The Middletown Community Foundation aims to secure permanent and growing assets to meet the area's changing needs. Since its inception in 1976, and after becoming a standalone foundation in 1986, its mission has been to serve as a perpetual community endowment. The foundation funds projects, programs, and scholarships that benefit education, the arts, and human needs across Franklin, Madison, Monroe, Trenton, and Middletown, focusing on creating and executing initiatives that address immediate community needs and offering donors a variety of tax-deductible options to support the community's development.
The Youth For Youth grant, previously known as Fondersmith and Summertime for Kids, is focused on supporting youth-serving programs and projects within a specific service area. This special annual grant cycle is distinctive because the funding recommendations are made by local high school students who are part of the Middletown Community Foundation's Youth Philanthropy Council. These students evaluate and decide on the allocation of funds for programs that aim to benefit youth in the greater Middletown area, covering various high schools and technical institutions in the region. The council, made up of students from designated schools, meets regularly to visit and assess organizations that offer youth programs, including those for children with special needs.