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United Way of Greater New Haven Inc

Annual Giving
$12.6M
Grant Range
$2K - $0.0M
Decision Time
1mo

United Way of Greater New Haven Inc

Quick Stats

  • Annual Giving: $12.6 million (fiscal year 2024)
  • EIN: 06-0646761
  • Grant Range: $2,000 - $30,000 (depending on program)
  • Geographic Focus: 12 towns in Greater New Haven, CT
  • Charity Navigator Rating: 4-Star (100% score)
  • Founded: 1920 (over 100 years of service)

Contact Details

Main Office:

For Grant Inquiries:

  • Sign up for Community Impact Bulletin for grant announcements
  • Community Navigators Program: Charlene Cua at ccua@uwgnh.org (for specific programs)

Overview

United Way of Greater New Haven (UWGNH) was founded in 1920 as the Community Chest of Greater New Haven, celebrating over 100 years of community service. With total revenue of $12.6 million (fiscal year 2024), the organization brings people and organizations together to create solutions to Greater New Haven's most pressing challenges. UWGNH operates both as a funder and service provider, distributing grants to community organizations while also directly operating programs like Early Head Start (serving 88 infants and toddlers) and Community Navigators. The organization serves a 12-town region including New Haven, Orange, Woodbridge, Bethany, Hamden, West Haven, East Haven, North Haven, Branford, Guilford, North Branford, and Madison. UWGNH has earned Charity Navigator's highest 4-Star rating (100% score) for accountability and financial health. Recent initiatives include responding to COVID-19 by distributing 1.4 million pounds of food and housing over 2,000 families. The organization focuses on creating lasting change through strategic multi-year grants and targeted one-time funding opportunities.

Funding Priorities

Grant Programs

Thriving Families Fund (Annual)

  • Grant Range: $5,000 - $25,000
  • Purpose: Flexible funds for existing workforce service providers to remove barriers for job seekers
  • Eligible Expenses: Transportation, childcare, stipends, technology, job search support, uniforms
  • Target Population: ALICE (Asset Limited, Income Constrained, Employed) and below job seekers
  • Application Method: Annual RFP process (typically March-April)
  • Recent Awards: 12 organizations funded in 2025; 11 organizations received $185,000 total in 2022

Summer Youth Fund (Annual)

  • Total Funding: $225,000 (2023)
  • Number of Awards: 20-32 organizations annually
  • Purpose: Provide safe and meaningful summer experiences for young people
  • Impact: Serves over 3,000 young people
  • Application Method: Annual RFP with community and youth review panel
  • Funding Partners: UWGNH, community donors, Community Foundation of Greater New Haven

Early Care and Education Grants (Annual)

  • Types: Enhancement Grants and Expansion Grants
  • Purpose: Improve quality of childcare in New Haven
  • Categories: Group homes/centers and family childcare providers
  • Funding Source: Federal ARPA funds from City of New Haven
  • Recent Awardees: Friends Center for Children, St. Aedan Pre School, and others

New Haven Tutoring Initiative Grants

  • Grant Amount: $2,000 per organization
  • Purpose: Support K-8 tutoring in reading and math
  • Eligibility: Tax-exempt agencies in New Haven serving ALICE families
  • Support Included: Training from New Haven Reads and New Haven Counts, coaching, program visits
  • Application Method: Fixed deadline (typically April)

Priority Areas

Education

  • Early childhood development (Success By 6™ program)
  • High-quality early care and education opportunities
  • K-8 academic tutoring programs
  • Goal: 50-55% of low-income students reading at grade level

Economic Mobility/Financial Stability

  • Workforce development and job training
  • Job placement and retention services
  • Budget coaching and tax assistance
  • Access to benefits (food stamps, health insurance)
  • Career pathway development with demonstrated mobility
  • Serves communities below ALICE threshold (39% of CT households)

Health and Basic Needs

  • Food security (1 in 6 children experiencing hunger)
  • Stable housing and homelessness prevention (3,500 people experiencing homelessness)
  • Greater New Haven Coordinated Access Network (backbone organization)
  • Healthy food access during school breaks and in underserved communities

