The Valley Community Foundation (VCF) is proud to announce its $600,000 three-year grant to the Valley Council for Health and Human Services (the Council) as part of its Stepping Forward initiative. This multi-year commitment will allow the Council, a collaborative network of more than 40 nonprofit organizations serving the lower Naugatuck Valley, to move their work forward by building infrastructure and expanding its scope of work.
VCF’s Stepping Forward initiative was introduced in 2021, in partnership with The Community Foundation for Greater New Haven’s (TCF) Stepping Forward program, to address racial inequities and the impact of COVID 19. VCF and TCF came together to fund this transformative request of the Council.
The Council’s work seeks to strengthen partnerships within health and human services, with a focus on establishing a Community Care Hub that will address disparities within the region’s healthcare systems. The hub design is geared to bring a more diverse group of people to the table to help identify barriers as well as implement solutions to problems in the existing system.
The Council was founded more than 30 years ago and both community foundations have supported it from its inception, said Sharon Closius, VCF’s President and CEO.
"We’re excited to support the Valley Council for Health and Human Services in this critical step forward,” Closius said. “There is no other entity in the state that has such significant collaborative reach than our Valley Council. This may well be a model for others to emulate in the state and we share the desire to use data to inform the work we do and support the collaborative efforts that are needed to make a difference at the systemic level.”
The Council’s work will shift more to a Collective Impact approach and this grant will empower them to have an even greater impact in the Valley. Collect Impact, or CI, is the commitment of nonprofits -- as well as public and private sector entities -- to a common agenda for solving specific social problems using a form of structured collaboration.
“This is truly history-in-the-making for the Council and our beloved Valley region of diverse people and communities that are collectively building upon the decades of Council accomplishments,” said David Morgan, Chair of the Council. “Immense gratitude to VCF and TCF for this game-changing grant. We are deeply thankful for this opportunity that launches the Council into the next phase to enhance the health and overall wellbeing of our region. As we strive to build our community together, we all stand on the inspiration and vision of VCF while stepping forward collectively to address complex issues and historic opportunities for our beloved Valley.”
About the Valley Community Foundation: Established in 2004, each year the Valley Community Foundation (VCF) distributes approximately $2 million in grants that support local nonprofits and people they serve. In addition to grantmaking, VCF works in strong partnership with The Community Foundation for Greater New Haven (TCF) to promote philanthropy in Ansonia, Derby, Oxford, Seymour, and Shelton and receives funding from The Gates Fund and other preference funds at TCF that benefit the Valley. For more information, visit: ValleyFoundation.Org. Valley Community Foundation, 253-A Elizabeth Street, Derby CT, 06418. Office: (203) 751-9162.