The Community Fund for Women & Girls: Pathways for Women & Girls
Greater New Haven nonprofit organizations serving women and girls are invited to apply for grant funding.
2026 Grant Overview
The Community Foundation for Greater New Haven’s Community Fund for Women & Girls is providing grants (up to $15,000) to nonprofits engaged in direct service, advocacy, and/or community organizing activities that are gender specific and support Greater New Haven women and girls [1]through the following pathways which are detailed below:
- Economic Autonomy
- Leadership
- Education
- Health & Wellness
Eligibility Criteria
- Review The Community Foundation's general eligibility criteria before applying for a grant.
- Proposals must align with one or more of the four impact areas above.
- Applicants must have had a demonstrated impact and record of 18-24 months of continuous programming prior to applying.
- Applicants must be serving people within The Community Foundation's 20 towns.
- Applicants who received a grant from The Community Foundation for Greater New Haven in the previous four years must be up to date with all reporting requirements.
Funding Priorities
Economic Autonomy
The Fund is seeking to support the economic security and mobility of women and girls in our region through the following core pathways:
- Access to safe & affordable housing.
- Entrepreneurship.
- Women’s participation in the workforce.
- Direct cash assistance.
- Childcare innovation, creative solutions and the support of family-friendly policies to support working families.
- Policy, systems change, and community organizing efforts supporting women and girls’ economic security.
Leadership
The Fund is seeking to support initiatives that help women and girls hold key leadership roles shaping equity-centered policy and decisions through the following core pathways.
- Leadership development programs for women and girls.
- Women’s leadership in business, government and the nonprofit sector that is equity-centered.
- Advocacy and organizing skill building for women and girls.
Education
The Fund is seeking to support initiatives that help women and girls experience higher educational achievement through the following core pathways:
- Support of women and girls in underrepresented fields.
- Opportunities for non-traditional and first-generation students.
- Access to childcare and family friendly policies for student parents.
- Policy, systems change, and community organizing efforts supporting women and girls’ education.
Health & Wellness
The Fund is seeking to support initiatives that help ensure that women and girls are healthy, confident and free from violence through the following core pathways:
- Access to reproductive health services and education.
- Maternal health and postpartum care.
- Prevention of violence against women and girls and support of survivors.
- Policy, systems change and community organizing efforts supporting women and girls’ health and wellness.
Process
- The request for applications will open on Monday, February 23, 2026. Grant applications are due by Monday, March 23, 2026 at 5:00 p.m. Award decisions to be announced by May 2026.
[1] Including those who identify as cisgender, transgender and nonbinary.
Please contact me with your questions about the Pathways grant program.
