Form 990 for tax year 2022

Totals

Total revenue

$681,465

Total expenses

$451,308

Contributions and grants received

$693,436

Grants paid

$127,500

Program service revenue

$0

Investment income

$23,035

Other revenue

-$35,006

Total assets, end of year

$1,141,599

Total liabilities, end of year

$14,612

Net assets or fund balances, end of year

$1,126,987

Program services expenses (Part IX)

$222,547

Management and general expenses

$80,454

Fundraising expenses

$148,307

Program service expenses (Part III)

$222,547

Program services were 49.3% of total expenses calculated — Part IX's program-services column over total expenses, both as filed.

Line items

Every line the filer filed in Parts VIII, IX and X, as filed and in filed order. Blank columns are left out, and the lines are not forced to add up to the totals above.

Mission and programs · 2022

• THE AURORA FOUNDATION CURRENTLY FOCUSES ITS GRANT MAKING ON GREATER HARTFORD AREA WOMEN'S COLLEGE SUCCESS PROGRAMS. AURORA'S GOAL THROUGH ITS GRANT MAKING IS TO EMPOWER MORE WOMEN TO COMPLETE THEIR COLLEGE EDUCATION, THEREFORE ENABLING THEM TO BETTER THEIR LIVES AND THOSE OF THEIR FAMILIES. OUR AURORA-FUNDED COLLEGE SUCCESS PROGRAMS GIVE WOMEN, ESPECIALLY LOW-INCOME, WOMEN OF COLOR, AND FIRST-GENERATION COLLEGE STUDENTS THE TOOLS THEY NEED TO NAVIGATE AND PURSUE HIGHER EDUCATION. WE HAVE IDENTIFIED BEST PRACTICES FOR THESE PROGRAMS, INCLUDING ONE-ON-ONE COUNSELING AND ADVISING, MENTORING AND INTRODUCING WOMEN TO ROLE MODELS, BUILDING SELF-ADVOCACY SKILLS, ADDRESSING BASIC NEEDS SUCH AS CHILDCARE AND TRANSPORTATION--AND NOW DURING THE PANDEMIC, HELP NAVIGATING ONLINE LEARNING, UNEMPLOYMENT, AND NEEDS FOR FOOD AND RENTAL ASSISTANCE. AURORA PRIDES ITSELF IN NOT JUST FUNDING EFFECTIVE PROGRAMS, BUT ALSO BEING A RESOURCE AND PARTNER TO OUR GRANTEES. OUR ESSENTIAL EQUITY REPORT ON THE IMPACT OF COVID-19 DOCUMENTED THAT FOR THE FIRST TIME, WOMEN SURPASSED MEN IN APPLYING FOR UNEMPLOYMENT BENEFITS IN CONNECTICUT. OF THOSE WOMEN APPLYING, 75% DID NOT HAVE A COLLEGE DEGREE. THIS DATA TELLS US THAT INCREASING ACCESS TO AND SUCCESSFUL COMPLETION OF HIGHER EDUCATION IS AN EFFECTIVE STRATEGY TO INCREASE WOMEN'S ECONOMIC MOBILITY AND PROTECT THEM FROM THE IMPACT OF HEALTH AND ECONOMIC CRISES. AURORA'S ENHANCED COLLEGE SUCCESS PROGRAM IS A NEW INITIATIVE THAT DEEPENS AND EXTENDS OUR WORK TO SUPPORT A SMALL NUMBER OF STUDENTS IN AURORA-FUNDED COLLEGE SUCCESS PROGRAMS WHO WILL RECEIVE ACCESS ADDITIONAL MENTORING AND EDUCATIONAL OPPORTUNITIES, AND WRAP-AROUND SUPPORTS AND FUNDING FOR HOUSING, CHILDCARE, TECHNOLOGY, HEALTH (INCLUDING MENTAL HEALTH), TRANSPORTATION AND TUITION. WITH THESE BARRIERS REMOVED, THE GOAL IS FOR STUDENTS TO BE ABLE TO FOCUS ON THEIR STUDIES AND TO HAVE AN EFFECTIVE SUPPORT SYSTEM TO HELP THEM NAVIGATE ANY ADDITIONAL BARRIERS. THIS REPRESENTS A SIGNIFICANT INVESTMENT PER STUDENT THAT WILL HAVE A POSITIVE IMPACT ON INDIVIDUAL SUCCESS, BUT ALSO A POSITIVE IMPACT ON THEIR CHILDREN, FAMILIES AND COMMUNITIES. ALONG SIDE OUR EXISTING COLLEGE SUCCESS PROGRAMS, THE NEW ENHANCED COLLEGE SUCCESS PROGRAM WILL SERVE AS A MODEL FOR HOW FINANCIAL SUPPORT AND BARRIER REDUCTION, ALONG WITH EFFECTIVE MENTORING AND CASE MANAGEMENT, CAN INCREASE COLLEGE SUCCESS FOR WOMEN FROM UNDERSERVED POPULATIONS. FUNDING WAS RECEIVED IN 2022 TO IMPLEMENT THE ENHANCED COLLEGE SUCCESS PROGRAM IN 2023.

