2016 Grants Advance Women and Girls

The Community Fund for Women & Girls is pleased to announce the 2016 grant awards to support women and girls in Greater New Haven and the Lower Naugatuck Valley. The awards, selected from twenty eight applications received in the annual grantmaking process, were deemed best positioned to meet the mission of the Fund to promote the social and economic advancement of women and girls.

Fund Chair Susan Garcia Nofi noted that the 2016 awards reflected "extraordinary care and planning by nonprofit organizations to create opportunities and address the most pressing needs and issues of women and girls in the region. We are deeply appreciative of our nonprofit partners and their work to create program and change systems such that the full promise and potential of women and girls is realized."

Nine organizations and programs were selected for support by The Fund.

Bridges – to build the capacity of the Young Parent Program in supporting case management and educational services for pregnant and parenting teens/young adults in Milford and West Haven.

Christian Community Action – to provide advocacy training and mentoring for young women poised to take on leadership of the renowned Mothers For Justice program advocating for low income women and their families.

Connecticut Women's Consortium – to train nonprofit program providers to implement the Girls Circle program throughout Greater New Haven. Girls Circle is a gender-specific, evidence-based support program for girls ages 9-18.

Connecticut Women's Education and Legal Fund – to support the Bilingual Community Advocacy program in Greater New Haven, providing legal information, referrals and legal representation and educational programming for underserved Latina women.

Engineering and Science University Magnet School (ESUMS) – to support the STEM Saturdays program for 4th and 5th grade girls in New Haven, to explore and discover science through interdisciplinary projects and mentorship.

Girls Scouts of Connecticut – to support the second year of the New Haven pilot of a staff-led community outreach and troop program in partnership with the Boys and Girls Club of New Haven to serve girls in 2nd through 4th grades.

Leadership, Education and Athletics in Partnership (LEAP) – to support the continuation of LEAP's Learning to Code computer and Making a Splash swimming programs for adolescent girls.

Literacy Center of Milford – To support the adult women's ESL program and advanced literacy programs with outreach to low income women in the workplace.