Across New Haven and the Greater New Haven region, organizations – long established community-based groups and programs just getting started, all led by women of color – work on behalf of girls and young women. They provide mentoring programs that focus on college readiness or esteem building, or on career or business development.
In 2021, the Community Fund for Women & Girls hosted a series of spring focus groups with leaders of mentoring organizations that serve girls of color. Nine mentoring organizations formed a collective, finding new ways to bolster their work and each other to form the Girls of Color Mentoring Network.
The Network builds on the Community Fund for Women & Girls’ gender specific work and is designed with a racial equity lens, directing resources to community-based and grassroots organizations led by women of color with the goal of supporting young women of color. Organizations in the Network received individual grants of $3,500 in the initial pilot program.
Advancing Women, Mentoring Girls
In 2022, network members discussed their progress, successes and challenges over this last year. They found that while there was a great deal of emphasis on mentoring for middle and high school students, there was a lack of it available to young women ages 18-25. They recognized how vital it is for women of color in that age group to have career support, leadership development opportunities and support navigating healthy relationships. ...
Exciting News
Your gifts to Network members matched during The Great Give 2022
In May 2022, KeyBank Foundation provided $7,500 in matching funds and incentives to inspire giving to The Fund's Girls of Color Mentoring Network. All qualifying donations made during The Great Give 2022 at www.thegreatgive.org received a prorated portion of the match pool determined by the number of donors in addition to the prorated share of The Foundations’ matching pools. To learn more about each organization, visit their profile on The Great Give website (links below):
D.E.S.T.I.N.E.D. to Succeed Inc.
Delta Foundation of Greater New Haven
National Coalition of 100 Black Women Inc.
New Haven Pearls of Excellence Foundation
Spanish Community of Wallingford (SCOW)
