In 1966, then city councilwoman Betty Knox established a trust fund to help improve the city. Following her death, during its first decade, KNOX developed two areas of focus – funding community development and operating “greening” programs. In 1976, the organization split, with The Betty Knox Foundation continuing the funding function and KNOX focusing on horticulture. 

As an engaged participant in Hartford’s civic and political life, Elizabeth “Betty” Knox served six terms on Hartford’s City Council. Her commitment to urban renewal, parks, housing and the well-being of Hartford’s young residents was the driving influence of her personal, political and professional life. She was active in the Hartford League of Women Voters and fought for residential zoning protection, city playgrounds and concerts in the parks. During World War II, she opened a day-care center for working mothers who found themselves on the front lines of the burgeoning defense plants like Pratt & Whitney in East Hartford. Betty was a fierce advocate for children and her generosity helped establish the Betty Knox apartments near St. Francis, bring the Bushnell Park carousel downtown and create 20 community gardens throughout the city.

Betty Knox established the Knox Foundation in 1966 when she established a trust fund to help improve the city. Following her death, during its first decade, KNOX developed two areas of focus – funding community development and operating “greening” programs. In 1976, the organization split, with The Betty Knox Foundation continuing the funding function and KNOX focusing on horticulture. In 2000, KNOX moved its entire operation to Laurel Street, from the caretaker’s cottage in Hartford’s Elizabeth Park, when the city of Hartford undertook renovation of the cottage and its conversion to a park visitor center.

In addition to establishing KNOX, she also belonged, often in leadership positions to many of Hartford’s largest mid-century civic organizations – the Community Chest, Family Service Society, Hartford County Rehabilitation Workshop, Travelers Aid Society, Volunteer Bureau, the YWCA, and others. But it was becoming president of the Hartford League of Women Voters (now the League of Women Voters of Greater Hartford) that opened the door to a life in politics, including as a vocal advocate for charter reform shifting Hartford’s political landscape to a strong city council and manager system.

Today, KNOX coordinates a variety of greening programs, including workforce training, Community Gardening Program, KNOX City Planters, Trees for Hartford Neighborhoods, Greater Hartford Green Team, and Hartford Cleans Up. KNOX is an ever-growing coalition of residents, volunteers, corporate partners, and community organizations that support Hartford’s people and environment.