People seek help from the Literacy Volunteers of Greater New Haven for many reasons. Some want to improve their literacy to find a better job. Others want the enriching experience of reading stories to their children or grandchildren. For non-native speakers, learning how to read instructions and signs is essential for navigating daily tasks. It could be a matter of…

Teenagers who couch surf and live on the streets are at a high risk of growing up to be homeless adults. Working to break this cycle, Youth Continuum is constructing Winchester Manor, housing with supportive services for vulnerable young men and women ages 18 -24.  

“This is the first permanent supportive housing for youth in Connecticut and will…

In recent decades, Greater New Haven has been a destination for a historically large and diverse number of immigrants. One in eight residents are first-generation immigrants, part of a modern U.S. immigration wave that began in 1965 and accelerated in the 1990s and early 2000s.

Most immigrants are either naturalized citizens or legal residents. A sizeable…

Grand Prizes Won by Nonprofits Providing Land Preservation, Services to Refugees and Immigrants, and Engaging Youth

New Haven, CT (May 4, 2017) – The Community Foundation for Greater New Haven (The Community Foundation) thanks the thousands of people who united over 36 hours during The Great Give^® 2017 to raise nearly $1.3 Million for nonprofits…

In late 2010, the doors were about to close on the Greenbrier Greenhouse Program. For more than three decades, the innovative social enterprise had provided jobs at the historic Edgerton Park Gardens and Greenhouse to adults with autism and other developmental and physical disabilities. Tending plants and helping customers was therapeutic to participants, having the…

The women arrive every morning at 9 a.m., dressed in skirt suits and pant suits and looking ready for business. For four weeks they come together to collaborate on the most important work of their lives – themselves.

They are participants in Women Investing in Second Chances (W.I.N.S.) at the job-training program STRIVE-New Haven. There, coaches and…

“This place is going to help a lot of people, not just in terms of job training and employment, but also to be a beacon for the city,” says ConnCat Executive Director Erik Clemons. “For our students, it’s not just about getting people jobs. It’s about how they feel about themselves and believing there are possibilities beyond the conditions that…

How do you identify potential donors? What information do donors want to know about your organization? How can you move current donors to make larger gifts? What are the best practices around stewarding your donors year round to keep them engaged?

The recorded podcast was presented by Jackie Downing, Director of Grantmaking and Nonprofit Effectiveness at The Community Foundation for Greater New Haven. …

Higher Heights builds a community of college-bound students. Photo provided by Higher Heights.

Thirteen years ago, Higher Heights stepped in to help underrepresented college-bound students in Greater New Haven. Now, the organization is bringing its model to other districts and college…

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Weekends are rocking at the Amity Teen Center. On Friday and Saturday nights, crowds can swell to over 100 young people coming out to listen to line-ups of four or five bands. Chances are, they heard about the show from the performers themselves.

“We are teaching…

Every day after school, each young child and teenager who walks through the doors of the New Haven Boys and Girls Club is welcomed by name and given a high five. An afternoon packed with activity awaits them, from homework help, to art and technology projects, to basketball and other athletics. But it’s the personal attention from caring mentors that is at…

At the heart of Citywide Youth Coalition’s mission is creating opportunities for young people to develop leadership skills and be engaged in their schools, neighborhoods and communities. Now more than four-decades old, the youth organization supports and runs programs based on the Positive Youth Development model of adolescent behavior. The model…

During the month of March, our focus is on Children and Youth; in particular, organizations that provide services for positive youth development. These nonprofits (below) are highlighted as part of our series "A Closer Look," which runs through September 2017.

Learn more about the other nonprofits on…

During the cold winter months, low-income Valley residents can apply for home heating assistance atTEAM, Inc., which has been helping families become financially stable since 1965. Read more in this week's …

St. Martin de Porres Academy opened its doors twelve years ago with the promise of giving life-changing opportunities to disadvantaged kids. That promise is being fulfilled as the first graduates are now in college making dean’s lists and winning awards at places such as Villanova, Fairfield, St. Lawrence and Princeton. One former student, a college senior, already…

The only thing standing between many families and a descent into homelessness and poverty is trained legal representation. In courtrooms every day, the fight for basic human needs is played out in cases against landlords who have served eviction notices, employers that have withheld wages, state agencies that have denied benefits and various other civil…

By: William W. Ginsberg 

The start of a new year is a time for resolutions. Defying the temptation to hunker down in this cold and dark season, the beginning of January is a time to take stock and to look forward with clear priorities and renewed optimism. The beginning of 2017 feels different. …

This holiday season, you can help keep the New Haven Independent reporting on New Haven — and have your donations matched dollar for dollar as part of a national drive to support local not-for-profit news reporting.

Starting this week and running through Jan. 19, all donations to the Independent up to $1,000 will be matched by a national drive called “The Knight News…