DERBY — The generosity of Valley residents and supporters was on full display once again during The Great Give 2026, helping raise a record-breaking $4,618,949 (and still counting) in just 36 hours for 546 nonprofits serving the Valley and Greater New Haven region.
Of that historic overall total, $536,636 was raised by 59 Valley-based nonprofits serving Ansonia, Derby, Oxford, Seymour, and Shelton — another milestone year for Valley philanthropy and community support.
This year’s overall Great Give total surpassed last year’s record-setting amount of $4.4 million, while donations to Valley-based organizations also climbed significantly from the more than $466,000 raised in 2025.
“The Great Give continues to show what is possible when people rally around the organizations and causes they care about most,” said Sharon Closius, President and CEO of the Valley Community Foundation “Crossing the half-million-dollar mark for Valley nonprofits is an extraordinary achievement and a powerful reminder of the generosity, compassion and community spirit that defines the Valley.”
“But what’s so powerful about the Great Give isn’t the size of any one donation, it’s what happens when people come together to support causes they care about,” Closius said. “Collectively, those gifts create extraordinary impact across our community.”
A total of 15,237 donors participated in this year’s event, making gifts that supported a wide range of nonprofits focused on human services, youth development, education, arts and culture, healthcare, food security, animal welfare, and community-building initiatives.
Four Valley-based nonprofits — BHcare, Boys & Girls Club of the Lower Naugatuck Valley, Center Stage Theatre, and TEAM, Inc. — earned spots among the Top 25 organizations receiving the most donated dollars during the Also, four other Valley nonfits — Adam’s House, Bunlandia, Connecticut Hurricanes, and Valley Shakespeare Festival — all won special VCF-sponsored prizes.
“The Great Give has become one of the most inspiring examples of collective generosity in our region,” said Jackie Downing, Senior Director of Grantmaking and Nonprofit Support at The Community Foundation for Greater New Haven. “Behind every donation is a person choosing to invest in their community and in the nonprofits working every day to improve lives. We are incredibly grateful to the donors, nonprofit staffs, volunteers, sponsors, and community champions who made this year’s event such an overwhelming success.”
Throughout the online giving event, nonprofits boosted fundraising efforts through matching gifts, peer-to-peer outreach campaigns, real-time leaderboards, prize incentives, and social media engagement.
The Great Give is organized annually by CFGNH and has become a cornerstone of regional philanthropy since launching in 2010. Over the years, including this year’s, the giving event has generated more than $37.6 million for nonprofits throughout Greater New Haven and the Valley.
To learn more about The Great Give and view the full list of participating organizations and final 2026 results, visit theGreatGive.org.