2021 Responsive Grant Awards: The Community Foundation for Greater New Haven Awards Nearly $4 Million to Greater New Haven Nonprofits

Changes to Grant Processes Opens Door for Many New Organizations

Aid Helps Nonprofits in Recovery from Pandemic-related Revenue Losses and Operating Challenges

New Haven, CT (August 5, 2021) – The Community Foundation for Greater New Haven has awarded $3,881,700 in one-year and multi-year grants to 72 local nonprofit organizations through its competitive responsive grants for 2021. The total dollar amount more than doubled the amount typically awarded through The Foundation's largest competitive grant program and was made possible by an unprecedented increase in spending from The Foundation’s endowment.

The increased resources were made possible by Stepping Forward, a three-year $26 Million commitment The Foundation launched in early 2021 to address the impact of COVID-19 and advance racial equity. Stepping Forward added $1,675,000 to this year’s competitive responsive grant program, which provides general operating support to nonprofits working in 20 towns of Greater New Haven.

“This is far beyond what we’ve done in the past. It reflects new spending and new priorities around racial equity and COVID recovery,” said The Community Foundation President and CEO Will Ginsberg. "Of all the things The Community Foundation is doing in response to challenges of today, none is more important than supporting the recovery of the local nonprofit sector."

In addition to increasing grant resources with Stepping Forward, The Foundation modified its application process to increase accessibility by streamlining application forms and eliminating traditional pre-requisites. As a result, a quarter of the grant awards went to organizations that were applying for the first time.

“Modifying the responsive application process opened it to small and emerging nonprofits for the first time, while still providing access for those who had received prior funding,” said Sarah Fabish, Vice President of Grants and Scholarships. “Deciding to award all grants through the process as General Operating Support was intended to further the general mission and work of organizations and allow for them to build infrastructure to support programming for greater sustainability. Local nonprofits need the flexibility to direct spending where it is needed most as organizations continue to recover from the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic.”

Many grantees have plans to use grant funds to support their work advancing racial equity. Grant awards included support for organizations that work in advocacy and organizing, provide equitable access to opportunities, and advance change in racially inequitable outcomes in health, education, employment, housing and civic participation.

A new, emerging group that The Foundation was able to support was Inspired Communities Inc. (ICI). ICI’s main focus of work is to disrupt the cycle of poverty through local community economic development. “There is no better way to serve a community that has served you well than to create a place and a space that will allow residents an opportunity to give voice to living their best life possible,” says Kim Harris, creator of Inspired Communities Inc. ICI is looking forward to becoming the doorway to making possibilities. Life changing information, clarity of empowerment, and education is what Inspired Communities Inc. will bring to communities of need, thanks in part to this new grant support from The Community Foundation.”

The Katal Center for Equity, Health, and Justice, which serves an estimated 250 individuals within Greater New Haven annually, is another multi-year grant recipient using Foundation resources to help them increase their services.

The Center’s Co-Founder and Co-Executive Director Lorenzo Jones said, "With support from The Community Foundation for Greater New Haven, Katal has been able to increase training for local residents and allies. This means we are able to get more people civically engaged locally, as well as connect people from the New Haven area to statewide campaigns. We are excited to continue our partnership with The Community Foundation, and look forward to engaging more residents in the area in the upcoming year."

Health and education organizations received the most funding with grants for social justice and economic success close behind. Recognizing the extraordinary pandemic-related challenges faced by local arts organizations, donor support enabled The Foundation to significantly increase arts support this year.

"This grant support is what a great community foundation is about, providing the financial resources to bring communities together,” says Lisa Dent, executive director of Artspace “I'm thrilled Artspace received multi-year support which will help us provide more professional development opportunities and commission more new work from artists. Given the continued vulnerability of the artist community, a group that was disproportionately financially impacted by COVID-19, this funding is critical to helping artists regain financial stability and begin to rebuild."

The grants come after a year when most nonprofit organizations had to pivot and adapt their services in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Many of the organizations continue to face challenges and uncertainty.

At Christian Community Action (CCA), a multi-year grant from The Foundation is viewed by its Executive Director Reverend Bonita Grubbs as, “much welcomed assistance for our community, many of whom are African American and Latino residents. Knowing that we have continued funding helps us be able to direct our energies toward serving the people as well as planning for our future.” CCA provides emergency housing, food, and a host of support services to families that are homeless, or at risk of homelessness.

