Bank Of America Awards Havenly $200K 'Neighborhood Builders' Grant

NEW HAVEN, CT — Recognized for its work in helping others "chart a path toward stability and economic opportunity," nonprofit Havenly has been named as 2022 Bank of America Neighborhood Builders® awardee and will receive a two-year grant for its work in New Haven, it was announced.

Havenly is a New Haven-based nonprofit organization that helps immigrant and refugee women establish economic, civic, and community power through job training and education.

The organization will receive a $200,000 grant, comprehensive leadership training for the executive director and an emerging leader on topics ranging from increasing financial sustainability, human capital management, and strategic storytelling, and joins a network of peer organizations across the U.S., and gets the opportunity to access capital to expand their impact.

The Havenly café, a commercial kitchen and restaurant staffed by Havenly fellows, combines real-world work experience and job-readiness training with education to empower participants and help them achieve economic stability. Havenly will use their Neighborhood Builders funding to expand their social enterprise efforts and culinary arts training program.

“Immigrants and refugees in our community and beyond, especially immigrant and refugee women, are disproportionately denied access to basic human rights and resources,” Jane Dowd, Co-Executive Director, Havenly, said. “As a 2022 Bank of America Neighborhood Builder, we are ready to further deepen and develop the services we offer our fellows, as well as support our leadership team through executive training.”

The Havenly fellowship is a six-month training program that combines work experience at its café with education and community activities to develop a community of leaders with a shared vision and purpose, and the economic stability they need to support themselves and their communities. The Sisters in Diaspora is an organizing collective grown from Havenly alumni and other community members that fight for each other, for greater justice, and for dignified living conditions for our communities.

“Bank of America’s Neighborhood Builders program helps drive lasting change in Southern Connecticut and offers valued community partners a unique opportunity to further their missions through flexible funding and leadership training,” Bill Tommins, President, Bank of America Southern Connecticut, said. “Havenly and The Housing Collective address some of our community’s most pressing issues. From empowering our refugee and immigrant communities to combatting homelessness and creating equitable housing opportunities, their efforts will continue to positively impact our residents over the next two years and beyond. Congratulations to this year’s Neighborhood Builders and we look forward to partnering with both as they help others chart their paths to economic opportunity.”

About Bank of America Neighborhood Builders

In Southern Connecticut, Bank of America has selected 25 nonprofits as Neighborhood Builders to date, investing $5 million in these local organizations. The invitation-only program is highly competitive, and organizations are selected by a committee comprised of community leaders and past Neighborhood Builders honorees.

Through 2022, Bank of America has invested over $300 million in 50 communities through Neighborhood Builders, partnering with more than 1,500 nonprofits and helping more than 3,000 nonprofit leaders strengthen their leadership skills. Neighborhood Builders is just one example of how Bank of America deploys capital in communities, builds cross-sector partnerships, and promotes socioeconomic progress as part of its approach to responsible growth.