Celebrating and Supporting Communities

As part of the People’s United Bank merger agreement, the M&T Bank Charitable Foundation established a new fund committed to deploying $25MM of supplemental charitable giving over 3 years in support of the former People's United Bank communities.

The Amplify Fund

The Amplify Fund is powered by the M&T Bank Charitable Foundation in the first significant philanthropic effort by M&T Bank across the former People’s United Bank footprint. 

First announced in May 2022, the Amplify Fund is a $25 million philanthropic investment as part of the merger between People’s United and M&T Bank. The Amplify Fund is a one-time supplemental charitable program to provide further support in the legacy People's United communities throughout New England and New York, to benefit low- and moderate-income communities and underrepresented populations using a racial equity and justice lens.

Importantly, the Amplify Fund does not replace the M&T Foundation’s current charitable giving or sponsorships across the banking footprint, including the former People’s United Bank footprint. It is in addition to it. 

Phase I Grant Awards - Complete

M&T kickstarted the Amplify Fund initiative in the former People’s United Bank communities through a regional Request for Proposal (RFP) process. The first round of giving was awarded in 2022, totaling more than $11.8 million to 105 nonprofit organizations, with some payments committed over a two- or three-year period. 

Funding was provided to specific non-profit organizations based in New England and Metro New York, with a focus on mission-driven and capacity building work, community organizing, equity and environmental initiatives, and financial empowerment and education for individuals and small businesses.

  • 350 Vermont Inc.
  • Arts for Learning CT
  • Accompany Capital
  • Alliance for Community Empowerment
  • ANHD
  • Ascendus (formerly Accion East/CDFI)
  • Asian Americans For Equality, Inc.
  • Audubon Vermont
  • Barnum Museum Foundation, Inc.
  • BOC
  • Bridgeport Caribe Youth Leaders
  • Bridgeport Economic Development Corporation (BEDCO)
  • Bridgeport Neighborhood Trust, Inc.
  • Capital for Change
  • Cardinal Shehan Center
  • Career Resources, Inc.
  • Center for Law and Human Values
  • Central Connecticut Coast YMCA
  • Central Islip Civic Council
  • Chhaya
  • Citizens Campaign Fund for the Environment
  • CNYCN
  • Community Action Agency for New Haven
  • Community Action Southold Town Inc. (CAST)
  • Community Development Corporation of Long Island
  • Community Voices Heard, Inc.
  • Connecticut Association for the Performing Arts d/b/a Shubert Theatre
  • Connecticut Community Outreach Revitalization Program (ConnCORP)
  • Connecticut Green Building Council
  • Connecticut Institute for Refugees and Immigrants
  • Connecticut Zoological Society, Inc. (DBA Connecticut's Beardsley Zoo)
  • CT Council for Philanthropy
  • CT Students for a Dream
  • Cypress Hills Local Development Corporation
  • Dorchester Bay Economic Development Corporation
  • East Brooklyn Congregations
  • East New York CLT Inc.
  • Eastern Connecticut Housing Opportunities Inc
  • Ecology Education Inc.
  • Economic Opportunity Council of Suffolk, Inc.
  • Fairfield County’s Community Foundation
  • Fifth Avenue Committee, Inc.
  • Flatbush Development Corporation
  • Forge City Works
  • Futures Ignite
  • Good Old Lower East Side, Inc. (GOLES)
  • Greater Bridgeport Community Enterprises, Inc.
  • Groundwork Bridgeport
  • Groundwork Lawrence
  • Habitat For Humanity 
  • Habitat for Humanity of Coastal Fairfield County
  • Harris Center for Conservation Education
  • Hartford Land Bank, Inc
  • HEDCO, Inc.
  • Housatonic Community College Foundation
  • Housing Development Fund, Inc.
  • International Hartford Ltd.
  • Intervale Center
  • Junior Achievement of Fairfield County
  • La Fuerza CDC
  • La Fuerza Unida, Inc.
  • LifeBridge Community Services, Inc.
  • LIHP
  • Local Initiatives Support Corporation Connecticut
  • Long Island Progressive Coalition Education Project
  • Maine Farmland Trust
  • Maine Organic Farmers and Gardeners Association (MOFGA)
  • Make the Road Connecticut
  • Make the Road New York
  • Merrimack River Watershed Council
  • MHANY
  • Mutual Housing Association of Greater Hartford Inc
  • Mutual Housing Association of South Central Connecticut, Inc.
  • Mutual Housing Association of Southwestern Connecticut dba Connecticut Housing Partners
  • NE Grassroots Environment Fund
  • Neighborhood Housing Services Of New Haven, Inc
  • Neighbors Together Corp.
  • Northwest Bronx Community & Clergy Coalition
  • NY Renews Education Fund, a Project of the Tides Foundation
  • OLA (Immigrant Services)
  • Our Piece of the Pie, Inc.
  • Pratt Area Community Council, Inc.
  • Red Hook Initiative
  • Regional Youth Adult Social Action Partnership (RYASAP)
  • Right to Counsel NYC Coalition
  • Riverkeeper, Inc.
  • Save the Sound
  • SCSU Foundation
  • SEPA Mujer
  • Sheldon Oak Central, Inc.
  • St Nicks Alliance
  • The Center for Family Justice, Inc.
  • The Crenulated Company Ltd. DBA New Settlement
  • The Open Door Shelter
  • The San Juan Center
  • The Trust for Public Land
  • The WorkPlace
  • UHAB
  • UNHP
  • United Way of Coastal Fairfield County
  • Urban League LI
  • Vermont Natural Resources Council Inc.
  • We Stay/Nos Quedamos, Inc.
  • Women's Business Development Council
  • Youth Ministries for Peace & Justice, Inc.

