New grants have been announced by the city of New Haven to benefit sports programs and extracurriculars throughout the Elm City, benefiting school-aged children.
Over $750,000 in grants will be awarded to 24 nonprofits in New Haven over two years, ranging from $5,000 to $45,000.
“These dollars, no matter the amount, is going to support and transform the life of a young person,” Dr. Gwen Williams, director of the city’s Youth and Recreation Department, said.
In 2021, $550,000 in grants were awarded to New Haven-based youth organizations, but this is the first time they're awarding sports and pro-social grants with funding from the American Rescue Plan.
Get top local stories in Connecticut delivered to you every morning. Sign up for NBC Connecticut's News Headlines newsletter.
The funding will allow programs to purchase new equipment, expand their programs and offer student scholarships for free and low-cost programs.
“Our kids don’t have the kind of resources that we see in suburban homes, so us doing as much as we possibly can, surrounding kids with mentors, surrounding kids with really productive, fun things to do and also structured way to engage with their peers in a positive way has a huge long-term impact,” New Haven Mayor Justin Elicker said.
Organizations that will receive grants include the Boys and Girls Club of Greater New Haven, New Haven Youth Soccer, the New Haven Pride Center and sports teams including the New Haven Grays.
"This grant will allow us to engage more players, allow us to train them even better,” Don McAulay, president of the Grays, said. “We thank you for not forgetting about the small ones."
The Breed Academy is being awarded a grant totaling $90,000. Co-founder Aaron Rogers is a Grammy-nominated, multi-platinum selling producer from New Haven, who said this funding will allow for them to hire more staff.
The organization provides student with training and workforce opportunities in the music industry.
“It’s gonna create more programs, more jobs, staffing, so we can cater to more students and young creatives in the community,” Rogers said. “Arts is really an open market, and a lot of people don’t realize there are so many other jobs other than being a superstar.”
