Fairfield County's Community Foundation

06/15/2026

In late May, members of The SOUL Fund (a community led giving circle housed at and supported by FCCF) gathered at CT State Norwalk for their first Annual Meeting and to celebrate the inaugural grantees of the Fund.

The 114 members of The SOUL Fund spent the past year learning about Fairfield County nonprofits working with youth ages 14-25 through clinical mental health and career pathways initiatives. Along the way, members pooled together more than $48,000 to support nonprofits engaged in this work. In early May, through a ranked choice ballot process, members voted to determine the following grant awards, which were announced at last week’s event:

$20,000 to My Architecture Workshops Inc. (Dominique Moore, AIA, NOMA, NCARB, Executive Director)
$13,000 to TheHouseOfDarla (April Jackson, Executive Director)
$13,000 to Connect-Us (Pamela A. Lewis, Executive Director)
$1,000 Honorarium to Sawubona Cares (Dr. Charles Morgan, Executive Director)
$1,000 Honorarium to Youth Business Initiative - CT (Dajuan Wiggins, Executive Director)

Big thanks and congratulations to these five nonprofit organizations and their leaders – and to The SOUL Fund members, led by an 11-member Steering Committee of powerhouse community volunteers (Julienne Foy, Ashley Hampton LCSW, Maya Angelou Spruill, Romney Donald, Carmen E. Hughes, CCDP, ACC, ELI-MP, Susan Johnson, Vanessa Lecorps, Marie Rocha, Kelvin Savage, CFA, CAIA, CFP®, Bianca Shinn, Ed.D, MS, MPH,CHES®, Dr. Maggie Young, LADC, LMSW, CCS, RCP)

Ready to join (or renew your support of) this inspiring community? Make plans now to join us at FCCF’s Celebration of Black Philanthropy Event on August 4, from 5:30-8p at Stamford CoCreate.

At this not-to-miss event, we’ll award the 2026 Soul of Philanthropy Award to a Black Philanthropist shaping Fairfield County through their time, talent, ties, treasure, and testimony – and kick off the next year of work for The SOUL Fund. This event is sure to sell out – so grab your ticket today! https://lnkd.in/dFdVs_2M

06/15/2026

🎓 With the school year coming to a close and Class of 2026 graduation celebrations underway, we're pleased to share good news for students attending Connecticut public colleges and universities and applying for scholarships to finance their education.

This legislative session, the CT Assembly passed a scholarship displacement bill so scholarship awards will not reduce financial aid packages already received. By allowing greater affordability and opportunity for students, this bill will protect the value of scholarships and is an important step toward making higher education more accessible and affordable.

👏 We appreciate the work of Higher Education and Employment Advancement Committee members and especially co-chairs State Representative Gregg Haddad and State Senator Derek Slap, ranking members Senator Henri Martin and Rep. Seth Bronko, and all of the bill’s co-sponsors.

Special thanks to the members of our Allies community and our Youth Philanthropy Council for lending their time, testimony and talent advocating for this legislation.

05/22/2026

The valuable civic service provided by our longtime community partner The Campaign School at Yale cannot be overstated. These women are just a few who will dive deep into what it takes to run for office and also the nuts and bolts of supporting others by managing a campaign. So many past and current elected leaders have graduated from this program. These women represent the future!

Special thanks to the Fund for Women & Girls of Fairfield County’s Community Foundation for making it possible for four Fairfield County leaders to join us as members of the Class of 2026 at Yale Law School!

05/01/2026

FCCF is proud to support the nation's first statewide Citizens Assembly bringing community perspectives to improve how we fund local schools and services. Here's to a productive summer!

Comptroller Sean Scanlon

Our property tax system is broken. Everyone knows it, but no one thinks fixing it is politically possible. Nevertheless, every decade or so, people try. Commissions deadlock, and reports collect dust on shelves. The usual playbook will never work here. So, it’s time to try something completely different.

I’m proud to be working with Yale University, UConn and CCM CT to put together the largest, statewide “citizens’ assembly” done in the US. What is it? Think civics jury duty. Over the summer, 100 ordinary citizens will get together each week, learn about the different challenges the state and towns face when it comes to this issue, and work together to find consensus on how we should solve them.

It could fail. That’s ok. The greater failure would be continuing to do nothing about the single, most unsustainable problem we face as a state.

04/30/2026

Read the latest Foundation News: The Work Behind the Work - April, 2026 https://mailchi.mp/fccfoundation/april_fdn_news_2026

04/08/2026

Great news—the deadline has been extended by a week to apply for scholarships through the Community Foundation! If you know a high school senior (or soon-to-be grad) pursuing college or post-secondary training, send them our way.

📆 Deadline is now April 15, 2026.

Over 150 scholarships are available to help Fairfield County students pursue their dreams and strengthen the future of our communities. Submit one application and be matched with up to four scholarships!

Help us get the word out! Get more info and apply: https://fccfoundation.org/eligibility/

04/07/2026

For far too many people in our community, hunger is not temporary. Are we willing to confront the problem? Read the new op-ed from our Board Chair, Dr. Maya Reddi, and our President & CEO, Mendi Blue Paca: FCCFoundation.org/FoodSecurity-OpEd

04/03/2026

Another great cross-sector gathering to collaborate on pressing issues impacting our communities. These are the rooms where it happens -- partnership, community, listening, and action planning. We were proud to be there. Thanks, Charter Oak Communities!

04/01/2026

“[The Fund] will enable organizations to think across the spectrum of needs that they have internally and prioritize with the goal of keeping shelf stocks and strengthening supply chains and, frankly, just stabilizing day to day operations." - Mendi Blue Paca, President & CEO, FCCF

Many thanks to Connecticut Public for covering the launch of our Fairfield County Food Security Fund earlier this year.

The Fund provides rapid-response support to get food where it’s needed most so families, children, seniors, veterans, and neighbors can count on their next meal. It also strengthens our county’s food network over the long term: powering advocacy work and fueling flexible grants that help local partners both meet urgent needs, and build more resilient systems.

Learn more: https://fccfoundation.org/foodsecurity

The money is part of what Mendi Blue Paca, CEO of Fairfield County Community Foundation, says is an emergency food security fund to address food insecurity throughout the county.

03/27/2026

Calling all nonprofit professionals! In partnership with Fairfield County's Community Foundation, join us for Soup to Nuts: Fundamentals of Nonprofit Management, a free 8-part virtual series designed to help you strengthen your nonprofit, connect with peers, and grow your impact.

Our next session kicks off this Thursday, May 14, from 9:30–11:00 AM: “Website Strategy for Fundraising Success”

Register now to reserve your spot: bit.ly/fundamentalsnonprofit