Community Fund for Women & Girls

The Community Fund for Women & Girls was created in 1995 by an anonymous woman to provide ongoing support for services important to women and girls in the Greater New Haven and Lower Naugatuck Valley area. An annual meeting is held each Spring and fundraising events occur throughout the year. Examples of previously funded programs include: employment training, teen pregnancy prevention and positive youth development, and domestic violence prevention and immediate relief.

The submission deadline for grant applications has passed. The Fund's Grants Committee will announce 2010 grant recipients in May.

Join the Giving Women Endowment Building Campaign

An ambitious endowment building campaign is underway to reach the $2 million dollar mark by the end of 2010. More than $360,000 has been pledged toward that goal. Donors who make gifts or pledges at $10,000 or more can create individually-named funds that will benefit women and girls’ programs in perpetuity. Learn more .

Dear friends and Fund supporters:

It is both an honor and a pleasure to write to you as the Chair of the Advisory Committee of the Community Fund for Women & Girls. I’m excited to share with you our revised mission
statement that reflects the purpose of the Fund: to promote social and economic advancement for women and girls through strategic philanthropy, grants, advocacy and collaboration. In the coming months, we will continue to focus on our three strategic goals to:

• grow the size of the endowment to $2 million by the end of 2010 so that we can distribute more dollars
• be mindful to direct resources to projects that address the root
  causes of core issues and that have a positive rippling effect in
  the community
• continue to provide information and tools to inform and
  celebrate women’s giving
  

Thus far, we’ve received more than one-third of the resources needed to increase the Fund’s assets to $2 million. We made the first ever research and policy grant to secure both state and federal funding for a health issue impacting children and their families
living in poverty. We have planned a program for the Fall that will highlight women’s philanthropy. And, we are planning our 15th anniversary event; volunteers welcome!

I look forward to working with you to achieve the goals we have set together.

Sincerely,

Helene Robbins, Chair