SOUL Fund First Annual Meeting Recap

The SOUL Fund recently gathered at CT State Norwalk for its first Annual Meeting and to celebrate the inaugural grantees of the Fund. Over the past year, 114 members of The SOUL Fund, a community-led giving circle housed at and supported by Fairfield County’s Community Foundation, learned about local nonprofits serving young people ages 14 to 25 through clinical mental health and career pathways initiatives. Together, members pooled more than $48,000 to support organizations doing this critical work.

In early May, members used a ranked-choice ballot process to select the Fund’s first grant recipients, which were announced at the Annual Meeting. Awards were made to My Architecture Workshops Inc. ($20,000), House of Darla ($13,000), Connect-Us, Inc. ($13,000), and honoraria were awarded to Sawubona ($1,000) and Youth Business Initiative CT ($1,000). Congratulations to these five organizations and their leaders for the impact they are making across Fairfield County.

Special thanks also go to the 11-member Steering Committee of dedicated community volunteers who helped guide the Fund’s work, including Julienne Foy, Ashley Carr Hampton, LCSW, Maya Angelou Spruill, Romney D., 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®, and Dr. Maggie Young, LADC, LMSW, CCS, RCP.

Ready to join or renew your support of this inspiring community? Mark your calendar for FCCF’s Celebration of Black Philanthropy on August 4 from 5:30 to 8 p.m. at Stamford CoCreate. At this not-to-miss event, FCCF will present 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 expected to sell out, so get your ticket today.

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