Cross-Cutting Themes

  • Racial and social justice
  • Serving underserved populations: communities of color, low-income individuals, female heads of households, re-entering individuals, people experiencing homelessness, immigrants, people with disabilities

What They Don't Fund

While not explicitly stated in available materials, based on program focus:

  • Organizations outside the 12-town Greater New Haven region
  • Programs not aligned with education, economic mobility, or health/basic needs
  • Organizations without tax-exempt status
  • Direct services to individuals (they fund organizations, not individuals)

Governance and Leadership

Leadership Team

Jennifer Heath - President & CEO

  • "We want to make sure everyone has access to high quality education opportunities, that they have access to good health and financial stability."
  • Credits organization's longevity to "people's generosity, in terms of their volunteer time, their donations of money and their talent"

Maria Arnold - Chief Advancement Officer

Rachel Anastasio - Chief Financial Officer

Kelly Fitzgerald-Landino - Vice President of Economic Mobility

  • Coordinates Greater New Haven Coordinated Access Network
  • 6+ years with UWGNH
  • Master of Science in Public Policy from Southern Connecticut State University
  • Previously with Capital Workforce Partners and She Leads Justice
  • Testified before CT Housing Committee: "When you don't have a place to live or food on the table, it's really hard to strive for more"

Aly Fox - Vice President of Community & Belonging

Shelly Hicks - Vice President of Education

Senior Directors:

  • Caitlin Dalton - Marketing & Engagement
  • Jessica Teta - Resource Development
  • Janiel Gordon - CAN Director
  • Abigail Mariam - Education Initiatives

Board of Directors

Annie Merkle-Ward - Chair, The AMI Solution, Inc.

Board Members:

  • Jenna Allegretto - CBIZ
  • Allison Batson - CT State Community College
  • Alan Bowie - Simon & Schuster
  • Lorenzo Boyd - University of New Haven
  • Chris Brown - Yale University
  • Heather Calabrese - Community Member
  • Jennifer Cinque - University of New Haven
  • Jodie Driscoll - Murtha Cullina
  • David Henry - Surge Institute
  • Beverly Hodgson - Beverly Hodgson Mediation
  • Frank Mathew - Yale University
  • Judith Meyers - Meyers Philanthropy Advisors
  • Tameika Miller - Boys and Girls Club of Greater New Haven
  • Karen Peart - Yale University
  • Lenny Rodriguez - Avangrid
  • Steve Solecki - Bank of America
  • Pamela Sutton-Wallace - Yale New Haven Health System

The board demonstrates strong governance practices including formal orientation for new members, written board agreements, inclusive recruitment for diversity, and regular self-assessments (per Charity Navigator).

Application Process & Timeline

How to Apply

UWGNH operates multiple grant programs with different application cycles. Applications are typically submitted through online portals or email when opportunities are announced.

General Process:

  1. Sign up for the Community Impact Bulletin to receive grant opportunity announcements
  2. Review specific RFP guidelines when opportunities are posted
  3. Submit application by stated deadline (typically via online form or email)
  4. Applications evaluated by community panels (for some programs, includes young people and community members)
  5. Award notifications sent via email
  6. Grant agreements executed before funding disbursed

Eligibility Requirements (General):

  • Must be a tax-exempt agency (501(c)(3), government agency, school, or faith-based organization)
  • Must operate within Greater New Haven (12-town service area)
  • Must align with UWGNH priority areas
  • For workforce programs: must have existing employment programs
  • For youth programs: must serve young people and families

Decision Timeline

Thriving Families Fund (Example):

  • RFP Release: Late March
  • Application Deadline: Late April (4:00 PM)
  • Award Notifications: Late May
  • Grant Period: June 1 - May 31 (one year)

Summer Youth Fund (Example):

  • Application Period: Spring
  • Awards Announced: Before summer
  • Grant Period: Summer season

