Residents turned out for the GNH VOTE candidate forum. |
GNH VOTE
A Community Foundation-led nonpartisan collaborative of more than 20 nonprofits and religious groups in Greater New Haven, GNH VOTE 2018 increased voter participation among populations that historically have had low voter turnouts.
Volunteers hosted candidate forums, knocked on doors, discussed important issues with residents and registered about 1,000 new voters in time for November’s mid-term elections. The Community Foundation provided funding and staff leadership for the group effort.
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| New Haven Indpendent Founder and Editor Paul Bass behind the mike of WNHH radio |
Informing the Community
The Community Foundation is a founding investor of the Online Journalism Project (OJP), publisher of New Haven Independent, one of the country’s first nonprofit online hyperlocal news sites. Our funding continues to support the Independent, along with the other OJP online publications, the Valley Independent Sentinel, and the Branford Eagle. All three news sites have become primary sources of news for their respective communities during this era of declining coverage from commercial print newspapers.
Learn more about the rise of non-profit journalism in the age of new media.
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Data Research for Community Action
The Foundation is a core funder of The Greater New Haven Community Index, a comprehensive study of the well-being of the region.
The Community Index uses scientific polling surveys and datasets from the U.S. Census and other government agencies to measure the well-being of neighborhoods and towns. The result is an invaluable resource for policy makers, community leaders, nonprofit executives, and anyone in the general public who wants to better understand the health and quality of life in Greater New Haven neighborhoods and towns.
The Community Index is a produced by DataHaven, whose mission is to improve quality of life by collecting, interpreting and sharing public data for effective decision-making.
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| Community gardens enage, beautify and feed neighborhorhoods. Photo credit Ian Christmann. |
Community Engagement
The Foundation has invested more than $2 million in New Haven Community Gardens and Community Greenspaces since the program’s inception in 1995.
The New Haven Land Trust now maintains 45 community gardens in New Haven that create opportunities for local students and residents to meet each other and learn about producing nutritious food.
Dive Into The Issues
Experience Corps Creates Opportunities for Young Students and Older Volunteers ›
11.22.2019
A program at the Agency on Aging of South Central Connecticut is places older volunteers as reading tutors in New Haven schools.
Recent Grant Awards
- Center for Children's Advocacy - $25,000 to support the Racial and Ethnic Disparities Reduction Project, which works to reform policies and practices in education, law enforcement, juvenile justice and criminal justice systems to reduce overrepresentation of Greater New Haven Black and Latino youth in in the criminal justice system.
- Connecticut Veteran's Legal Center - $50,000 to provide general operating support for free legal services for low-income veterans to help overcome legal barriers to housing, healthcare and income.
- Connecticut Voices for Children - $105,000 to provide general operating support to promote the well-being of all of Connecticut's children and families by identifying and advocating for strategic public investments and wise public policies.
- IRIS - Integrated Refugee & Immigrant Services - $75,000 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 community.
- Jewish Federation of New Haven - $30,000 to provide general operating support for community-wide programming that helps people in need in Greater New Haven, in Israel and around the world, as well as nurtures and sustains programs that enrich the local Jewish community.
- JUNTA for Progressive Action - $185,000 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.
- New Haven Pride Center - $15,000 to support LGBTQ+ programming, which includes the 21st PRIDE New Haven, Transgender Awareness Week, HIV / AIDS Awareness Week, and an Art Exhibitions series.
