Community Grantmaking - New Haven, CT

The Carolyn Foundation aims to enhance the lives of underrepresented youth in New Haven, CT, by supporting youth development organizations that demonstrate strong community engagement and leadership. With a focus on BIPOC-led initiatives, the foundation seeks to foster meaningful relationships and long-term impact through its grantmaking efforts. This commitment includes funding organizations with annual budgets of approximately $1 million or less, ensuring that diverse voices are included in the decision-making process. Together, they strive to create lasting change for future generations.

Background
Carolyn Foundation has been making grants to organizations serving youth in New Haven for the past fifty years. In 2020, based on feedback from the community, Carolyn Foundation began focusing narrowly on youth development programming for underrepresented youth ages 13-18, grades 7-12 in New Haven, CT. We have taken a two-pronged approach to both support: a core group of youth development partners who have distinguished themselves for serving our target population; and Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC)-led organizations that have unique program offerings and relationships with BIPOC youth.
This approach was informed by a review of our past grantees and conversations with community leaders from the schools, city, community, and other foundations/funders.
Core Partner Funding Overview
Our intent with these core partners is to support high-quality, role-model youth development organizations (criteria below), often serving large numbers of New Haven youth with broad and deep programs. Being funded as a Core Partner does not guarantee Carolyn funding forever. Core partners apply to receive general operating support and the opportunity for two additional years of rapid renewal grants based on their annual update reports. At the end of three years, core partners must go through a new full application process, and they may be competing with other core and newly invited applicants. Prior funding does not assure funding at the end of the three-year rapid renewal process.
BIPOC-led Youth Development Funding Overview
We started our BIPOC-led Youth Development funding category to support BIPOC-led organizations which are often underrepresented in foundation funding, make unique and valuable connections with young people, and may not be familiar with Carolyn Foundation. Most of the grant review team for this cycle are young people from the New Haven area who are aware of and familiar with community needs, organization reputations, etc. Some of these organizations are small, meeting the unique needs of smaller groups of young people, while others are large organizations. Some successful applicants may be invited to apply to become a core partner. An invitation to apply does not assure funding, merely the opportunity to be considered.
We hope that these two categories come to provide both broad youth development support for many young people in New Haven and unique support for young people whose needs and desires are not met by larger organizations. A secondary hope is that this helps build the capacity of BIPOC-led nonprofit organizations that mirror their students and provide compelling role models.
Guidelines & Priorities
Our goal is to fund organizations providing high-quality youth development for underrepresented youth ages 13-18, grades 7-12, in New Haven, CT.
When evaluating proposals, we use research-based criteria, looking for organizations and programs that:
Are on the Youth Engagement Continuum.
We prefer organizations that offer purposeful, significant youth development and leadership development.
Are “high dosage.”
Programs meet often, for a significant time and extended duration. For example, a program that meets several times a week for two hours throughout the year will be rated more highly than a program that is one hour a week for six weeks.
Are long-lasting
Programs that work with young people over multiple years will be rated more highly than those that don’t.
Include meaningful, supportive relationships between young people and caring adults will be rated higher than those that don’t. Organizations with stable, well-trained youth development staff will be rated more highly than those with revolving volunteers.
Develop skills and spark interests or passions vs. merely provide safe places to hang out.
Have leadership and staff who reflect the students they serve. Students benefit from seeing leaders that look like them and share lived experiences.
BIPOC-led Youth Development Grant Cycle Guidelines & Priorities
In addition to the above-listed research-based criteria, we will prioritize youth development organizations that are BIPOC-led for the upcoming responsive grant cycle. In addition, organizations should:
Serve a large percentage (>70%) of BIPOC youth community membersHave annual budgets of ~ $1 million or less; and

Eligibility

Carolyn Foundation welcomes applications from youth development organizations with annual budgets of ~ $1 million or less in the City of New Haven, CT.