Nonprofit Agencies March For More State Funding

HARTFORD, CT – Nonprofit agencies supporting mental health services, addiction, homelessness, immigration and more were well represented Tuesday at the state Capitol during a rally for increased state funding on the building’s south lawn.

The event, organized by the CT Community Nonprofit Alliance, drew an estimated 2,500, according to Capitol police.

“We’re here to demand fair and adequate funding for nonprofits that are in the business of saving lives every day,” said Heather Gates, president and CEO of Community Health Resources, a statewide behavioral healthcare provider.

An estimated 2,500 employees, clients and supporters of Connecticut nonprofit agencies rallied for additional state funding on the State Capitol’s south lawn on May 20, 2025. Credit: Donald Eng / CTNewsJunkie

Following the outdoor rally, hundreds of supporters then walked into the capitol seeking an audience with individual legislators. While they were likely to find sympathy and emotional support, the dollars they are looking for likely won’t happen, according to legislative leaders on both sides.

“We’re going through the budget deliberations. The Appropriations Committee gave additional funding above the governor’s budget for nonprofits,” said House Speaker Matt Ritter, D-Hartford. “We are looking at, in addition to nonprofits, generally more Medicaid funding, which does help some of the nonprofits.”

An estimated 2,500 employees, clients and supporters of Connecticut nonprofit agencies rallied for additional state funding on the State Capitol’s south lawn on May 20, 2025. Credit: Donald Eng / CTNewsJunkie

Despite the funding bump, Ritter said he didn’t think the legislature would meet the funding levels that the agencies were seeking.

“Unfortunately, I don’t think we’re going to be able to get that high,” he said. “But we are continuing to work through it and it’s a priority in the caucus.”

An estimated 2,500 employees, clients and supporters of Connecticut nonprofit agencies rallied for additional state funding on the State Capitol’s south lawn on May 20, 2025. Credit: Donald Eng / CTNewsJunkie

Asked a similar question, Ritter’s Republican counterpart, Minority Leader Vincent Candelora, R-North Branford, said he hoped the nonprofits would receive adequate funding.

“We certainly, in our budget … made it a priority,” he said. 

Candelora said employees at nonprofit agencies were some of the lowest paid workers in Connecticut, and added that the legislature also needed to look at Medicaid reimbursement rates.

“For a lot of these organizations that utilize that funding stream, some of those haven’t been touched in so many years,” he said. “So, yes it’s a priority for us.”