The Community Fund for Women & Girls Grants Help Women Gain Financial Stability
Pathways to Economic Security for Women grants provide $130,000 to education, workforce and holistic programs serving women and girls in Greater New Haven.
New Haven, Conn. (July 9, 2025) – The Community Fund for Women & Girls is pleased to announce the 2025 Pathways to Economic Security grant awards, totaling $130,000 to 12 nonprofits with programs in Greater New Haven. The projects receiving funding will serve more than 4,000 local women and include introductory courses in emerging technology and AI, business support for entrepreneurs, career readiness and wraparound services such as childcare and mental health counseling.
For grant recipient Christian Community Action (CCA) in New Haven, the funding will support the ARISE Center, which works with local women who are heads of household. Counselors at CCA adapt their services to meet their clients’ unique needs, which is key to providing effective coordinated services, says Executive Director Charmain Yun.
One recent CCA client, Rosa D., a mother of four originally from the Dominican Republic, came to the ARISE Center in November and is now running her own cleaning business. She thanks CCA for the guidance she received while modeling her business plan and filling out various applications with the state. The ARISE Center provided Rosa with referrals for childcare and transportation to and from school, and helped her arrange job certification training for her older son.
“This country needs more programs like this,” Rosa says.
CCA is one of a dozen organizations driving change for women and girls in our region, now with the support of the Community Fund for Women & Girls.
Learn more about how the ARISE center is helping women find stability for themselves and their families.
The Community Fund for Women & Girls is Greater New Haven’s only permanent fund dedicated to women and girls. In 2025, the Fund is celebrating its 30th anniversary with the theme: Many Voices, One Vision. Christine Kim, Chair of the Fund, underscored that this is a critical moment for nonprofits in our region.
“We are excited by the incredible work being done by this year’s Pathways grant recipients to help women advance their careers and improve their life circumstances. Our nonprofit partners offer a range of increasingly important real-world resources, from homeownership supports to workshops on AI in the workplace. Each organization is part of the ‘many voices’ contributing to the Community Fund for Women & Girls ‘one vision’ of a community where all women and girls thrive,” Kim said.
The Pathways to Economic Security grants program began in 2022, inspired by a breakthrough study that found, for the first time ever, more women in Connecticut were filing state unemployment claims than men. Since then, the grants program has awarded $634,440 to organizations serving Greater New Haven.
“Because so many women in our region are the primary earners in their families, it is critical that they have the resources to achieve financial security. The Community Fund for Women & Girls is committed to expanding these resources now and into the future,” said Kim.
