Hampshire Foundation, Inc. is a Connecticut based foundation working both in Peru and the United States.HF deploys its resources in the form of grants, loans and impact investments to maximize its impact and reach its philanthropic goals.
Hampshire Foundation was started by several families deeply interested in furthering their philanthropic goals. They do this through three distinct funding areas. Their flagship initiative, Peru Opportunity Fund, seeks to improve the lives of people in rural Peru. As of late 2011 the Fund has focused exclusively on sustainable agriculture. Through knowledgeable local representatives, grants and loans, Peru Opportunity Fund provides much-needed information and resources to smallholder farmers in rural Peru.
Hampshire Foundation is also actively involved in promoting smart energy use and energy efficiency in Connecticut. Board members work collaboratively with like-minded funders, government agencies and impact investors to encourage adoption of smart energy practices and policies.
Hampshire Foundation also funds a number of worthy efforts of specific interest to the directors.
Hampshire Foundation does not accept unsolicited proposals for its smart energy initiative or for special funding.
Peru Opportunity Fund
The mission of Peru Opportunity Fund is to link smallholder farmers to the information, simple technologies and capital they need to enhance their productivity and make informed choices about their land, their crops and their livelihoods.
Peru Opportunity Fund believes that small-scale farming can be an engine for economic growth in Peru. Farmers’ ability to earn a decent living from the land has a direct impact on the environmental, economic and social health of the country.
Their strategic goals address the impediments to farmers increasing their productive and economic capacity. Their objective through 2021 is to develop and promote methodologies to bring much-needed information and tools to poor farmers in rural Peru so that they can increase their output and incomes while preserving and improving the soil and other natural resources.
Smart Energy
In 2011 Hampshire Foundation became actively involved in an initiative that focuses on the smart use of energy.
In addition to funding projects independently, Hampshire Foundation formed a funding collaborative with two other Connecticut funders, the Common Sense Fund and the Emily Hall Tremaine Foundation, to promote energy efficiency in the state of Connecticut.
