Provide financial assistance to non-profit educational and charitable organizations in the Greater Hartford community and award scholarships to students pursuing careers in the culinary arts and hospitality fields; support local charities addressing food insecurity, mental health, housing, and educational needs.
Max Cares Foundation Inc. stands out for combining culinary and hospitality scholarships with direct support for local charities and meal-focused assistance. In 2025, the foundation awarded twelve scholarship recipients a combined annual distribution of about $40,000, with individual awards up to $5,000 for students pursuing culinary arts or hospitality management. That scholarship work sits alongside a steady pattern of community donations in Greater Hartford and Greater Springfield. The recent grants list shows the foundation funding both education and social services. Camp Courant received $25,000 in 2023 and another $12,500 in 2025, while Hands on Hartford received $10,109 in 2024 and $11,983 in 2025. Other grants went to organizations such as Covenant Preparatory School, Grace Academy, The Village, and Children’s Law Center, indicating support for youth, education, and family-serving institutions. The foundation also uses fundraising events and matching campaigns to channel resources into holiday meals and emergency support, linking its giving to local service needs rather than broad national grantmaking.
Education-related giving is a visible part of the foundation’s portfolio. Manchester Community College received a $7,750 scholarship award in 2023, and the separate Max Cares Foundation Scholarship program supports students from Greater Hartford County, Connecticut, and Greater Springfield, Massachusetts who are preparing for culinary arts or hospitality management careers. Food assistance is another clear thread. Baystate Health Foundation received $35,000 in 2023 and Baystate Health received $20,000 in 2025, both listed as financial assistance, while Hands on Hartford received grants in 2024 and 2025 tied to community support. The foundation also backed holiday meal efforts through its Roasts for the Holidays matching campaign. Community services and youth supports appear through grants to Camp Courant, First Tee of Connecticut, and Martin Luther King Jr Family Services, showing a mix of recreation, youth development, and local service organizations.
Typical grants cluster tightly around the $10,000 level, with a p25 of $7,500, a median of $10,000, and a p75 of $10,054. The top-end gifts in the recent list reach $35,000, but most awards sit near the median, suggesting a middle-band approach rather than a few very large institutional grants. The pattern is also recurring: several grantees appear in multiple years, including Camp Courant, Hands on Hartford, Grace Academy, Covenant Preparatory School, Children’s Law Center, The Village, and Hartford Healthcare. The foundation is not a program-related investor and does not fund individuals directly outside its scholarship and aid programs. It also accepts unsolicited applications for the scholarship and some event-linked products, while community donations and emergency support programs are not open to unsolicited requests.
$133K
$211K
$331K
$401K
Most grants fall between $8K and $10K, with a median of $10K.
25th Percentile
$8K
Median
$10K
75th Percentile
$10K
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Grantmaking is concentrated in Connecticut and western Massachusetts. Connecticut receives 67% of grants, and Massachusetts is the top state by grant count overall. Hartford appears repeatedly among recipient cities, including Camp Courant, The Village, Grace Academy, Children’s Law Center, Hands on Hartford, and Hartford Healthcare. Springfield and Northampton also show up on the Massachusetts side through Baystate Health and Baystate Health Foundation, while smaller numbers reach Providence, Randolph, New York, and Cromwell. All recent grants in the dataset were made to U.S. recipients.
The foundation supports nonprofit educational and charitable organizations in the Greater Hartford community, with a strong emphasis on food insecurity, mental health, housing, education, and youth development. It also supports scholarships for culinary arts and hospitality students and has funded holiday meal and emergency assistance efforts.
Yes. Its scholarship program supports students pursuing culinary arts or hospitality management. In 2025, it awarded twelve scholarship recipients and distributed about $40,000 in total, with individual awards up to $5,000.
The typical recent grant is close to $10,000. The provided distribution shows a p25 of $7,500, a median of $10,000, and a p75 of $10,054.
Its grants are concentrated in Connecticut and western Massachusetts. Connecticut accounts for 67% of grants, while Massachusetts is the top state by grant count. Recent recipient cities include Hartford, Springfield, Northampton, Providence, Randolph, and Cromwell.
Yes, for the Max Cares Foundation Scholarship and some event-linked products. The community grants, event-supported charitable grants, and emergency support programs listed do not accept unsolicited requests.
2025
Source: IRS Form 990-PF, fiscal year 2025.
Current and upcoming funding from Max Cares Foundation that your nonprofit may be able to apply for.
Who can apply: Organizations must provide legal name, contact information, 501(c)(3) tax ID, mission statement, budget, financial statements, IRS determination letter, and most recent Form 990.
Who can apply: Applicants must provide an IRS determination letter showing 501(c)(3) status under Section 509(a), financial statements, current operating budget, and project budget. The application requests organizational information and details about the need, purpose, use of funds, and other funding sources.
