Hartford Foundation

Hartford Foundation, fund established (1929) by retail food merchants John A. Hartford (1872–1951) and George L. Hartford (1864–1957) of the Great Atlantic and Pacific Tea Company (A&P) as a philanthropic institution with the general purpose of doing "the greatest good for the greatest number." Incorporated in 1942, the foundation has concentrated on health care issues in general and, since the 1980s, on elder care specifically. The foundation helped bring about the clinical application of several lifesaving devices, particularly in connection with heart and kidney disease treatment. In 1997 its assets exceeded $497 million, and it disbursed approximately $16 million in grants.