New Haven Foundation Donates $400K To State's Black Communities

Information via Community Foundation of Greater New Haven

NEW HAVEN, CT – Amidst a pandemic that has exacerbated racial disparities and widened inequities, a $400,000 multi-year grant has been awarded by The Community Foundation for Greater New Haven (The Community Foundation) to strengthen the capacity of The Prosperity Foundation (TPF) as a local Black-led and Black-serving organization.

“This grant from The Community Foundation for Greater New Haven comes at a critical time in our growth and puts TPF in a stronger position to grow our organizational capacity and become a more potent philanthropic force by, for and of the Black community in Connecticut,” says Howard K. Hill, Founder and President of The Prosperity Foundation.

“A strong, growing statewide Black community foundation has greater potential to expand opportunity and advance racial equity, both priorities of The Community Foundation’s strategic plan framework,” says William W. Ginsberg, President and CEO of The Community Foundation for Greater New Haven. “We are proud to have supported TPF since its origin and are encouraged to see new partnerships between TPF and other funders. Significant flexible resources can enable TPF to focus attention on its own growth and growing philanthropic resources that advance economic and social mobility in Greater New Haven’s Black communities and beyond.”

In addition to the grant, The Community Foundation for Greater New Haven will continue to provide back office and investment management services to TPF, as it has done since TPF established itself as an independent entity in 2015.

Among its many activities, TPF has engaged African Americans throughout Connecticut through educational events in various parts of the State, including Hartford, Stamford and New Haven. It has also produced a seminar series providing donors and prospective donors with greater awareness about how philanthropy can contribute to addressing critical needs in Black communities. And it manages a Small Grants Initiative funding Black-led and serving community based organizations. In response to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, TPF help to feed over 60,000 families with fresh produce, dairy, and meat.