is equitable, accessible, and responsive to local needs. Regional representatives of the bank will continue to meet with local leaders to help inform the strategic direction for the Fund’s third round.
For more information on the Amplify Fund, including the full list of grant recipients in New England and Metro New York, please visit the Amplify Fund website.
About M&T Charitable Foundation
The M&T Charitable Foundation, the philanthropic arm of M&T Bank, is a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit charitable organization founded in 1993 and funded by M&T Bank. The M&T Charitable Foundation awards nearly $40 million in grants per year to thousands of nonprofit organizations focused on improving the quality of life in the areas the bank serves. M&T Bank Corporation is a financial holding company headquartered in Buffalo, New York. M&T's principal banking subsidiary, M&T Bank, provides banking products and services in 12 states across the eastern U.S. from Maine to Virginia and Washington, D.C. Trust-related services are provided in select markets in the U.S. and abroad by M&T's Wilmington Trust-affiliated companies and by M&T Bank. For more information on M&T Bank, visit www.mtb.com.