The Community Fund for Women & Girls has demonstrated a long-term commitment to improving and advancing the status of women and girls in Greater New Haven. The Fund’s grantmaking supports programs that reach women and girls as individuals as well as through efforts that address systemic causes of inequity.


Grant application deadline was Wednesday, Jan. 30 2019.

Are you a current grantee? Click here for reporting forms

Requirements to Apply

Gender Specific Programming

The Fund is proud to support organizations which meaningfully impact women and girls and evaluates all requests for funding through a gender-specific grantmaking framework.

As the region’s grantmaker focused on women and girls, the Fund will only support gender-specific programming and advocacy initiatives by providing grants to:

  1. Direct service organizations providing individuals with gender-specific programming. Gender-specific programming addresses the unique needs and challenges that women and girls experience due to gender.
  2. Advocacy and direct service organizations that promote social and economic advancement of women and girls broadly to achieve systemic change.

Support is not limited to organizations and programs that exclusively serve women and girls.

Discussion With Foundation Grantmaking Staff

In order to submit an application to the Community Fund for Women & Girls and be considered for funding, a brief discussion with Sarah Fabish or Kara Straun is required. Schedule now by emailing Kara Straun. Calls should occur no later than January 28, 2019

Grant Orientation Documents:

Understanding the Gender-Specific Grantmaking Framework

The Fund values gender-specific initiatives which are:

Intentional
  • Clearly identifies and intentionally addresses a need or challenge faced by women and girls
  • Accounts for gender difference in program design
  • May include wrap-around services which promote program participant success

Equitable
  • Promotes equity & social justice for women and girls and maximizes their social and economic well-being
  • May include program components which address other forms of inequity (class, race, sexual orientation, ability, etc.)

Well-informed
  • Rooted in an existing best-practice
  • Incorporates input from target population into program design

“Grantmaking with a gender lens means considering women [and girls] in context. It means understanding the multiple barriers that confront women [and girls] and designing programs and services to meet the particular challenges facing women and girls. It means strategically and deliberately focusing on women [and/or girls] as beneficiaries, advocates, AND leaders, and as catalysts for community development.”

For more information highlighting the challenges facing women and girls in Greater New Haven, please review the following report:The Status of Women and Girls in New Haven, Connecticut

Please contact Sarah Fabish at sfabish@cfgnh.org if you have any questions.

Reporting forms for current grant recipients

Interim & Final Grant Report for Community Fund for Women & Girls grant recipients

Strategic Investment Grant Report Guidelines for Community Fund for Women & Girls grant recipients

About the Community Fund for Women & Girls

The Fund was established in 1995 by an anonymous donor and gifts from the community to promote the social and economic advancement of women and girls through strategic philanthropy, grants, advocacy and collaboration.