Tutoring Initiative Grants (Example):

  • Application Deadline: Mid-April (4:00 PM)
  • Award Notifications: Early May (approximately 2-3 weeks)
  • Grant Period: June - August (summer) or September - December (fall)

Typical timeline from application to decision: 4-6 weeks

Success Rates

Specific success rate data is not publicly available. However:

  • Summer Youth Fund 2023: 32 organizations awarded from applicant pool
  • Thriving Families Fund 2025: 12 organizations awarded
  • The organization emphasizes collaborative approach and often provides technical assistance to applicants

Reapplication Policy

No explicit reapplication policy is stated in public materials. Grant opportunities are announced annually, and organizations can apply each cycle. For specific questions about reapplication after an unsuccessful attempt, contact the Community Impact Team directly.

Application Success Factors

Key Success Factors for UWGNH Grants

1. Serve the ALICE Population UWGNH prioritizes organizations serving Asset Limited, Income Constrained, Employed (ALICE) families and those below the ALICE threshold. Applications should clearly demonstrate how the program serves low-income, underserved populations in Greater New Haven.

2. Demonstrate Community Connection Kelly Fitzgerald-Landino notes the importance of meeting basic needs first: "When you don't have a place to live or food on the table, it's really hard to strive for more." Successful applications show understanding of barrier removal and wraparound support.

3. Focus on Measurable Outcomes Applications should articulate clear goals aligned with UWGNH priorities:

  • Education: Improving kindergarten readiness, grade-level reading
  • Economic Mobility: Job attainment, retention through first year, career pathway advancement
  • Basic Needs: Food security, housing stability

4. Embrace Equity and Justice UWGNH explicitly grounds its work in "racial and social justice." Successful applications address disparities and prioritize underserved communities including communities of color, immigrants, people with disabilities, re-entering individuals, and people experiencing homelessness.

5. Leverage Partnerships The organization values collaboration and collective action. Applications strengthened by partnerships with other organizations or alignment with existing community initiatives (e.g., Greater New Haven Coordinated Access Network for housing).

6. Show Sustainability Beyond Grant Period While specific grants may be one-year, UWGNH also uses "strategic multi-year grants" for some initiatives. Demonstrate how short-term funding creates lasting change or positions organization for continued impact.

7. Participate in Evaluation Grant recipients should be prepared to track participants, outcomes, and provide reports. UWGNH evaluates applications partly on organizational capacity for measurement and learning.

8. Review Panel Includes Community Members For programs like Summer Youth Fund, "young people, community members, and United Way staff & board members" evaluate applications. Write clearly and accessibly, not just for funders but for community reviewers.

Key Takeaways for Grant Writers

  • Geographic specificity matters: Must serve one or more of the 12 towns in Greater New Haven region (Bethany, Branford, East Haven, Guilford, Hamden, Madison, New Haven, North Branford, North Haven, Orange, West Haven, Woodbridge)

  • Subscribe to Community Impact Bulletin: This is the primary way UWGNH announces grant opportunities. Don't miss the announcement - applications typically have 3-4 week windows

  • Align with one of three core areas: Education (especially early childhood), Economic Mobility (especially workforce development), or Health/Basic Needs (especially food and housing). Programs touching multiple areas are particularly strong

  • Demonstrate service to ALICE population: Nearly all grant programs specifically target Asset Limited, Income Constrained, Employed (ALICE) families and those below ALICE threshold. Use this terminology and show you understand these families' challenges

  • Emphasize barrier removal: UWGNH values flexible funds that help remove obstacles (transportation, childcare, technology, etc.). Be specific about what barriers your program addresses

  • Build relationship before applying: Consider connecting with Community Impact Team or attending information sessions for specific grants. UWGNH values collaborative approach and may provide pre-application guidance

  • Think beyond the grant: UWGNH offers more than funding - volunteer opportunities, training, supplies sharing, collective action opportunities. Organizations that engage more broadly with UWGNH mission may strengthen their position as grant applicants

References

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