Valley Gets Ready For ‘The Great Give’

DERBY — The countdown is on.

Nearly 60 Valley-based nonprofits are gearing up for the 2026 Great Give, a 36-hour online giving event taking place May 6–7, designed to inspire generosity, build community, and deliver critical funding to local organizations.

Created in 2010 by The Community Foundation for Greater New Haven (CFGNH), The Great Give has grown into one of the region’s most anticipated philanthropic events — connecting thousands of donors with hundreds of nonprofits (577 this year) in a fast-paced, high-energy online campaign.

Last year alone, The Great Give raised more than $4.4 million for 544 nonprofits, including more than $446,000 for Valley-based organizations — a record-setting show of support for Ansonia, Derby, Oxford, Seymour, and Shelton.

A total of 59 Valley nonprofits have registered to participate this year, representing a wide range of causes, from food security, healthcare, the arts, education, environment, and youth development, to name a few. Donations can be made at www.TheGreatGive.org beginning at 8am on May 6 through 8pm on May 7.

“The Great Give is Valleyness in action,” said Sharon Closius, VCF’s President and CEO. “It’s neighbors supporting neighbors, people coming together for causes they care about, and a powerful reminder of what we can accomplish when we act as one community.”

To boost participation and reward local engagement, the Valley Community Foundation (VCF) VCF is offering exclusive matches and prizes. Gifts from donors who live or work in the Valley will unlock a pro-rated match from a pool of $20,000. Valley-based organizations are eligible for $5,000 more in competitive and randomly drawn prizes.

Additional VCF Great Give prizes include:

The “Getting Ready for the Next 25” prizes:

•        $1,000 Prize: Random drawing for a Valley-based nonprofit with at least 25 donors between   3pm–4pm on May 6.

•        $1,500 Prize: Random drawing for a Valley-based nonprofit with at least 25 donors between   7pm–8pm on May 7.

(Both prizes tie into VCF’s “25 for the Next 25” endowment campaign.)

The “You’ve Got Friends in the Valley” prizes:

•        $1,500 Prize: Awarded to the Valley-based nonprofit with the most peer-to-peer (P2P) fundraisers that raise $150 or more from at least three unique* donors.

•        $1,000 Prize: Awarded to the Valley-based nonprofit with the 2nd most P2P who each raise $150 or more from at least three unique donors.

Valley nonprofits registered for the 2026 Great Give as of April 28, 2026:

•        Adam’s House

•        Advancing Heroes Fund in Memory of Jeff Vrlik

•        Afrique Prospere Education Inc.

•        Area Congregations Together, Inc./Spooner House

•        Assumption School

•        BHcare

•        Boys & Girls Club of the Lower Naugatuck Valley

•        Bunlandia Rabbit Rescue and Rehab

•        cARTie

•        Center Stage Theatre

•        Coco’s Animal Rescue Efforts of Seymour

•        Connecticut Hurricanes Drum & Bugle Corps Inc.

•        Cornell Scott-Hill Health Center

•        CT Wildlife Rehabilitators Association, Inc.

•        Derby Historical Society

•        Derby Neck Library Association

•        Echo Hose Hook & Ladder Ambulance Corps., Inc.

•        Electronic Valley

•        Friends of the Derby Public Library

•        Friends of the Ansonia Nature Center

•        Friends of the Shelton Animal Shelter

•        Get Off The Couch Foundation

•        Griffin Hospital

•        Haven’s Harvest

•        Hope Counseling and Behavioral Health Center

•        Housatonic Council, Scouting America

•        Housatonic Valley Association

•        Junior Achievement of Greater Fairfield County

•        Life Health and Wellness Center, Inc.

•        Love Mom XOXO Foundation Inc

•        Massaro Community Farm

•        Master’s Table Community Meals

•        Oxford Ambulance Association Inc

•        Oxford High School Booster Club,    Inc.

•        Oxford Land Trust

•        Project Purple

•        Sensory Play Center Inc.

•        Seymour Food 2 Kids

•        Seymour Oxford Food Bank, Inc.

•        Seymour Pink, Inc.

•        Shelton Ct. Gaels Alumni Association

•        Shelton Historical Society

•        Shelton Land Conservation Trust

•        Shelton Marching Gaels

•        Shelton Robotics/CT 4-H Foundation, FIRST Team 230

•        St. Mary-St. Michael School

•        St. Vincent de Paul Thrift Shop & Food Bank

•        Storm Ambulance Corps

•        TEAM, Inc.

•        The Blessing Pantry/Trinity Episcopal Church

•        The Salvation Army Ansonia

•        Traveler On A Mission

•        Valley Community Foundation

•        Valley Council for Health & Human Services

•        Valley Independent Sentinel (Online Journalism Project)

•        Valley Shakespeare Festival

•        Valley United Way

•        Valley YMCA

•        Women In Networking (WIN) Entrepreneurial Grant Fund