Grant Opportunities Available

Grants Available for Programs that Support Women and Girls and Benefit the Quinnipiac River

New Haven, CT (December 9, 2011) – Grant applications from nonprofit organizations are now being accepted by The Community Fund for Women & Girls and Quinnipiac River Fund, both component funds of The Community Foundation for Greater New Haven, the region’s charitable endowment and largest grantmaker. Applications must be completed online; see below for deadline dates and eligibility criteria:

About the Community Fund for Women & Girls
The Community Fund for Women and Girls was established in 1995 and promotes social and economic advancement for women and girls through strategic philanthropy, grants, advocacy and collaboration. Projects considered for support, should align with the Fund’s mission and seek to accomplish one or more of the following:

• Create and support opportunities for the economic, educational, physical, emotional, social, artistic, and personal growth of women and girls.  

• Meet special needs of women and girls and the diverse populations of women in our region.

• Encourage the advancement and full participation of women and girls in the community and in philanthropy.

• Advance the status of women and girls in the core areas of economic security, health, violence, education and political participation.

There are two grant types available from this Fund: Program Grants of under $5,000 and a Strategic Investment Grant of $10,000.  The Strategic Investment Grant is highly competitive with only one award made annually. It is awarded exclusively for a program that significantly addresses the Fund’s mission and core areas through positive systemic change. The online application and complete set of grant application guidelines is available at www.fundforwomenandgirls.org or www.cfgnh.org. Applications must be completed online by 5:00 pm Friday January 13, 2012. For information about the Fund or the application process, please contact Sarah Fabish at 203-777-7075 or sfabish@cfgnh.org.

Since its inception, the Community Fund for Women & Girls has distributed over $560,000  into the Greater New Haven and Lower Naugatuck Valley communities; more than 17,000 women and girls have participated in fund supported programs. Individuals interested in increasing the Fund’s ability to support important programs that benefit women and girls, can make a contribution directly to the Fund or create an individually-named fund through its Giving Women campaign. Gifts can be made online at www.fundforwomenandgirls.org or via check payable to: The Community Fund for Women & Girls c/o The Community Foundation for Greater New Haven, 70 Audubon Street, New Haven, CT 06510.
 
About the Quinnipiac River Fund
The Quinnipiac River Fund was established in 1990 as a result of a settlement between the National Resources Defense Council, Connecticut Fund for the Environment, and the Upjohn Corporation to improve the environmental quality of Quinnipiac River, the New Haven Harbor, and their watersheds, and otherwise benefit the environment of these resources. Consideration is given to grant proposals that:

• Research what pollutants are in the Quinnipiac River

• Research methods of reducing pollution, or otherwise improving the Quinnipiac River's environmental health

• Address means of reducing both non-point and point sources of pollution to the River

• Research the permitting process and look at the permits themselves

• Entail environmental advocacy, except litigation

• Study the ecology of the Quinnipiac River and the New Haven Harbor

• Provide public education about the Quinnipiac River and its watershed

• Purchase land on the Quinnipiac River for conservation purposes, or to reduce pollution and improve public access to the River.

Since its inception, the Quinnipiac River Fund has distributed over $1 million. The deadline to submit an application for the 2012 grantmaking cycle is January 11, 2012 by 5 pm. Applications must be completed online and are available at www.thequinnipiacriverfund.org or www.cfgnh.org. Contact Denise Canning at dcanning@cfgnh.org or 203-777-7076 for more information.

Thanks to the generosity of three generations of donors, millions of dollars each year are distributed from an endowment of $330 million in more than 800 named funds at The Community Foundation for Greater New Haven. In addition to its grantmaking, The Community Foundation works toward building a stronger community by: taking measures to improve student achievement, including partnering with the City of New Haven and Yale University to create New Haven Promise which promotes college education as an aspiration and provides graduates college scholarships; serving as the lead for New Haven Healthy Start, a federally funded program to improve maternal health and reduce the infant mortality rate; working with various groups to grow and deepen the impact of their philanthropy; identifying and supporting grassroots leadership; and strengthening nonprofits and promoting philanthropy through technical assistance programs, a new online knowledge and giving resource known as www.giveGreater.org, and raising awareness about community issues at www.cfgnh.org/learn.

Donors interested in learning more about their charitable giving options through The Community Foundation are encouraged to contact Angela Powers at apowers@cfgnh.org or 203-777-7068. For more information, visit www.cfgnh.org or www.facebook.com/cfgnh.