Manchester Man Heads 'Giving Circle' at Hartford Foundation

Andrew R. Worthington of Manchester has been named chair of the Catalyst Endowment Fund at the Hartford Foundation for Public Giving, the community foundation for the 29-town Greater Hartford region. 

Since the Catalyst Endowment Fund was launched 20 years ago, grants totaling $612,500 have been awarded in support of nonprofits operating programs in areas such as health, housing and education.  Members of the fund annually choose a topic of concern to study and hold meetings to learn from experts then make grant recommendations. The Hartford Foundation pools and invests donations from members (at least $500 annually per membership) to fund grants. 

Worthington is a certified financial planner and partner with Lips Rousseau Partners, a wealth management group with UBS Financial Services in Hartford. A graduate of Colby College, he previously held commercial banking positions with Shawmut National and Webster Bank.  Active in a number of charitable organizations, he is an overseer at The Bushnell Center for the Performing Arts.

Involved in the Catalyst Endowment Fund for several years, Worthington notes that “Funds like Catalyst – known as ‘giving circles’ – provide individuals with an opportunity to have greater involvement in their philanthropy while providing greater impact through the pooled contributions.”

In 2011, Catalyst members recommended a grant of $40,000 to help fund a financial literacy course for parents whose children attend the Alfred E. Burr Elementary School in Hartford. In 2010, a $45,000 grant was awarded for a supportive housing program for the homeless.

“It isn’t just about giving money. It’s giving money with a purpose,” said Worthington.

When the Catalyst Endowment Fund began in 1992, giving circles were a new trend in philanthropy. Now there are an estimated 800 giving circles in the nation collectively granting about $100 million a year, according to The Washington Post.

The Hartford Foundation for Public Giving, founded in 1925, receives gifts from thousands of generous individuals and families and in 2011 awarded grants of almost $29 million to a broad range of area nonprofit organizations. For more information or to join the Catalyst Endowment Fund, contact Betty Ann Grady at bagrady@hfpg.org, or visit www.hfpg.org/catalyst. For more information about the Hartford Foundation, visit www.hfpg.org or call 860-548-1888.