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Most recent grants reported to the IRS.
| Recipient | Location | Amount | Year | Purpose |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| BAYSTATE HEALTH | SPRINGFIELD, MA | $20,000 | 2025 | FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE |
| COVENANT PREPARATORY SCHOOL | HARTFORD, CT | $12,500 | 2025 | FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE |
| CAMP COURANT | HARTFORD, CT | $12,500 | 2025 | FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE |
| CHILDREN'S LAW CENTER | HARTFORD, CT | $12,500 | 2025 | FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE |
| GRACE ACADEMY | HARTFORD, CT | $12,500 | 2025 | FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE |
| HANDS ON HARTFORD | HARTFORD, CT | $11,983 | 2025 | FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE |
| HARTFORD HEALTHCARE | HARTFORD, CT | $10,000 | 2025 | FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE |
| JOHNSON & WALES | PROVIDENCE, RI | $8,000 | 2025 | FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE |
| FIRST TEE OF CONNECTICUT | CROMWELL, CT | $7,500 | 2025 | FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE |
| JEWISH FAMILY SERVICES | WEST HARTFORD, CT | $7,500 | 2025 | FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE |
| SPRINGFIELD RESCUE MISSION | SPRINGFIELD, MA | $6,236 | 2025 | FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE |
| SALVATION ARMY BRISTOL | BRISTOL, CT | $6,197 | 2025 | FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE |
| CSO FRIENDS OF THE HOMELESS | SPRINGFIELD, MA | $5,819 | 2025 | FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE |
| THE VILLAGE | HARTFORD, CT | $15,000 | 2024 | FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE |
| HANDS ON HARTFORD | HARTFORD, CT | $10,109 | 2024 | FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE |
| COVENANT PREPARATORY SCHOOL | HARTFORD, CT | $10,000 | 2024 | FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE |
| MAY INSTITUTE OFFICE OF PHILANTHROPY | RANDOLPH, MA | $10,000 | 2024 | FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE |
| HARTFORD HEALTHCARE | HARTFORD, CT | $10,000 | 2024 | FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE |
| CAMP COURANT | HARTFORD, CT | $10,000 | 2024 | FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE |
| FIRST TEE OF CONNECTICUT | CROMWELL, CT | $10,000 | 2024 | FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE |
| GRACE ACADEMY | HARTFORD, CT | $10,000 | 2024 | FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE |
| CHILDREN'S LAW CENTER | HARTFORD, CT | $10,000 | 2024 | FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE |
| RONALD MCDONALD HOUSE | NEW YORK, NY | $8,000 | 2024 | FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE |
| SPRINGFIELD RESCUE MISSION | SPRINGFIELD, MA | $7,232 | 2024 | FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE |
| MERCY HOUSING AND SHELTER | HARTFORD, CT | $6,000 | 2024 | FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE |
| BAYSTATE HEALTH FOUNDATION | NORTHAMPTON, MA | $35,000 | 2023 | FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE |
| CAMP COURANT | HARTFORD, CT | $25,000 | 2023 | FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE |
| ARTHRITIS FOUNDATION | NEW YORK, NY | $10,000 | 2023 | FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE |
| CHILDREN'S LAW CENTER | HARTFORD, CT | $10,000 | 2023 | FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE |
| GRACE ACADEMY | HARTFORD, CT | $10,000 | 2023 | FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE |
| COVENANT PREPARATORY SCHOOL | HARTFORD, CT | $10,000 | 2023 | FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE |
| MARTIN LUTHER KING JR FAMILY SERVICES | SPRINGFIELD, MA | $10,000 | 2023 | FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE |
| CHRISTINA'S HOUSE | SPRINGFIELD, MA | $10,000 | 2023 | FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE |
| THE VILLAGE | HARTFORD, CT | $10,000 | 2023 | FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE |
| MANCHESTER COMMUNITY COLLEGE | MANCHESTER, CT | $7,750 | 2023 | SCHOLARSHIPS |
| JEWISH FAMILY SERVICES | WEST HARTFORD, CT | $7,500 | 2023 | FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE |
| SPRINGFIELD RESCUE MISSION | SPRINGFIELD, MA | $6,500 | 2023 | FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE |
| JOHNSON AND WALES UNIVERSITY | PROVIDENCE, RI | $5,500 | 2023 | SCHOLARSHIPS |
| HANDS ON HARTFORD | HARTFORD, CT | $5,250 | 2023 | FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE |
BAYSTATE HEALTH
$20,000FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE
CAMP COURANT
$12,500FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE
FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE
HARTFORD HEALTHCARE
$10,000FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE
JOHNSON & WALES
$8,000FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE
FIRST TEE OF CONNECTICUT
$7,500FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE
SALVATION ARMY BRISTOL
$6,197FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE
CSO FRIENDS OF THE HOMELESS
$5,819FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE
MAY INSTITUTE OFFICE OF PHILANTHROPY
$10,000FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE
HARTFORD HEALTHCARE
$10,000FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE
CAMP COURANT
$10,000FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE
FIRST TEE OF CONNECTICUT
$10,000FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE
CAMP COURANT
$25,000FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE
ARTHRITIS FOUNDATION
$10,000FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE
MARTIN LUTHER KING JR FAMILY SERVICES
$10,000FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE
CHRISTINA'S HOUSE
$10,000FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE
MANCHESTER COMMUNITY COLLEGE
$7,750SCHOLARSHIPS
JOHNSON AND WALES UNIVERSITY
$5,500SCHOLARSHIPS
