Community Foundation for Greater New Haven Awards $1.3 Million to New Haven Promise to Support Expanding Access and Opportunity for Local Youth

New Haven Promise Seen as Playing a Pivotal Role in Building Talented Workforce for the Region

New Haven Promise Council. Photo courtesy of New Haven Promise

March 11, 2020 (New Haven, CT): The Community Foundation for Greater New Haven (The Foundation) is excited to announce that a $1.3 Million, 5-year grant has been awarded to New Haven Promise (NHP) – a nationally-recognized scholarship and support program that rests on three pillars: college access, college success and career and civic launch in New Haven. The grant was awarded by The Foundation in recognition of NHP achievements and alignment with The Foundation’s new strategic plan, which focuses on creating opportunity for local residents through inclusive growth.

“New Haven Promise has had far reaching impact in the lives of thousands of our community’s students and their families. It is an important contributor to achieving The Foundation’s goal of expanding opportunity, especially for young people of color, in the way it creates access to quality education and deepens relationships with local business leaders and institutions,” says William W. Ginsberg, president & CEO of The Community Foundation for Greater New Haven. “Our community’s success in creating opportunity for the next generation depends on our success in growing our economy in an inclusive way and creating new, good jobs in growing sectors of the economy. New Haven Promise is helping to build a talented, diverse workforce through its efforts of creating a college-going culture, fostering student career development and cultivating partnerships with local universities and private sector businesses and institutions.”

New Haven Promise has celebrated multiple achievements over the past decade. More than $17 million has been distributed by NHP to over 1,900 students from New Haven, significantly decreasing the amounts that students need to borrow and dramatically increasing college enrollment and graduation rates. Its on-campus peer mentorship program has earned it recognition from The White House. Other accomplishments include the creation of “Strive for 75”, a data-driven degree-completion initiative to create and expand supports to allow more students to attain their college degree, and the establishment of the Promise Council which brings additional private sector businesses and institutions to the table, as funders and as employers of Promise scholars.

“This support will enable NHP to reach even more students and increase opportunity and build our program capacity and organizational sustainability, which will advance the college enrollment, completion and ultimately successful career launch of NHP scholars in Greater New Haven,” says Patricia Melton, President of New Haven Promise.

The Community Foundation for Greater New Haven played a central role in creating New Haven Promise in 2010, where it was housed as a component fund until 2016, and has provided leadership support for it ever since. Yale University and Yale New Haven Hospital are also leading funders and supporters of New Haven Promise.

“When Promise Scholars have more opportunities to live and work in the community that supported them to attend and succeed in college, we will be well along in realizing The Foundation’s vision of New Haven as ‘a community of expanding opportunity’,” says Ginsberg.

Building an inclusive economy for Greater New Haven as an aspiration was first introduced at The Community Foundation’s 2018 Annual Meeting and Convening and has since become the cornerstone of The Foundation’s 5-year strategic plan, which will be shared at its Annual Meeting in April.

About The Community Foundation
Thanks to the generosity of three generations of donors, The Community Foundation for Greater New Haven gave out $34.6 Million in grants and distributions in 2018. The endowment, valued at approximately $570 million at year-end, is composed of hundreds of individually named funds. In addition to its grantmaking, The Community Foundation helps build a stronger community by leading on issues and supporting donors and nonprofits in creating a community of opportunity for all. The Foundation’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

About New Haven Promise
New Haven Promise – a college and career launch program for New Haven public school students with the motto, “To. Through. And Back.” – incentivizes students to attend in-state colleges and universities, supports them through academic and career resources and assists in their return to the city and region. New Haven Promise has awarded $17 million to 1,900 New Haven students and reaches 6,000 high school students and their families in New Haven each year and more than 18,000 city residents through outreach and social media platforms. Visit www.newhavenpromise.org to learn more.