Community Foundation Awards Over $2.5 Million in Grants to Greater New Haven Nonprofits
Funding from The Community Foundation for Greater New Haven will help students save for college, augment mental health services, construct a new food distribution center, assist domestic violence survivors and more
Funding will help students save for college, augment mental health services, construct a new food distribution center, assist domestic violence survivors and more
New Haven, CT (November 6, 2015)- The Community Foundation for Greater New Haven, the permanent endowment and largest grantmaker to nonprofit organizations serving the Greater New Haven region, has awarded $2,522,265 in one-year and multi-year Responsive grants to 48 nonprofits serving its twenty-town region. These grants are the culmination of The Community Foundation's largest, annual competitive grants process, which began in March. The competitive process is only one element of The Community Foundation's yearly grantmaking, which is estimated to reach $23.9 million in total competitive and non-competitive grants by the end of 2015.
"As is true each year, The Community Foundation's 2015 grantmaking decisions reflect both our understanding of the key challenges and opportunities facing our community and our commitment to carry out the intent of generations of donors who have built the community's endowment. The Community Foundation is privileged to support many great organizations doing great work in our community,"said William W. Ginsberg, President & CEO of The Community Foundation for Greater New Haven.
The Foundation's Responsive grants come as a welcomed relief to some nonprofits impacted by recent budget rescissions in state funding. The rescissions are expected to curtail the services nonprofits are currently providing and thereby directly impact the region's most vulnerable residents in the near future. In the first round of rescissions, human services took a disproportionately large hit.
"Many of the 2015 grant applicants working in the social service and health sectors cited poor economic conditions affecting their organizations as well as the clients they serve. While the economy might appear to be improving, the nonprofit sector in our region and those served by the sector are not feeling the benefits of an improving economy. Most report high demand for services and inadequate sources of funding," says Christina Ciociola, Senior Vice President of Grantmaking & Strategy.
As one example of The Community Foundation's new grants, the Connecticut Food Bank received $80,000 toward the construction of a new food distribution center and headquarters.
"Over the past 10 years, the Connecticut Food Bank has experienced an 80% increase in the demand for emergency food assistance, and now nearly 500,000 Connecticut residents are food insecure," says Paul O'Leary, Chief Operating Officer of the Connecticut Food Bank. "The need for support is especially acute within New Haven County, which has the highest food insecurity rate (14.4%) out of the state's eight counties."
Another grant recipient, Liberty Community Services, was awarded $40,000 to support a joint strategic planning process with EMERGE CT to provide affordable housing for formerly incarcerated individuals also involved in a transitional employment program. The grant aligns with The Community Foundation's reentry strategy aimed at creating a region where formerly-incarcerated individuals are empowered with opportunities so that they can successfully reintegrate, making them less likely to reoffend, and reducing the ripple effect on their children, family and the community as a whole.
"This grant will enable us to have a more holistic housing and employment program for individuals returning to this community from incarceration," says John Bradley, Executive Director of Liberty Services. "It will also assist us in identifying best practices in this field of work so that returning citizens can become contributing members to the community."
Women's Health Research at Yale received a $150,000 multi-year grant to support its heart and cancer research. Funding for this grant was made possible by two Community Foundation funds: the John A. & Edna M. DeLeon Fund for cancer and heart disease research and the Nellie Ward and & Edith P. Rausch Fund for cancer research.
"Women remain underrepresented in clinical studies of cardiovascular disease and cancer," says Dr. Carolyn M. Mazure, Director of Women's Health Research at Yale. "Yet these disorders are the greatest cause of mortality in women. This grant will strengthen our infrastructure, allowing us to generate new research that advances treatments and provides new information on these disorders for the benefit of the community."
As in years past, the responsive grant process was carried out collaboratively with The Community Foundation's partner in philanthropy, the Valley Community Foundation, which serves the towns of Ansonia, Derby, Oxford, Seymour and Shelton. The Community Foundation and Valley Community awarded three grants in partnership to BHcare, Healthy Eyes Alliance and Rape Crisis Center of Milford.
BHcare will use its funding to begin the planning and development of a Family Justice Center in New Haven that will serve as a safe location where survivors of domestic violence can receive the services they need in one setting.
"Such a facility has the power to be transformative to our region's domestic violence survivors, who are often in need of multiple services at one time. Coordinating and collaborating on services such as shelter, advocacy, medical and legal under one roof minimizes the need for survivors to repeat their story, which can further traumatize," says Roberta J. Cook, President/CEO of BHcare.