Phase II – Closed

As part of the Amplify Fund commitment, The M&T Charitable Foundation is pleased to announce a new Request for Proposals (RFP) – Amplify Fund-Advancing Equity Collaboratives (“AF-AEC”). 

Timeline:
RFP Submission Deadline: October 6, 2023
Decisions and Notifications Period: December 2023

Funding Opportunity & Strategic Priorities

Amplify Fund-Advancing Equity Collaboratives (“AF-AEC”)

This RFP seeks applications from nonprofit organizations that are centered on advancing equity – with a particular focus on racial and gender equity - throughout the People's United Bank legacy footprint, including Connecticut, Massachusetts, Vermont, New Hampshire, Southern Maine, Long Island and Westchester County, New York.

AF-AEC will seek to provide finite funding, up to three years, to community-based organizations that are working together toward a common goal for solving a specific social problem, using a structured form of collaboration, including public and private partnerships. This work should respond directly to documented needs, challenges, and gaps to help advance equity in the following key areas of focus:

  • Family Stability – affordable housing, food security, access to quality and affordable childcare
  • Income & Wealth Equity–employment, small business development, homeownership, and financial empowerment initiatives.
  • Workforce Development –education and training opportunities focused on upskilling and career pathways in high-growth sectors that leads to economic prosperity.
  • Health Equity –access to quality and affordable healthcare, with a priority on youth mental health and women and infant health.

Special consideration will be given to Collaboratives that provide access and opportunities that enable upward mobility, and initiatives that create a more inclusive and equitable economy, works to close the racial wealth gap, and addresses economic barriers, and other opportunity gaps for marginalized and underrepresented populations, including low-to moderate-income and BIPOC communities and populations.

AF-AEC will seek large-scale social change approaches through cross-sector collaborations that are focused on community engagement initiatives that are purposeful, equitable, transparent, and strategic.

AF-AEC is designed to provide support to trusted community organizations that are using a structured form of collaboration to improve the lives of their constituents within the key focus areas identified as AF-AEC giving priorities. Priority will be given for formal Collective Impact Models, Collaboratives with a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) among its partners, or other form of a collaborative framework. Organizations must be able to clearly demonstrate how they are working together to collectively improve the work of their efforts and outcomes, and how they are advancing equity by learning together, aligning, and integrating their actions to achieve a shared goal.

Frequently Asked Questions

The lead organization / backbone organization that has fiscal responsibility for the collaborative should serve as the lead nonprofit organization that applies. Backbone/lead organizations must be a 501(c)3 public charity.

Organizations that are working together with a common agenda for solving a specific social problem, using a structured form of collaboration. Priority will be given to collaboratives that have a common mission and goal, are using shared performance measurements and evaluation activities, and the use of data to continuously learn, adapt, and improve the work of their collaborative efforts and outcomes to advance equity. This could include private and private partnerships. This work should respond directly to documented needs, challenges, and gaps to help advance equity. 

Proposals will be evaluated based on the individual and collective organizations’ history and track record of success; identified needs; and strategies to meet those needs. We will look for organizations that have an established positive reputation in their communities, and a history of effectively responding to current as well as emergent issues.  Additional evaluation criteria will include: strength and capacity of collaborative; board/committee strength, diverse composition, and ability to provide appropriate oversight; history of, or plan for effective constituency engagement; and the collaboratives’ use of funds description. Priority will also be given to collaboratives that are engaged in public and private partnerships, and cross-sector collaboration; and demonstrate a clear and effective strategic plan towards advancing equity in the core areas identified.

The Amplify Fund is a supplemental giving program. It does not replace any giving initiatives by M&T Bank or the M&T Charitable Foundation. Organizations are eligible to apply and receive funds through to the Amplify Fund and the regular M&T Charitable Foundation process. 

The intent of the Amplify Fund is to provide an inclusive and equitable process that reaches a broad range of nonprofit organizations across the People’s United Bank legacy footprint. We understand that some organizations that received previous funding through the Amplify Fund may be a part of a qualifying collaborative that is interested in applying, and therefore could potentially benefit from additional funding support if approved. Decisions on qualifying organizations will be at the discretion of the M&T Charitable Foundation. 

Formal documentation is not a requirement. However, the M&T Charitable Foundation will prioritize organizations that are able to demonstrate a formal agreement and/or commitment between the members of the collaborative.

No. Please submit only one RFP on behalf of the collaborative. We recognize that many organizations do work across our focus areas and/or geographies. Your request should highlight all of the ways your organization meets our criteria.

The intent of the Amplify Fund and Advancing Equity Collaborative RFP is intended to provide funding support to nonprofit organizations that are operating within the former People’s United Bank footprint. While consideration will be given to organizations that have offices outside the geographic areas identified in the RFP, the programs/services for which funding is being requested must have a direct impact on our local communities outlined in the AF-AEC RFP.

The submitter of the application should receive an automated email from Versaic. 

If you do not receive an acknowledgement email, please contact the Charitable Contact for your Region.

Learn More >

  •  Individuals
  • Capital campaigns
  • Schools (public, private, or charter), including scholarships and tuition
  • Events or any type of sponsorships, including conferences, seminars, panel discussions and retreats
  • Disease specific organizations and activities
  • Endowments 
  • Media-related initiatives and marketing/advertising campaigns
  • Religious organizations, unless supporting non-sectarian broad based community issues
  • Sports, athletic events, or recreational programs/organizations          

The lead organization applying to the Amplify Fund on behalf of the collaborative should be the entity that has fiduciary responsibility. The lead organization will need to prove its 501c3 public charity status. It will also be accountable for signing the grant agreement, and will be responsible for ensuring compliance with the grant terms and conditions set forth by the M&T Charitable Foundation, and carrying out the financial and fiduciary responsibilities of the grant.