Community Foundation for Greater New Haven

The Community Foundation *for* Greater New Haven was established in 1928 as a permanent charitable endowment for the community. It is one of the oldest and largest community foundations in the country and the largest grant maker in Greater New Haven's [twenty-town region](https://www.cfgnh.org/about/overview-facts#towns). More than three generations of donors have built our community endowment by establishing permanent funds or making gifts to existing funds that distribute grants to support a broad variety of issues and organizations. These donors, past and present, make their gifts to ensure that programs and causes that matter most to them will be supported today and forever. In 2020, The Community Foundation adopted the strategy [Opportunity + Equity](https://www.cfgnh.org/leading-on-issues) with the purpose of creating greater opportunity and greater equity in our region. To advance Opportunity + Equity, The Foundation is supporting diverse community leaders, increasing the amount and impact of local giving and investments, and working with stakeholders throughout the region to ensure that economic growth is inclusive and reduces inequities. **Mission:** To inspire, support, inform, listen to and collaborate with the people and organizations of Greater New Haven to build an ever more connected, inclusive, equitable and philanthropic community. **Vision:** A community of expanding opportunity in which all people share a sense of common destiny and have the support and connections needed to build successful lives. We pursue our mission by: - Inspiring people to get involved in local issues. - Providing leadership by mobilizing the community to address key local issues and by supporting others in their leadership roles. - Responding to community priorities through grantmaking to local nonprofit organizations. - Raising new charitable resources to address current community priorities and for permanent endowment. - Honoring the wishes of past donors and collaborating with current donors. - Growing the community’s charitable endowments by managing the financial assets entrusted to us. **"Our Community's Future . . . What Inspires You?"** The Community Foundation is here for everyone in the community. Learn more about how we work and what we do, along with inspiring stories of individuals and organizations giving back through The Foundation in the video below. We are committed to doing our work in accordance with the following values: - **Integrity.** The Foundation must have integrity in the eyes of the community. The Foundation’s decisions must be transparent and understandable to the community and be made independent of self-interest or undue influence of others. - **Diversity.** The Foundation must serve all of its diverse community. The Foundation must support the priorities of, and seek and make decisions based on input from, diverse elements of the community. Diverse elements of the community must feel comfortable working with The Foundation. - **Vitality:** The Foundation must be a vigorous and pro-active agent of change for donors, for community leaders and for the community-at-large. - **Collaboration:** The Foundation must work in support of and in partnership with others in the community and mobilize giving for the non-profit institutions in the community broadly rather than solely for itself. - **Long-term vision:** The Foundation must undertake longer-term efforts to address community issues. - **Service:** The Foundation must be of service to donors, non-profits, philanthropic leaders and the community as a whole. - **Accountability:** The Foundation must on an ongoing basis evaluate its work and the progress of the community broadly so as to hold itself accountable for the impact of its efforts. - **Excellence:** All of the Foundation’s work must meet the highest standards.