  Expenses $142,346 · Grants $107,500

• AURORA'S RESEARCH HIGHLIGHTS THE CRITICAL ISSUES FACING WOMEN AND GIRLS IN THE REGION. BEGINNING IN 2019 AND UPDATED YEARLY, AURORA PARTNERED WITH OTHER CONNECTICUT WOMEN'S FUNDS AND CONNECTICUT DATA COLLABORATIVE TO CREATE THE WOMEN AND GIRLS DATA PLATFORM (WGDP), A CUTTING-EDGE TOOL TO SHARE INFORMATION AND EQUIP NONPROFITS, GOVERNMENT, AND COMMUNITY MEMBERS WITH INFORMATION FOR THE ADVANCEMENT OF WOMEN AND GIRLS IN CONNECTICUT. AN ONLINE, INTERACTIVE TOOL, THE WGDP PROVIDES ACCESS TO PUBLICLY AVAILABLE DATA SPECIFIC TO REGIONAL, CITY, AND STATEWIDE LEVELS THAT IS AGGREGATED FOR GENDER AND RACE. THE DATA COMPARES TRENDS ACROSS REGIONS AND THE STATE AND AIDS IN BETTER UNDERSTANDING OF LOCAL NEEDS. DATA IS FEATURED BY DEMOGRAPHICS, HEALTH AND SAFETY, EDUCATION, ECONOMIC SECURITY, AND CIVIC ENGAGEMENT. THE COLLABORATION ON THE WGDP MEANT THAT WE HAD THE TEAM IN PLACE TO RESPOND QUICKLY TO THE DATA NEEDS OF THE PANDEMIC. IN JANUARY 2021, AURORA PUBLISHED ESSENTIAL EQUITY: WOMEN, COVID-19 AND REBUILDING CONNECTICUT, A REPORT THAT DOCUMENTED THE DISPROPORTIONATE IMPACT OF THE PANDEMIC ON WOMEN OF COLOR. AURORA DISTRIBUTED AND PRESENTED THE REPORT'S INFORMATION TO THE GOVERNOR'S COUNCIL ON WOMEN AND GIRLS, THE WOMEN'S CAUCUS OF THE CONNECTICUT STATE LEGISLATURE, THE GREATER GIVING SUMMIT INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE HELD BY THE GATES FOUNDATION, THE PERMANENT COMMISSION ON THE STATUS OF WOMEN IN HARTFORD, AND NUMEROUS OTHER LOCAL AND STATEWIDE ORGANIZATIONS TO HELP CENTER THE NEEDS OF WOMEN OF COLOR IN PLANNING FOR PANDEMIC RELIEF AND RECOVERY. WE OFFERED TWO TRAINING SESSIONS ON DATA LITERACY, WITH 50 ORGANIZATIONS SERVING WOMEN AND GIRLS PARTICIPATING IN EDUCATION ON HOW TO USE THE WGDP AND ESSENTIAL EQUITY REPORT TO DOCUMENT THE NEED, IMPROVE PROGRAMMING AND SECURE FUNDING. IN 2022, AURORA PRODUCED EXPOSING CT'S EVICTION CRISIS, A RESEARCH COLLABORATION WITH CT DATA COLLABORATIVE AND CT'S FAIR HOUSING CENTER THAT FOR THE FIRST TIME EVER SHOWED THE GENDER AND RACE OF THOSE FACING EVICTION PROCEEDINGS. AN INTERACTIVE MAP SHOWS WHERE EVICTIONS HAVE BEEN FILED SINCE 2017 AND WE ARE SEEING A RETURN TO PRE-PANDEMIC LEVELS, WITH WOMEN OF COLOR DISPROPORTIONATELY AFFECTED. THE CONNECTICUT LEGISLATURE HAD THIS IMPORTANT INFORMATION WHILE THEY DEBATED AND ULTIMATELY PASSED NEW LEGISLATION GUARANTEEING TENANTS ACCESS TO FREE LEGAL COUNSEL DURING EVICTION PROCEEDINGS. WE HOPE THAT THIS WILL RESULT IN MORE WOMEN AND THEIR FAMILIES STAYING SAFELY HOUSED.

