Advancing Opportunity and Equity: A Future of Action and Impact

As we reflect on this past year — Karen, in her first year as President & CEO, and our Board, in welcoming new leadership while staying anchored in our mission — we do so with profound gratitude: for this community; for the partners and donors who fuel our work; and for the extraordinary team that makes it possible every day. We step into the future together, with renewed energy and a shared resolve to lead boldly in these critical times. This has been a year of transition and transformation, of listening and learning, and of deepening our collective commitment to advancing opportunity and equity across our region. We came into this chapter knowing that Greater New Haven is a place of remarkable strength with talented people, storied institutions, vibrant neighborhoods, and a long tradition of civic engagement. We are reminded, again and again, that this community’s greatest asset is its people — the residents, nonprofit leaders, donors and volunteers who show up, speak up and give generously in service of a more just and equitable region. 

And yet, we know not everyone shares equally in this region’s promise. Gaps in economic opportunity, affordable housing, educational access and health equity persist — and in a year marked by significant federal policy shifts, many of our neighbors have felt those gaps widen. Rising community needs. Fragile trust. Persistent inequities. These are the realities that shape our work. This moment calls for action — and it calls for clarity of purpose.

That is why in 2026 we launched our new strategic framework, one built around the belief that healing, learning and acting together are imperatives, not just aspirations. Our framework centers on six impact areas: protecting our most vulnerable residents; creating pathways to greater economic mobility; strengthening civic and community health; fostering next-generation leadership; investing in a strong and resilient nonprofit sector; and building the internal capacity to meet our community’s evolving needs. These are not abstract commitments. They are expressed in every grant we make, every partnership we deepen, and every conversation we participate in across Greater New Haven.

This year is also a time of national reflection. As our country celebrates its 250th birthday, we are invited to hold two truths at once — the remarkable ideals upon which this democracy was founded, and the unfinished work that defines our national story. The promise of liberty and justice for all has never been fully realized, yet generation after generation of Americans has refused to stop reaching for it. That spirit lives here in our community and is reflected in these pages. We see it in the residents who gathered this year to share candid perspectives on housing, food security and structural racism. We see it in Kyle Gonzalez, who has turned incarceration into a platform for community service. We see it in Pastor Valerie Washington, whose shelter offersdignity alongside basic needs. We see it in the young journalists, entrepreneurs and Chauncey Fellows who are building their futures right here in Greater New Haven. Commemorating 250 years means committing ourselves, with clear eyes and open hearts, to the ongoing work of building a more perfect union — neighborhood by neighborhood, family by family.

Our grantmaking also reflects that commitment. $63 million in grants and distributions were made to hundreds of nonprofit organizations and programs. The Great Give 2025 surpassed the $4 million mark for the first time in its 16‑year history, raising more than $4.4 million for 544 nonprofits — a powerful testament to this community’s generosity. The Changemaker direct cash assistance pilot is demonstrating what research has long shown: that when families have resources and agency, they invest wisely in themselves and their children. New Haven Promise continues to build an extraordinary talent pipeline. New Haven Healthy Start fought off threatened elimination and served more than 1,200 women, children and families during a deeply disruptive year. These are not just numbers. They are lives changed, futures opened, dignity affirmed.

The Foundation received $44.6 million in new gifts and fund transfers in 2025, and our collective assets totaled $709 million — a reflection of the generosity across generations of donors who believe, as we do, that philanthropy is one of democracy’s most powerful tools. Thirty‑one new funds were established this year, each one a statement of someone’s values, their love for this place, and their hope for what it can become. The Foundation’s work belongs to all who care about Greater New Haven — to the donors who establish funds in memory of loved ones, to the volunteers who give their time and expertise, to the community members who show up to share their stories and shape our direction.

We invite you to read these pages with curiosity and care — to see yourselves in these stories, to feel urgency and hope, and to find your place in this work. Whether you are a longtime partner or encountering The Community Foundation for the first time, there is a role for you here.

Greater New Haven is a place where all can prosper. Let us build it — together.

With deep appreciation and determination,