Issue link: https://nebusinessmedia.uberflip.com/i/1489717
6 6 C T I N N O V A T O R S , 2 0 2 2 Connecticut experienced food insecurity at some point in 2020, compared to 9% of white residents. Williams and the Foundation staff have responded with investments targeted at economic development, better housing, community involvement and basic needs, such as food. Balancing and partnering Two words that could describe Williams' tenure at the Foundation are balance and partnerships. For one, he has to balance the needs of, among others, the arts and cultural organizations that are vital to the region with the push for equality and mobility. Of course, when he can do both at once — such as creating the Artists of Color Unite Advisory Committee, which as the name suggests promotes artists of color — all the better. Another balance he must strike is between the needs of urban and suburban communities which, he hastens to add, aren't mutually exclusive. In 2018 he and his staff did a listening tour of all 29 towns the foundation serves. From that came the establishment of 29 separate community funds, independent of town government, for each town. Town residents have used the funds for a wide variety of social, cultural and recreational needs. Williams also is quietly encouraging towns to work together. He argues, as he did in Youngstown, that a strong core city benefits the region. Supporting businesses owned by women and people of color enhances the broader economy. e U.S. economy is made up of regional economies; the strongest regions work together. "Some town leaders have come to us and said they were interested in partnering with two or three other towns on a particular project. We said 'Great, we're interested in funding it,'" he says. Williams seeks to partner with whomever can help move a project along. Since day one, and particularly during the pandemic, the Foundation has partnered with the City of Hartford, on everything from providing food to aid for small businesses to Wi-Fi expansion. e Foundation and the City just partnered on a Love Hartford initiative, which involves activating vacant spaces, cleaning up litter and other activities to strengthen neighborhood pride. "From the beginning Jay has been an active, creative, collaborative partner, and I am really grateful for that partnership," says Mayor Luke Bronin. He says as a mayor, having a partner that understands the challenge and needs of running a city is a real plus. It's the nature of this kind of philanthropy that most grants promote incremental improvements across a wide spectrum of activities. But, says Williams, "I still keep an eye out for the transformative project," the major enterprise that can change the region's direction for the better. ough Hartford hasn't always been lucky with mega-projects (see Constitution Plaza), Williams and others, including U.S. Rep. John Larson, think there is a plan now on the table that can change the game for Hartford and the region. It's part of a regional planning effort called Hartford 400, initiated by the iQuilt project in Hartford. Among other things it would remove or cover the highways in downtown Hartford, reconnect Hartford and East Hartford to the Connecticut River and reconnect the North End of Hartford to the rest of the City. It's the kind of innovation, albeit on a larger scale, that Williams has been trying to promote across the region. "We're supporting it," he says. I Continued from page 64 Jay Williams (right) and Hartford Mayor Luke Bronin (left) visit Hartford's ProStyle Barber Shop to announce emergency small business microgrants.