Updated 10.19.21

2021 Responsive Grant Recipients

Area Cooperative Educational Services
$50,000

Arts for Learning Connecticut
$60,000

Arts in CT Corporation
$60,000

Artspace, Inc.
$110,000

Boys & Girls Village
$25,000

Branford Electric Railway Association, Inc
$24,000

Catholic Charities Archdiocese of Hartford
$35,000

Center for Children's Advocacy
$25,000

Children in Placement - CT, Inc.
$50,000

Christian Community Action, Inc.
$165,000

Circle of Care for Families of Children with Cancer
$20,000

CLICC Inc.
$60,000

Collab
$60,000

Congregations Organized for a New Connecticut (CONECT)
$75,000

Connecticut After School Network Inc.
$50,000

Connecticut Arts Alliance (CAA)
$20,000

Connecticut Association for Human Services
$65,000

Connecticut Association for the Performing Arts
$75,000

Connecticut Children's Museum, Inc.
$50,000

Connecticut Community Nonprofit Alliance
$25,000

Connecticut Fair Housing Center
$50,000

Connecticut Food Bank
$25,000

Connecticut Students for a Dream
$95,000

Connecticut Voices for Children
$115,000

Continuum of Care, Inc.
$60,000

Covenant to Care For Children
$30,000

CT Public Broadcasting
$30,000

Elena's Light
$30,000

Elm City Internationals
$40,000

Elm City Montessori School
$50,000

Fair Haven Community Health Clinic
$50,000

FaithActs for Education
$70,000

Fixing Fathers Inc.
$30,000

Foundation for the Arts and Trauma Inc
$105,000

Friends Center for Children
$30,000

Gateway Community College Foundation, Inc.
$50,000

Girl Scouts of Connecticut Inc.
$20,000

Greater New Haven Cat Project, Inc. (GNHCP)
$50,000

Greater New Haven Chamber of Commerce
$150,000

Havenly, Inc.
$96,600

Haven's Harvest
$50,000

Helping Our People to Excel, Incorporated
$80,000

Horizons at Foote
$55,000

Ice the Beef Anti Violence Organization
$50,000

Inspired Communities, Inc.
$55,000

Institute Library
$45,000

IRIS - Integrated Refugee & Immigrant Services
$50,000

Jewish Family Service of Greater New Haven
$30,000

Jumpstart for Young Children, Inc.
$30,000

Junior Achievement of Southwest New England
$25,000

Junta for Progressive Action, Inc.
$90,000

Katal Center for Equity, Health, and Justice
$75,000

Liberty Community Services, Inc.
$30,000

Mary Wade Home
$15,000

Mercy Center at Madison
$20,000

National Veterans Council for Legal Redress, Inc.
$30,000

Neighborhood Music School
$75,000

New Haven Pride Center
$95,000

Nutrition Security Solutions, Inc.
$49,500

Open Communities Alliance
$100,000

Partnerships Center for Adult Daycare, Inc
$40,000

Pro Bono Partnership
$10,000

Project Access of New Haven
$160,000

Project Model Offender Reintegration Experience, Inc.
$30,000

Reach Out and Read
$15,000

Read to Grow, Inc.
$75,000

ReadyCT
$55,000

Ronald McDonald House Charities of CT and Western MA
$5,000

Save the Sound
$31,600

Southington-Cheshire Community YMCAs Inc.
$25,000

Women's Business Development Council
$30,000

Workforce Alliance
$75,000

About The Community Foundation for Greater New Haven

The Community Foundation for Greater New Haven in Connecticut 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.

For more than three generations, generous local donors have built The Community Foundation’s endowment by establishing permanent funds or making gifts to existing funds that distribute grants to a broad variety of issues and organizations. These donors, past and present, make their gifts to ensure that programs and causes that matter most to them will be supported today and forever. As of December 31, 2020, The Foundation’s assets were valued at more than $720 million. For more information about The Foundation visit www.cfgnh.org or follow @cfgnh on facebook, instagram, twitter and linked in.

Media Contacts:
Matt Higbee
Content and Engagement Manager
The Community Foundation for Greater New Haven
Email