HAMDEN, CT — December 18, 2025 — Arts for Learning Connecticut (AFLCT) is pleased to announce it has received a $15,000 grant from the J. Walton Bissell Foundation to support high-quality arts learning programs for students and educators across the Greater Hartford region. This award is a $5,000 increase from the prior year, confirming the Foundation’s strong commitment to AFLCT’s mission in the Greater Hartford region.
This grant will provide critical support for AFLCT’s ongoing work delivering culturally responsive performances, creative workshops, and arts-integrated residencies in Hartford and neighboring communities, including East Hartford, Bloomfield, Manchester, and South Windsor. Funding from the J. Walton Bissell Foundation will help ensure that students, particularly those from low-income and historically underserved communities, continue to have access to transformative arts learning experiences that foster creativity, engagement, and connection.
Over the past two years, AFLCT has delivered nearly 90 arts learning programs in Greater Hartford, reaching more than 13,600 students through school-day, after-school, and community-based programming. These efforts include performances and workshops in partnership with local schools and organizations such as the Hartford Public Library, as well as residencies that provide deeper, hands-on engagement for students and educators.
A significant milestone supported by this work is the launch of AFLCT’s flagship Higher Order Thinking (HOT) Schools program at Kinsella Magnet School of Performing Arts in Hartford. This whole-school initiative integrates the arts into teaching and learning across disciplines, strengthening school culture while building student creativity, collaboration, and critical thinking. In its first year at Kinsella, the program engaged 436 students and 50 educators, with surveys showing high levels of student engagement and improved classroom community.
“Support from the J. Walton Bissell Foundation is especially meaningful as schools and arts organizations continue to navigate funding uncertainty,” said John-Michael Parker, Executive Director of Arts for Learning Connecticut. “This investment allows us to sustain arts learning opportunities in Greater Hartford at a time when access to creative, enriching experiences matters more than ever for students and educators.”
The J. Walton Bissell Foundation has been a reliable partner in AFLCT’s mission to expand access to the arts and advance educational equity in the region. As in prior years, AFLCT will direct this grant toward programming that serves Greater Hartford communities, reinforcing a shared commitment to opportunity, inclusion, and student success.
About the J. Walton Bissell Foundation
The J. Walton Bissell Foundation is a private foundation providing funding to non-profit organizations that advance change and deliver direct services to individuals and families, primarily in Metro Hartford. For more information about the J. Walton Bissell Foundation, visit www.bissellfoundation.org.