For 88 years, the Jacob L. and Lewis Fox Foundation has recognized the brightest scholars graduating from Hartford Public Schools and supported them in their collegiate pursuits. Building on this long-standing commitment, the Fox Foundation is proud to announce a new investment in Hartford Promise, an organization that shares our mission of uplifting Hartford students and expanding access to higher education.
In a year of strong financial returns, the Jacob L. and Lewis Fox Foundation identified an opportunity to deepen our impact by supporting Hartford Promise’s comprehensive Integrated College Success Model. To date, 114 Hartford Public Schools graduates have received both the Hartford Promise Scholarship and the Fox Scholarship. Our organizations are unified in the effort to position Hartford's students for undergraduate success.
On Wednesday, January 21, 2026, board members from the Fox Foundation and Hartford Promise joined Hartford Public Schools staff for the presentaiton of a significant donation from the Fox Foundation to Hartford Promise at the new location of HPS Central Office in the renovated Bulkeley High School. In attendance were Claudia Cruz-Reis, Vice-President of the Jacob L. and Lewis Fox Foundation, Dr. Sivan Hines, President of Hartford Promise, Dr. Andraé Townsel, Superintendent and CEO of Hartford Public Schools, Board Members from The Fox Foundation and Hartford Promise, and Hartford Public Schools’ graduate and Hartford Promise Scholar, Angel Salgado, Hartford Magnet Trinity College Academy Class of '25, Trinity College, Class of '29.
“With this donation, we hope to ensure this unique opportunity is available for generations of Hartford scholars to come,” said Claudia Cruz-Reis, Vice-President of the Jacob L. and Lewis Fox Foundation.
This investment reflects a shared belief between the Jacob L. and Lewis Fox Foundation and Hartford Promise: that while talent is equally distributed, opportunity is not, and that strategic, sustained support can transform individual lives and strengthen the future of the Hartford community.
You can see our 2025 Fox Scholars here.
Hartford Promise is a college scholarship and college success program serving Hartford Public Schools students. Through its Integrated College Success Model, Hartford Promise drives economic mobility by providing students with critical financial resources, individualized advising and coaching, and access to key relationships that support college completion and meaningful employment after graduation. Hartford Promise provides scholarship funds and support for students before, during, and after their college experience. Through Hartford Promise’s historic collaboration with the Greater Hartford Gives Foundation (formerly the Hartford Foundation for Public Giving), all future Hartford Promise Scholars will become eligible for up to a $20,000 Hartford Promise Scholarship with comprehensive student support, PLUS up to an additional $80,000 scholarship from the Greater Hartford Gives Foundation through their new Greater Futures Scholarship.
Every student that meets the Promise Scholar criteria becomes a Hartford Promise Scholar; that means earning up to $100,000 to attend the accredited college or university of their choice. No application. Pure support. To qualify, students must achieve the following:
STEP 1: BE A HARTFORD RESIDENT
Be a Hartford resident throughout high school.
STEP 2: BE A HARTFORD PUBLIC SCHOOLS STUDENT
(Only students of the Hartford Public Schools district qualify for the Hartford Promise Scholarship.)
Attend a Hartford Public Schools high school continuously since 9th grade.
STEP 3: GET YOURSELF TO SCHOOL
Have a 93% or better cumulative attendance record during high school.
STEP 4: DO YOUR HOMEWORK
Have a 3.0 cumulative GPA or better on a 4.0 scale in high school.