  Expenses $37,241

• AURORA EDUCATES AND ENGAGES WOMEN AND MEN IN THE POWER OF PHILANTHROPY THAT IS TARGETED TO PROGRAMS THAT SPECIFICALLY ADDRESS THE NEEDS OF WOMEN AND GIRLS. WE INVITE COMMUNITY MEMBERS TO JOIN US BUILDING BETTER COMMUNITIES WHERE WOMEN AND GIRLS THRIVE. IN SPRING OF 2022, AURORA'S WOMEN'S GIVING CIRCLE FOCUSED ON THE ONGOING EFFECTS OF THE PANDEMIC ON GIRLS, AND PARTICULARLY GIRLS OF COLOR. FUNDS RAISED WENT TO HELP 5 ORGANIZATIONS ON-THE-GROUND, ADDRESSING EDUCATION, ACCESS TO MENTORS AND ROLE MODELS, AND SOCIAL/EMOTIONAL INTELLIGENCE AND MENTAL HEALTH 50 WOMEN JOINED THE GIVING CIRCLE AND RAISED $20,000 THAT WENT 100% TO THE ORGANIZATIONS IDENTIFIED AS MEETING THE COMMUNITY NEED. AURORA'S 100 MEN CAMPAIGN WAS RE-INSTATED AS AN IN-PERSON EVENT FOR 2022, WITH MALE ADVOCATES FOR AURORA AND FOR PHILANTHROPY DIRECTED TO WOMEN AND GIRLS ATTENDING A FUNDRAISER WITH THE HARTFORD ATHLETIC SOCCER TEAM. 150 MALE COMMUNITY LEADERS PARTICIPATED IN FUNDRAISING AND EFFECTIVELY ADVOCATED FOR WOMEN AND GIRLS.

  Expenses $42,960 · Grants $20,000

As filed on the 2022 return. The filer continues this part on Schedule O, which is not shown here.

Listed in Part VII

Compensation is as filed in Part VII: reportable pay from this organization and from related organizations, other compensation, and hours per week. The total, marked calculated, is our sum of the three dollar columns, with a blank column counted as $0; the form itself has no total. On a Form 990-EZ the columns are Part IV's instead, and on a Form 990-PF Part VIII's — compensation, contributions to benefit plans, and expense account — and the total sums those.

Grants on this return

• CHARTER OAK STATE COLLEGE FOUNDATION INC

  $22,000

  COLLEGE SUCCCESS GRANT INSTALLMENT

• YWCA HARTFORD REGION INC

  $22,000

  WOMEN'S GIVING CIRCLE GRANT TO SUPPORT EDUCATIONAL OPPORTUNITIES

• THE UNIVERSITY OF CONNECTICUT FOUNDATION INC

  $20,000

  COLLEGE SUCCCESS GRANT INSTALLMENT

• HARTFORD PUBLIC LIBRARY

  $14,000

  COLLEGE SUCCCESS GRANT INSTALLMENT

• THE WOMENS ADVANCEMENT INITIATIVE INC

  $12,000

  COLLEGE SUCCCESS GRANT INSTALLMENT

• LIVEGIRL

  $10,000

  COLLEGE SUCCCESS GRANT INSTALLMENT

Provenance

Return type

form_990

Tax year

2022

Filed

22 August 2023

IRS schema version

2022v5.0

Source object

202302349349301605

Check it against the return as filed: the GivingTuesday Data Lake hosts a public copy of the original XML.

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