Donors and sponsors propel The Great Give to raise $3.4 Million for a record 500 nonprofits

“The tremendous support for local nonprofits during The Great Give is a testament to how our community is meeting the moment during a time of challenges and transformation,” said The Community Foundation for Greater New Haven President and CEO Will Ginsberg. “The strength and resilience of our community depends on the work of the many nonprofits in Greater New Haven. We are so appreciative of the thousands of donors who stepped up to show these vital organizations how much they are valued.”

The Boys and Girls Club of New Haven received the highest donation total, $100,751. Interim Executive Director Barbara Chesler said she was “humbled” by receiving support from nearly 300 unique donors and from the contributions of their sponsors: Comcast, Liberty Bank, Marcum, C. Cowles & Co., Sassafras Foundation and the Town Fair Tire Foundation. Chesler said the money raised would go directly toward supporting free summer camp programming for nearly 200 children in New Haven.

“I cannot even begin to express how grateful I am to the community and our sponsors that supported us so we can provide opportunities to young people that they would otherwise not have,” said Chesler.

The 2022 edition of The Great Give featured more sponsors than ever, contributing a total of $268,500 in cash prizes and match donations to different service sectors and organizations in different communities within The Foundation’s 20-town region. The Community Foundation provided a $100,000 pool for a pro-rated match to every nonprofit receiving a donation. The Valley Community Foundation provided a $20,000 matching pool to gifts made by Valley donors. Branford and Guilford Community Foundations returned with prizes for organizations in their towns, and the Madison Community Foundation provided a prize for the first time.

The Bank of America Charitable Foundation matched donations to arts organizations during a “Power Hour.” The Whitney Players saw their number of donors jump from 36 to 310 during this hour.

The NewAlliance Foundation provided a $10,000 matching pool for literacy, boosting donations for organizations including New Haven Reads Community Book Bank, which raised $35,590- its highest amount ever.

"The Great Give is always an opportunity to engage with our donors and the wider community to raise funds to deliver our mission,” said Executive Director Kirsten Levinsohn. “We are so thankful! The funds raised will help our youngest students develop strong literacy skills this summer, in preparation for school in September.”

The Black Futures Fund of The Community Foundation for Greater New Haven $15,000 matching pool inspired giving to Black-led and Black-serving nonprofits, such as the Black Infinity Collective.

"We are so grateful to our community for supporting us,” said Executive Director Camelle Scott. “Whether you donated, actively fundraised, or shared our fundraiser with your network, you contributed to bringing in nearly $30,000 to support the growth and development of a Black Queer Feminist-led institution. These funds will go directly to support housing justice organizing led by Black folks who are directly impacted by housing insecurity and the ongoing eviction crisis."

Connecticut Students for a Dream raised a total of $28,554 and was a top donor recipient that was part of the Progreso Latino Fund match pool for Latino/a/x -led organizations.

“We have a robust youth development program to build the leadership and organizing skills of immigrants and youth of color to create change in their communities,” said Co-directors Angelica Idrovo and Camila Bortolleto. “The money we raised will go towards our Freedom Summer Program in New Haven and for C4D’s long-term sustainability so that we can keep on empowering and educating the immigrant youth leaders in our community.”

Griswold Home Care offered a $35,000 matching pool to organizations serving senior citizens, helping to raise donations for nonprofits like the Clelian Center. An adult day center run by the Apostles of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, Clelian serves seniors who live on low incomes.

“For us it was truly a great Great Give,” said Sister Jude Ruggeri, development director for Clelian. “The donations will help us reduce the stress of covering expenses.”

Other prizes included: the Liberty Bank Match for Housing; KeyBank Foundation Match for Girls of Color Mentoring Network; and the Konopacke Match for organizations serving animals. Next Door and Harvest Development Group offered in-kind prizes to participating nonprofits.

Now in its thirteenth year, The Great Give has evolved into an important way for organizations of all sizes, old and new, to engage and expand their donor bases. The Shelton Historical Society doubled its total from the previous year after a generous donation early in the event energized its board members, Shelton Historical Society Executive Director Tracey Tate said. Tate said the donations would go toward reestablishing school programs that closed during the COVID pandemic and support its work to preserve the town’s historic artifacts and documents.

“How thrilling for our little Shelton Historical Society to pass the $10,000 mark. We are grateful for all that The Community Foundation does to organize this annual fundraiser,” Tate said.

Though the event officially ended at 8 PM on May 5, donations were accepted through www.thegreatgive.org web site until end of day on May 8. As a result, Shelton Historical Society like many other participating nonprofits continued to receive support.

Donations from The Great Give were also welcomed by Connecticut Court Appointed Special Advocates (CT CASA), which has been ramping up its corps of volunteers. The CASA model teams volunteers with professionals - including social workers, attorneys, educators, health providers - and with families themselves to advance the best interests of children who have suffered abuse or neglect.

“This work depends on partnerships,” said Executive Director Josiah Brown. “The Great Give heightens community awareness and mobilizes donors to contribute. Those contributions are especially important to a lean organization like ours, where each professional staff person supports 30 volunteers who, together, on average can serve 75 children in need through the proven CASA approach. Such unrestricted funds are a key complement to our grant funding, helping us build capacity and therefore impact.”

Donors interested in supporting nonprofits that serve Greater New Haven beyond The Great Give’s 36-hour event are invited to visit www.givegreater.org, an online year-round resource for local giving provided by The Community Foundation for Greater New Haven. It is a database of local nonprofit organizations providing services in The Community Foundation’s region. Many nonprofits listed on the site are participants in The Great Give; on the site, donors can search by interest area or name to more a nonprofit’s programs, management, and governance.

About The Community Foundation

The Community Foundation for Greater New Haven is one of the oldest and largest community foundations in the U.S. and was established in 1928 as the permanent charitable endowment for New Haven and its surrounding communities of: Ansonia, Bethany, Branford, Cheshire, Derby, East Haven, Guilford, Hamden, Madison, Milford, North Branford, North Haven, Orange, Oxford, Seymour, Shelton, Wallingford, West Haven and Woodbridge. In 2020, The Foundation began implementing a 5-year strategic plan and enacted new mission and vision statements toward expanding opportunity and equity in Greater New Haven. In 2021, it launched Stepping Forward, a $26 million commitment to addressing the impact of COVID-19 and advancing racial equity. The Foundation’s mission is to inspire, support, inform, listen to and collaborate with the people and organizations of Greater New Haven to build an ever more connected, inclusive, equitable and philanthropic community. The Community Foundation is recognized by the IRS as a 501(c)3 organization. The Community Foundation’s assets were $871 million as of December 31, 2021 after distributing over $35 million in grants and distributions into the community. For more information, visit www.cfgnh.org, find us on Facebook at facebook.org/cfgnh or follow us on Twitter @cfgnh.

Media Contact:

Matthew Higbee
Content and Engagement Manager
The Community Foundation for Greater New Haven
Email