Education and Career Pathways
College Access
The Foundation's largest programmatic funding initiative is New Haven Promise, a nationally-recognized scholarship and support program creating a pipeline of educated and employable young people dedicated to Greater New Haven. Through the three pillars of its program — "To, Through, and Back" — New Haven Promise provides students with scholarships to schools of higher education in Connecticut ("To"); support and mentorship to ensure on-time graduation ("Through"); and meaningful job experience through paid internships with local employers ("and Back").
The Community Foundation for Greater New Haven played a central role in creating New Haven Promise in 2010, where it was housed as a component fund until 2016. The Foundation has continued to provide leadership support for it ever since. Yale University and Yale New Haven Hospital are also leading funders and supporters of New Haven Promise.
More than $17 million has been distributed by New Haven Promise to over 1,900 students from New Haven, significantly decreasing the amounts that students need to borrow and dramatically increasing college enrollment and graduation rates.
Career Pathways
ConnCAT was launched in 2012 with seed money from The Community Foundation in order to provide skills and life opportunities to men and women who have struggled to find or keep jobs.
Modeled on Pittsburgh's Manchester Bidwell Corporation — an internationally recognized arts and education center founded by MacArthur Fellow Bill Strickland — ConnCAT is located in New Haven's Newhallville neighborhood.
ConnCAT provides market-relevant job training and placement services. Current programs include of medical coding, phlebotomy and culinary arts.
ConnCAT also provides after-school arts programming for a targeted urban youth student population identified as being at risk of dropping out of school.
Scholarships at The Foundation
The Community Foundation manages approximately 100 separate scholarship funds (including funds of the Valley Community Foundation) that distribute nearly $500,000 annually.
Scholarships at The Community Foundation are distributed throughout the year from more than 100 funds. Of the scholarships available, only four are managed by The Foundation's Education Sub-committee. This Sub-committee is made up of Community Foundation Board members, staff and community volunteers and determines scholarship recipients in the spring of each year.
Education and Work Readiness Grantmaking
Over the last decade, The Community Foundation has invested more than $11 million in discretionary funds to a variety of education programs serving all ages.
