Courtesy of Melissa Liriano

Earlier this year, LEAP, a New Haven nonprofit organization aimed at mentoring, educating and nurturing the city’s youth, received a $2 million gift from billionaire philanthropist MacKenzie Scott through the Yield Giving grants program.

Beating out more than 6,000 charities, LEAP succeeded in a competitive application process with a 6 percent acceptance rate. Among the four Connecticut nonprofits selected for the grant, LEAP was the only organization based in New Haven. Eight months into receiving the donation, LEAP will direct the funds to their programming, improving finances and building infrastructure. 

Founded in 1992, LEAP stands for leadership, education and athletics in partnership. Its mission is to support New Haven’s children of color by offering them year-round neighborhood-based programs such as after-school and summer programming, leadership development workshops and physical recreational activities. 

With the increased budget, LEAP looks to increase its activities and programs for young people. 

“There will be improvements and/or expansions to different parts of programming that will create a better quality experience for everyone involved with LEAP,” Melissa Liriano, the organization’s communications coordinator, wrote to the News. 

The organization also hopes to strengthen its financial position, as it prepares to face a cut in $1.5 million of federal funding out of the operating budget of $7 million. With the awarded $2 million, the cut in federal funding will feel less steep. 

LEAP will also improve its infrastructure and create more efficient data systems to oversee attendance and improve communication with families and donors.

Reflecting on the grant application process, Henry Fernandez, LEAP’s executive director, believes that LEAP stands out because it is a community-centered organization powered and led by people of color.  The organization is also one of the largest youth employers in the city, employing over 200 young people through a multi-tier mentorship model.

Children aged 7 to 12 participate in the children’s program and can go on to become compensated as leaders in training, junior counselors and senior counselors. The organization attempts to support children at all stages of life.

In LEAP’s Jefferson Street office hangs a framed picture of a young girl with her friends. The girl in the picture is China Lewis, who began participating in LEAP as a young child. Now, she is a senior counselor for LEAP and an undergraduate student at Southern Connecticut State University. 

“I feel like I’m making a difference with what I’m doing,” Lewis said. “I just hope that the kids I’m working with will remember me when they’re older.”

At LEAP, Lewis promotes literacy among 7 to 8-year-old girls by reading out loud, leading group readings and offering instruction in phonics. As a mandated reporter, she also watches out for the kids’ well-being and plays an involved role in their lives. Upon graduating from SCSU in December, Lewis will continue her work at LEAP into the spring. 

“We’re listeners,” she said. “People that don’t just do it for the money.”

LEAP is also well-connected to other nonprofits in the city, such as the Dixwell Community House. 

Through a five-year contract with the city of New Haven that was unanimously approved by the Q House Advisory Board, LEAP operates all of its programs at the Q House free of charge, according to Liriano.

Currently, LEAP is working with the Q House to host events like tutoring initiatives and a college fair for LEAP middle school and high school students. In February, LEAP will celebrate the 30th anniversary of its Annual LEAP Year Event, the organization’s biggest fundraiser, which will be held at the Q House as well. 

MacKenzie Scott, the former wife of Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, has donated over $17 billion to non-profits since 2020.