Community - Ashforth

Building Better Communities…Together

Ashforth and our divisions strongly believe that investment and civic responsibility go hand in hand. Focusing our philanthropic efforts on education and healthcare, we are committed to making an impact on our communities through corporate citizenship, civic involvement, and volunteerism. Collectively, our financial contributions, our in-kind contributions and employee volunteer hours have helped to advance many worthy community organizations where we live and work. Our goal is to build stronger communities, together.

Ashforth Employees’ Volunteer Support and Additional In-Kind Support

Volunteerism is vital to building better communities together. Ashforth has a priority to encourage and facilitate employee volunteerism. With a long and respected history of providing financial and in-kind service to numerous nonprofit organizations, we understand helping our nonprofits, whether with dollars or just a helping hand, makes our communities stronger, and that benefits everyone personally. Our employees generously give their time, expertise and dollars by volunteering in numerous ways including participating in Ashforth’s employee volunteer program initiatives and community-benefiting events held at our buildings, as well as volunteering in their own home towns. In addition, our employees volunteer 1,600 hours participating on nonprofit boards and committees. We are proud of our employees’ commitment, dedication and time to support many local organizations in need.

Our employees help our local community in many ways:

Walking and fundraising for Stamford Health’s Bennett Cancer Center Hope in Motion Walk & Run
Handling the Peppa Pig balloon for the Stamford Downtown Special Services District’s annual Thanksgiving Parade Spectacular
Collecting gifts, dresswear, and accessories for the Handled with Care boutique and Gift of Giving drive, benefitting Kids Helping Kids
Collecting food for nonprofit organizations to feed the hungry, benefitting The Food Bank of Lower Fairfield County
Collecting new toys to support the U.S. Marine Corps Reserve Toys for Tots program
and much more…

Community Support at Ashforth’s Owned & Managed Properties

We encourage volunteerism to nearly 5,000 employees in 300 companies at our owned and managed buildings by organizing numerous community-oriented events that benefit local nonprofits including food, clothing, book, and gift drives.

Key Community Partnerships

Stamford Health & Bennett Cancer Center

Ashforth is the founding & presenting sponsor of Stamford Health’s Bennett Cancer Center Hope in Motion Walk, one of Connecticut’s longest-running and largest participatory charitable events. It has raised over $18.1 million over 29 years. In 2024, the event raised $463,000.
Ashforth’s team raised $8,003 for the event in 2024 and over the past 29 years the team raised nearly $320,000.
In 2024, Ashforth donated marketing services valued at $5,000. Total value of these in-kind services over the past 28 years is $395,000.
Since 1996, Ashforth’s total contribution, including our annual corporate donation, in-kind marketing, and team donation, is $1.4 million.
Our VP and Director of Marketing & Communications has served on committees and is an event advisor for the past 29 years. Ashforth’s Co-Chair of the Board was a past chairman of the hospital and co-chairman of the Stamford Hospital Foundation Board.

Boys & Girls Club of Stamford

Ashforth annually supports various Boys & Girls Club events throughout the year. In 2024, a total of $610,515 was raised from these events.
In addition to financial support totaling $310,000 over 30 years, Ashforth provides in-kind marketing services for the past 15 years valued at $74,500.
Ashforth has been a supporter of the Boys & Girls Club for over 30 years. Our Executive Assistant to Ashforth’s Co-Chair of the Board is a past President of the Board and has been a member of the board for over 25 years.

Impact Fairfield County

Founded in 2015, Impact FFC is a collective giving circle of diverse women, living or working in Fairfield County, CT, dedicated to making impactful change in the community by providing significant and transformational philanthropic investments to local nonprofits. Since the initial grant year 2016, Impact FFC has provided over $2.1 million in grant funding, including 16 $100,000 Impact FFC Grants.
In 2024, Impact FFC had 281 members and provided $280,000 in grant funding. Two $100,000 grants awarded to: Boys & Girls Club of Stamford in Stamford, CT and Filling in the Blanks, in Norwalk, CT. Impact FFC also awarded three $20,000 unrestricted general operating grants to Jewish Family Services of Greenwich (Greenwich), OPTIMUS Health Care (Bridgeport), and Teaching Matters (Bridgeport).
Ashforth has been a corporate partner since 2022. Ashforth sponsored seven employees to participate on a Grants Review Committee; the SVP of Diversified Investments is a Co-Chair of the Grants Review Committee, the EVP & CFO is a member of the Financial Review Committee, and the VP and Director of Marketing & Communications is a member of the Corporate Partnership Committee.
In addition to financial support, in 2024 Ashforth provided event space, in-kind, for hosted meetings valued at $2,800.

Future 5

Founded in 2009, Future 5 connects motivated, under-resourced students in Stamford to the people and resources they need to achieve their educational, career, and life goals. Future 5 has helped over 950 students.
In 2024, Future 5 worked with 443 Students (205 High Schools, 162 Colleges, and 76 F5 Alumni). 98% of their high school seniors landed with a plan – college, trade school, military. 98% of seniors participated in Future 5 College Prep program and the students received $764,000 in institutional/merit-based scholarships. 64% of freshmen entering college took on $0 debt. Their College Success Program students held a 97% college persistence rate year 1 to 2.
Since 2010, Ashforth’s total contribution, which includes financial and in-kind marketing support, is $267,500.
Ashforth’s VP and Director of Marketing & Communications is a member of Future 5’s Advisory Board and a past board member and Strategic Planning Committee member. Ashforth’s Co-Chair of the Board was a past board member.

Fairfield County Business Collaborative for Education Equity

Since 2021, Ashforth has been a corporate member of the Fairfield County Business Collaborative for Education Equity, a partnership with Fairfield County’s Community Foundation that capitalizes on the combined input of the region’s corporate sector to help reduce and eliminate educational disparities among underprivileged pre-K-12+ students, and their families and educators.
The Collaborative has invested $1.1 million in youth-serving nonprofits since it launched in 2020. In 2024, the Collaborative awarded $287,500 in grants to six nonprofits; three received 2-year grants.
- Stamford Cradle to Career in partnership with Building One Community
- Today’s Students Tomorrow’s Teachers in partnerships with Norwalk Public Schools
- The Carver in collaboration with Serving All Vessels Equally
Ashforth’s VP and Director of Marketing & Communications is a member of the Collaboratives’ Executive Committee.