A complete list of grant recipients is available at www.cfgnh.org (see below)
| 2015 Responsive Grants Awarded by The Community Foundation for Greater New Haven | |||||
| Organization | Description | Total Amt Awarded | 1st year | 2nd year | 3rd year |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Animal Haven Inc. | to support an HVAC and dehumidification system to improve living conditions of animal awaiting adoption. | $35,000 | $35,000 | ||
| Artspace Inc. | to support Three Decades of Change, an initiative to reconnect with 30 years of participants, and to launch an endowment that will assure an artistically vibrant and financially secure future for Artspace. | $50,000 | $10,000 | $20,000 | $20,000 |
| Audubon Connecticut | to support the Urban Oases in New Haven: Creating a Healthy Community for People and Wildlife which focuses on habitat restoration and stewardship, citizen science, advocacy, education, and outreach. | $26,824 | $13,412 | $13,412 | |
| Beth-El Center Inc. | to provide general operating support for homeless shelter, support services, advocacy and community education. | $25,000 | $25,000 | ||
| BHcare | to support the design and implementation of a Family Justice Center which is a co-location of a multi-disciplinary team of professionals who provide coordinated services to victims of family violence. | $30,000 | $15,000 | $15,000 | |
| Branford Electric Railway Association | to support a multi-year match for a remediation award from FEMA to repair electric trolley motors damaged by the storm surge flood from Hurricane Irene. | $58,500 | $19,500 | $19,500 | $19,500 |
| Cancer Care Inc. Connecticut Office | to support the Outreach and Support Services to Families Affected by Cancer in Greater New Haven program. | $30,000 | $10,000 | $10,000 | $10,000 |
| Center for Children's Advocacy | to support the Racial and Ethnic Disparities Reduction Project which is designed to reduce the disproportionate rate at which Black and Latino youth in New Haven are drawn into a school-to-prison pipeline. | $15,000 | $15,000 | ||
| Christian Community Action | to provide general operating support for food, shelter, housing, vocational training and advocacy programming for low-income residents in New Haven. | $105,000 | $45,000 | $35,000 | $25,000 |
| Community Mediation Inc. | to provide general operating support to help people, organizations, and communities transform conflict into constructive solutions through mediation, facilitation, and training. | $50,000 | $30,000 | $20,000 | |
| Community Soup Kitchen | to support the purchase of food to feed needy populations in New Haven. | $20,000 | $20,000 | ||
| Connecticut Council for Philanthropy | to support the Early Childhood Funders Collaborative which helps support the development and implementation of a comprehensive early childhood system. | $40,000 | $20,000 | $20,000 | |
| Concepts for Adaptive Learning | to support a new digital literacy program designed to prepare children ages birth to 5 with the reading and language skills needed to be prepared and ready when entering kindergarten. | $29,000 | $14,000 | $7,500 | $7,500 |
| Connecticut Food Bank | to support the construction of a new, 84,000 square foot food distribution center to more effectively and efficiently distribute an increased amount of food to under-served populations. | $80,000 | $30,000 | $25,000 | $25,000 |
| Connecticut Women's Education & Legal Fund | to support the Legal Education Program which addresses the lack of legal representation and information for low-income individuals in Greater New Haven. | $40,000 | $20,000 | $20,000 | |
| Connection Fund Inc. | to support renovation and the purchase of equipment to expand the culinary arts vocational/workforce development program for clients in the Roger Sherman House and SIERRA Center Work Release. |
$15,000 | $15,000 | ||
| Consultation Center | to provide general operating support for The Youth Development Training and Resource Center which provides professional development needs of youth agency staff in Greater New Haven. | $60,000 | $20,000 | $20,000 | $20,000 |
| Creative Arts Workshop | to provide general operating support for educational programming in fine arts and crafts for children and adults and art exhibitions of a variety of visual arts media. | $20,000 | $20,000 | ||
| Easter Seals Goodwill Industries Rehabilitation Center Inc. | to support the Family First Initiative which provides workforce development, financial education and other supports to low/limited income families residing in Greater New Haven. |
$50,000 | $25,000 | $25,000 | |
| Eli Whitney Museum Inc. | to support the interpretation of its 7 acre site for formal and informal visitors as an interactive artifact of Whitney's legacy. | $20,500 | $20,500 | ||
| Fair Haven Community Health Center | to provide general operating support for comprehensive primary healthcare to the residents of Fair Haven. | $30,000 | $30,000 | ||
| FISH of Greater New Haven Inc. | to provide general operating support to provide emergency food assistance by delivering bags of groceries directly to homes. | $60,000 | $20,000 | $20,000 | $20,000 |
| Greater New Haven Community Loan Fund | to support consultant costs to accomplish a merger of the Greater New Haven Community Loan Fund with the Connecticut Housing Investment Fund and the Community Capital Fund. | $25,000 | $25,000 | ||
| Habitat for Humanity of Greater New Haven | to provide general operating support for the creation of homeownership opportunities for low-income families. | $15,000 | $15,000 | ||
| Healthy Eyes Alliance | to support the Healthy Eyes for Connecticut Kids Project which provides free vision screening, referral and follow up services for preschool children in New Haven and in the Valley. | $151,338 | $50,446 | $50,446 | $50,446 |
| Higher Heights Youth Empowerment Programs Inc. | to support the College Access Savings Program which provides New Haven high-school students with an opportunity to save for college. | $45,000 | $20,000 | $15,000 | $10,000 |
