Ecoworks: Ecoworks, an art supply store in North Haven, received a $3,000 grant from the Greater New Haven Green Fund. In 2014, they were awarded a grant which they used to purchase liability insurance and Directors & Officers insurance to protect the board, Ecoworks volunteers and their patrons.
In 2015, Ecoworks received a grant of $5,000 to help improve the efficiency of their organizational systems to ensure the creative reuse center project expands and reaches a scale that is financially sustainable. Some of the goals for using the grant money included: moving into a new space, hiring part-time staff and selling low cost supplies to customers.
The Greater New Haven Green Fund awarded Ecoworks In 2016, $7,000 to fund the “Environmental Education and Outreach Workshops Project.” The goal of this workshop was to develop more educational workshops and events programming and increase promotion and outreach of Ecoworks’ activities. The grant allowed Ecoworks to to coordinate and promote more for-fee workshops in addition to free activities and sales events to support the organization.
Photo courtesy idealist.org
Gather New Haven: Gather New Haven (formerly New Haven Land Trust) recently received a $10,000 grant from the Greater New Haven Green Fund to work on their Growing Entrepreneurs Compost Track project, which began in the spring of 2020. The goal of this project is to teach participants professional and life skills through operating a Community Composting business. With the grant money, Gather New Haven was able to hire three New Haven High School students to run the compost system, train them. They provided over 30 hours of professional skills training to the students. From January-October 2020, Gather New Haven processed over 3,500 lbs of food scraps. In addition, they distributed one yard of compost to the Winchester Community Garden. While working on these goals, Gather New Haven also raised $8,000 with a Sustainable CT campaign.
New Haven Land Trust: In 2017, the Land Trust was awarded $10,000 from the GNHGF to work on “The Growing Entrepreneurs Program,” a year-round program dedicated to employing high school students at the New Haven Land Trust. These students have the opportunity to learn about environmental issues, gain experience in carpentry and agriculture and pilot small businesses. With the help of the GNHGF, in the spring of 2017, two Growing Entrepreneur business ventures were instituted. These ventures developed a business installing raised garden beds for private home-owners and produced vegetables in their new greenhouse which they sold to local restaurants.
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New Haven Urban Resources Initiative: Community Planning for Greenspace: After receiving a grant from the Greater New Haven Green Fund, New Haven Urban Resources Initiative’s (URI)Community Planning with Greenspace project were able to improve communication, preparation, and the experience of Greenspace participants, interns, and managers. The program allowed managers and interns the opportunity to sit down and meet with Greenspace Leaders before the Greenspace season began to hear issues, concerns, dreams, and to answer questions leading up to the 2014 Greenspace season.
Staff members Chris Ozyck and Anna Pickett along with Gina Blankenship and Sumana Serchan (who were Greenspace interns in 2013) conducted renewal interviews with Greenspace groups in April 2014. The process involved reaching out to Community Greenspaces, meeting with leaders in most cases and occasionally with members, asking a set of questions that addressed the following: highlights of the groups’ work, reflection on values and benefits, impact of their work in the community and environment, and assessment of the groups’ needs and goals for Greenspace season 2014.
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Photo courtesy idealist.org
Photo courtesy of guidestar.org