Jay Williams is leading the Hartford Foundation for Public Giving in an important milestone year — its centennial celebration.
To kickstart its year-long commemoration, the foundation in January launched a new $2.9 million “Greater Together Community Funds investment,” which will provide $100,000 to each of the 29 communities within its geographic footprint for grantmaking and endowment support.
The goal of the program, Williams said, is to provide funding to local communities that are most knowledgeable about the needs of their residents.
In all of 2024, the foundation awarded $55 million in grant funding — the second-largest amount in the organization’s history.
Find out who else is in the 2025 Power 50
Since arriving at the Hartford Foundation in 2017, Williams has significantly lifted the profile of the organization, which sits on a $1-billion community fund.
Williams has gained notoriety as a key community leader. His focus has been on supporting programs that dismantle structural racism, achieve equity and improve social and economic mobility in the region.
Williams, a former mayor of Youngstown, Ohio, has served on the boards of the MetroHartford Alliance, AdvanceCT and is a member of the Governor’s Workforce Council.
Prior to joining the foundation, he served as U.S. assistant secretary of commerce for economic development, where he led the federal economic development agenda for the United States.