Connecticut’s Social Equity Council, the body charged with ensuring that revenues from legal cannabis sales benefit marginalized communities, has announced the relaunch of its community reinvestment program.
The program, which makes grants to community organizations, was paused last year amid tensions within the council and concerns from legislators. Gov. Ned Lamont’s office and the legislature’s Black and Puerto Rican Caucus questioned a lack of strategy and accountability in the grant-making process, which at that point had disbursed $6 million to projects in communities disproportionately affected by the war on drugs.
The leadership of the council has since changed, with former Deputy Housing Commissioner and legislator Brandon McGee taking over as executive director after the resignation of Ginne-Rae Clay.
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In relaunching the program, now called Reimagine & Revitalize, the council now says it will be governed by a three-year strategic vision, an updated funding model and robust performance metrics.
“The release of reinvestment dollars comes at a time when federal policies are rolling back desperately needed resources to marginalized communities,” said council Chair Andréa Comer. “While these funds are a small piece of what’s necessary to truly address the harm, I am encouraged by the equitable approach in supporting those most impacted areas in our state.”
The relaunched program commits $36 million in funding to 10 regions across Connecticut over the next three years. The money will be targeted toward projects that focus specifically on economic development, reentry after incarceration and youth initiatives.
As a first step, the council is issuing an RFP seeking qualified grant managers, expected to be established nonprofits with at least five years of grant-making experience. One manager will be selected for each region, to provide program oversight and contract management services. The council says selected grant managers should expect to manage approximately 18 contracts ranging from $25,000 to $100,000.
The targeted regions are Bridgeport, Danbury, Hartford/East Hartford, Meriden, New Britain, New Haven/East Haven/West Haven, New London/Norwich/Windham, Norwalk, Stamford and Waterbury.
According to the council, these areas account for 194 out of Connecticut’s 237 disproportionately impacted census tracts.
Comptroller Sean Scanlon’s office conducted an investigation into the operations of the Social Equity Council last year, in response to legislators’ concerns.
“The Social Equity Council has made great strides to chart a new, stronger path forward,” Scanlon said of the relaunch. “My office has been proud to work alongside SEC staff to address the full scope of recommendations included in the 2024 audit, and we will continue to be steadfast partners in advancing efforts to Reimagine & Revitalize communities impacted by the war on drugs.”
