Connecticut

The Center for Housing Equity & Opportunity has announced that it will launch a new center in eastern Connecticut in mid-March. Backed by seven nonprofit organizations brought together by the New London-based Community Foundation of Eastern Connecticut, the center will work with housing practitioners, residents, municipalities, and policy makers to develop a regional housing affordability strategy. The center aims to align, grow, and deliver critical resources, including dedicated staff, regional data capacity, and technical assistance to support the preservation, production, and protection of housing affordability. To that end, it will convene thought leaders in the region around housing challenges and solutions; provide capacity for regional research, data collection, and analysis; connect a diverse coalition of partner organizations to help reduce the number of cost-burdened households; participate in advocacy efforts at the local, regional, and state levels; build power among and elevate the voices of the most impacted by the region’s housing challenges; and support municipalities and councils of government in the implementation of newly adopted town housing plans.

The Community Foundation for Greater New Haven has announced the appointment of Enola G. Aird, founder and president of Community Healing Network, to serve on the board for a seven-year term (2023-29). Aird was appointed by the Trustees’ Committee, which consists of representatives of its trustee banks. She succeeds Flemming “Nick” Norcott, Jr., who has served on the board since 2016 and was chair from 2021 to 2022.

Florida

The Gulf Coast Community Foundation in Venice has surpassed $500 million in grants, the Sarasota Herald-Tribune reports. Established in 1996 with an $85 million endowment from the sale of Venice Hospital, the foundation awarded more than $100 million in grants by 2010 and quintupled that amount in just 12 more years. In addition to its endowment, the foundation holds nearly 1,000 funds that support a wide range of nonprofits.

JPMorgan Chase has announced the deployment of $2 million across four organizations to advance racial equity in the Miami tech sector. BrainStation, a Miami Foundation program; CodePath; Rebrand Cities; and YWCA of South Florida working with gener8tor, will each receive $500,000 to provide underrepresented Miamians with technology workforce training, career services, and support for small businesses. The grants are part of the financial services firm’s $100 million Tech Equity Miami initiative to boost inclusivity in Miami’s growing tech industry.

Georgia

The Community Foundation for Greater Atlanta has announced a $15 million commitment from Truist Financial Corporation to GoATL, the foundation’s impact investment platform. The commitment is the lead investment in the newly launched GoATL Affordable Housing Fund—$14 million of a $75 million fund designed to close funding gaps in affordable housing development—supplemented by $1 million from Truist Foundation for the GoATL Economic Inclusion Fund. The latter will drive job growth and wealth creation for entrepreneurs.

Massachusetts

The Cambridge Community Foundation has announced grants totaling $60,000 to 15 local nonprofits providing direct services. This marks the third consecutive winter that the foundation has delivered needs-inspired grants outside of its regular grantmaking cycles to assist local organizations helping families with essential needs, such as food, rent, and utility payments. The grants were made possible by several donations through the foundation’s Urgent Needs Fund. Recipients include Bridges Homeward, Cambridge Community Center, East End House, and Just a Start.

New Mexico

The Santa Fe Community Foundation has announced an estate gift worth more than $8.5 million from the late Deborah and Martin Fishbein. The largest gift in the foundation’s 42-year history will support local nonprofits working to improve outcomes in the areas of arts and culture, animal welfare, and the environment through the foundation’s community grants program and provide an opportunity for multiyear funding in certain cases. The gift also will establish agency funds, administered by the foundation, for the Institute of American Indian Arts and the Museum of International Folk Art.

Ohio

The Cleveland Foundation and its partners have announced grants totaling $1 million to 42 organizations in the third round of grantmaking from the Cleveland Black Futures Fund, which has raised nearly $6.2 million since its inception in late 2020 in support of local nonprofits that are both Black-led and Black-serving. In its first two rounds of grantmaking, the fund awarded a total of nearly $3.5 million to 92 organizations. For the second consecutive round, the fund also awarded fellowships that will help organizations build their capacity through one of four focus areas: fund development, leadership development, long-term/strategic planning, and marketing and communications.

Oregon

The Oregon Community Foundation (OCF) has announced the additions of Joshua Romero and Martha Sonato to its Latino Partnership Program (LPP). Romero is employee engagement and experience program manager for the City of Bend, and Sonato is a state legislative and policy advocate at the Oregon Law Center. Established in 2013, LPP is a statewide program of OCF that addresses the challenges facing the Latino/x community.

South Dakota

The Black Hills Area Community Foundation in Rapid City will receive more than $3 million from the Bush Foundation in support of affordable housing efforts, South Dakota Public Broadcasting reports. The gift includes $2 million for the foundation’s Housing Trust Fund, which was established in 2021 to improve housing affordability for people earning between $20,000 and $50,000 per year. It offers low-interest loans to multifamily housing developers. Other funds will go toward the foundation’s broader efforts to improve housing affordability, including $1 million for the organization’s Strategic Housing Initiative and $250,000 to plan and evaluate its housing-related efforts.