| Hispanic Health Council | to support the expansion of Hispanos Unidos' mental health services to Spanish speaking individuals, including immigrants. | $65,000 | $65,000 | ||
| International Festival of Arts & Ideas. | to support the Capital Reserve and the Creative Fund portions of the Fund for the Future. | $60,000 | $20,000 | $20,000 | $20,000 |
| IRIS - Integrated Refugee and Immigrant Services | to provide general operating support to assist refugees and displaced persons to start new lives and contribute to the vitality of the Greater New Haven communities. | $75,000 | $25,000 | $25,000 | $25,000 |
| Jewish Family Service of New Haven | to support a strategic planning process to inform and guide priorities, activities, and organizational direction for the next five years. | $5,000 | $5,000 | ||
| JUNTA for Progressive Action | to provide general operating support for services, programs and advocacy that improve the social, political and economic conditions of the Latino community in Greater New Haven. | $150,000 | $50,000 | $50,000 | $50,000 |
| LEAP | to provide general operating support for year round, community-based programs designed to achieve positive academic and social outcomes for children living in high poverty urban neighborhoods in New Haven. | $120,000 | $40,000 | $40,000 | $40,000 |
| Liberty Community Services Inc. | to support a joint strategic planning process with EMERGE CT, Inc. to provide affordable housing for formerly incarcerated individuals currently involved with a transitional employment program. | $40,000 | $20,000 | $20,000 | |
| Marrakech Inc. | to provide general operating support for residential, employment, support, referral, and advocacy services to individuals with disabilities and people with similar service needs. | $47,103 | $32,103 | $15,000 | |
| Neighborhood Music School Inc. | to provide general operating support for instruction in music, dance and drama and for public performances. | $75,000 | $25,000 | $25,000 | $25,000 |
| New Haven Early Childhood Council | to provide general operating support for programming to ensure that New Haven children birth through eight have access to quality and affordable early care education. The United Way of Greater New Haven is acting as the fiscal sponsor. | $50,000 | $25,000 | $25,000 | |
| New Haven Free Public Library | to support the creation of a new library service model to deliver both core and innovative services to the Dixwell/Newhallville community. | $20,000 | $20,000 | ||
| New Haven Land Trust Inc. | to provide general operating support for the management of community gardens and land preserves as well as environmental education programming. | $90,000 | $30,000 | $30,000 | $30,000 |
| Planned Parenthood of Southern New England | to support the New Haven Latin@ Engagement Program which will work with local advocates and educators to improve knowledge of reproductive health issues among members of Latin@ neighborhoods. | $55,000 | $30,000 | $25,000 | |
| Project Access of New Haven | to provide general operating support to increase access to specialty medical care and services for underserved individuals in the Greater New Haven area. | $135,000 | $45,000 | $45,000 | $45,000 |
| Rape Crisis Center of Milford, Inc | to provide general operating support for educational programming to end sexual assault and for comprehensive and culturally competent sexual assault victim services. | $24,000 | $12,000 | $12,000 | |
| Reach Out and Read | to support the New Haven Early Literacy Initiative to provide more books to low-income children through pediatric practices. | $35,000 | $20,000 | $15,000 | |
| Shoreline Arts Alliance | to provide general operating support for performances, competitions and other activities to encourage and educate artists and arts participants; and to provide assistance for member arts organizations and for the infrastructure of the arts on the Shoreline. | $20,000 | $20,000 | ||
| Squash Haven Inc. | to provide general operating support for academic support and enrichment, squash instruction, service, and college placement and support for New Haven students. | $50,000 | $20,000 | $20,000 | $10,000 |
| Student Parenting and Family Services Inc. | to provide general operating support for child care, parenting education and support services to teenage parents attending public school in New Haven. | $25,000 | $25,000 | ||
| Transitions Clinic Network | to support health care for individuals with chronic conditions returning from prison to New Haven. The San Francisco Public Health Foundation is acting as the fiscal sponsor. | $50,000 | $50,000 | ||
| West Haven Community House | to provide general operating support to facilitate healthy, productive, independent and meaningful lives for individuals with disabilities, and children, adolescents, and families. | $55,000 | $30,000 | $25,000 | |
| Women's Health Research at Yale | to provide general operating support for heart and cancer research that remedies the health disparities experienced by women, and by uncovering gender differences in health outcomes that benefit both women and men. | $150,000 | $50,000 | $50,000 | $50,000 |
Thanks to the generosity of three generations of donors, The Community Foundation for Greater New Haven awarded over $22 million in grants and distributions in 2014 from an endowment of more than $460 million and composed of hundreds of individually named funds. In addition to its grantmaking, The Community Foundation helps build a stronger community by taking measures to improve student achievement, create healthy families in New Haven, promote local philanthropy through www.giveGreater.org® and encourage better understanding of the region. The Community Foundation for Greater New Haven's 20 town service area includes: Ansonia, Bethany, Branford, Cheshire, Derby, East Haven, Guilford, Hamden, Madison, Milford, New Haven, North Branford, North Haven, Orange, Oxford, Seymour, Shelton, Wallingford, West Haven, Woodbridge. For more information about The Community Foundation, visit www.cfgnh.org, find us on Facebook at www.facebook.org/cfgnh or follow us on Twitter at www.twitter.com/cfgnh.
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