STATE BUDGET CUTS DELIVER A WALLOP TO LOCAL NONPROFITS; Community Foundation Awards $2.3 Million to Help

[The Community Foundation for GNH]

New Haven, CT (December 19, 2016) – The Community Foundation for Greater New Haven (The Foundation), the region’s permanent endowment and largest grantmaker to nonprofits, recently awarded  $2,365,000 in general operating support grants through its largest annual competitive grant cycle.

“The Foundation’s 2016 grantmaking has reflected the pressures being felt by our nonprofits. Reductions in State support together with the prospect of continuing State budget woes have led us to prioritize general operation support grants,” says Christina M. Ciociola, Senior Vice President for Grantmaking and Strategy at The Community Foundation.

A recent survey conducted by The Foundation in October shows that over 50% of organizations have experienced State funding cuts of $50,000 or more and some of $500,000; more cuts are expected. To manage these cuts organizations are taking drastic measures including reducing services (49%), reducing staff (42%) and closing programs (20%).

“Nonprofits benefit most from general operating support – or unrestricted/flexible funding - to sustain positions, invest in technology and address other emerging issues, especially in times of uncertainty,” adds Ciociola. According to a national coalition of more than 550 grantmakers, known as Grantmakers for Effective Organizations, flexible funding enables nonprofits to build their infrastructure, direct money where it is best needed, take advantage of opportunities as they arise, focus on running effective programs and reducing fundraising pressures – all because working capital is in hand.

General operating support is considered an essential component to The Foundation’s competitive grantmaking to ensure the vast array and delivery of vital services in Greater New Haven, especially to those who are most vulnerable. Greater New Haven’s nonprofits receiving general operating support in 2016 provide food and shelter, workforce and career training, healthcare services and quality childcare. They enrich lives by promoting the arts and celebrating cultures, providing quality education and supportive youth services, and by connecting people with resources they need. 

According to The Center for Effective Philanthropy’s recent Grantee Perception Report, the number of general operating support grants distributed by The Foundation is larger than the typical funder. This year 67% of the grants awarded through the annual competitive process were for general operating support, up from 46% in 2015.

2016 General Operating Support Grant Recipients 

Achievement First - $25,000
Architecture Resource Center, Inc. - $35,000
Arts for Learning Connecticut, Inc. - $35,000
Beth-El Center Inc. – $65,000
Beulah Land Development Corporation, Inc. - $80,000
Boys & Girls Club of New Haven - $70,000
Bridges...A Community Support System Inc. - $50,000
Clifford W. Beers Guidance Clinic - $30,000
Continuum of Care, Inc. - $45,000
Creative Arts Workshop - $55,000
Diaper Bank - $50,000
Emerge Connecticut, Inc. - $260,000
Family Centered Services of CT - $60,000
Farnam Neighborhood House - $80,000
Fellowship Place - $50,000
Habitat for Humanity of Greater New Haven - $25,000
Interfaith Volunteer Caregivers - $45,000
International Festival of Arts & Ideas - $150,000
Long Wharf Theatre - $150,000
Music Haven, Inc. - $45,000 
Neighborhood Housing Services of New Haven - $65,000
New Haven Legal Assistance Association Inc. - $115,000
New Haven Symphony Orchestra - $75,000
New Reach - $105,000
Online Journalism Project Inc. - $50,000
Pequenas Ligas Hispanas de New Haven - $80,000
Public Allies Connecticut - $25,000
Solar Youth - $75,000
St. Martin de Porres Academy – $55,000
Student Parenting and Family Services, Inc. - $20,000
Urban Resources Initiative - $75,000
West Haven Child Development Center - $60,000
Women and Family Life Center - $65,000
Youth Continuum, Inc. - $90,000

Thanks to the generosity of three generations of donors, The Community Foundation for Greater New Haven awarded over $30 million in grants and distributions in 2015 from charitable assets of more than $500 million composed of hundreds of individually named funds. In addition to its grantmaking, The Community Foundation helps build a stronger community by taking measures to improve student achievement, create healthy families in New Haven, promote local philanthropy through www.giveGreater.org® and The Great Give®, and encourage better understanding of the region. The Community Foundation for Greater New Haven’s 20 town service area includes: Ansonia, Bethany, Branford, Cheshire, Derby, East Haven, Guilford, Hamden, Madison, Milford, New Haven, North Branford, North Haven, Orange, Oxford, Seymour, Shelton, Wallingford, West Haven and Woodbridge. For more information about The Community Foundation, visit www.cfgnh.org, find us on Facebook at www.facebook.org/cfgnh or follow us on Twitter at www.twitter.com/cfgnh. 

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[Susan D'Orvilliers]

The support of the Community Foundation for Greater New Haven is tremendous and greatly appreciated.