The Pride Center last month, after announcing what it hoped would be a temporary closure. Lucy Gellman File Photo.
When the New Haven Pride Center closed its Orange Street doors last month, staff and board members didn't know when, how, of if the organization would reopen to the public. Just over a month and an outpouring of community support later, board members have announced that they may have the answer, in the form of a new, grassroots fundraising campaign.
That's the idea behind "Project Phoenix," a $500,000 campaign "to eliminate our IRS debt, rebuild leadership, and reopen our doors in time to celebrate three decades of community, culture, and support services," according to an email sent Tuesday from board members Hope Chávez, Nick Bussett, and Chloe Lasky. The news comes five weeks after the Center first announced staff furloughs, and then closed its doors at the end of February.
Since that time, the organization's offices at 50 Orange St. have sat largely quiet, save for a few community events that were planned beforehand. But behind the scenes, the board has been busy, fielding concerned calls from community members and nonprofit leaders across the city and the Greater New Haven region.
As people kept asking how they could help, board members "put together this plan to right size the organization," Bussett said in a phone call Tuesday. So far, Project Phoenix has raised $225,000 in pledges, of a total $500,000 that it hopes to raise before collecting on those pledged funds. Despite those pledged funds, staff furloughs will continue through and possibly beyond April.
"We're not naming any names, but we have support from a few different institutions, including the NewAlliance Foundation," said Bussett, who serves as co-director of the board and is also the director of development at the Shubert Theatre. He added that individual donors will remain anonymous at this moment.
The name references the mythical Phoenix, a giant, majestic bird that lives for half a millennium, dies in a giant ball of flame, and then is reborn as it rises from the ashes. Or as Bussett said Tuesday, "we truly believe that we can save the center with the support of the community."
He added that the process has felt very hopeful, if also delicate. At a March 17 gathering at the Community Foundation for Greater New Haven, a group of almost two dozen supporters came together to listen to board members present their plan to save the organization. Since that time, Bussett has collected an initial $225,000 in pledges, including from people who attended that first meeting.
He does not plan to collect actual funds "until we hit our goal" or $500,000, which he believes is within reach.
When asked about community partners, Bussett would not disclose any names beyond the NewAlliance Foundation. In Tuesday's email, board members thank the Community Foundation, NewAlliance, New Haven Mayor Justin Elicker, East Rock/Fair Haven Alder Caroline Tanbee Smith, and U.S. Rep. Rosa DeLauro).
It is the latest development in a multi-year period of transition for the Center, which in 2022 temporarily lost its nonprofit status and voted to terminate its first paid executive director. In the months after, board and staff members worked feverishly to right the ship, with a round of staff furloughs that lasted for only a month.
From February to September of 2023, organizer and artist Juancarlos Soto stepped in as acting director, a position that became permanent in the fall of that year (read more about his tenure here, here and here). Then last year, Soto announced he would be stepping down to take better care of both himself and his family.
In the months that followed that decision, the Center lost a significant contract with the Connecticut Department of Children and Families (DCF), which accounted for over $100,000 in the budget, and the ability to hire a staff member for case management work. Last November, the organization announced a new executive director, only for that person to resign a week later. All of that, Bussett said last month, led to the board's disclosure of an outstanding debt to the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) and closure last month.
"If our campaign succeeds, we could reopen as early as May, restoring critical services including our food pantry, clothing closet, youth after-school safe space, and affinity groups," reads Tuesday's email. "Our home at 50 Orange Street remains available to us thanks to the steadfast support of Beacon, our landlord, who continues to hold the space for us as we work toward reopening."
Donate to the New Haven Pride Center here.
A full copy of Tuesday's email is below:
Dear Friends of the New Haven Pride Center,
Last month, we announced a pause on operations and the furlough of our staff while we assessed our path forward. May 2026 marks our 30th anniversary. Whether that milestone becomes a celebration or a final farewell depends entirely on the support we get in the coming weeks.
When we made our announcement last month, we were not certain there was a path forward. Then our phones started ringing. Emails arrived. People showed up. The community made clear that the New Haven Pride Center's story was not finished, so we got to work. Project Phoenix is our answer to that call: a $500,000 campaign to eliminate our IRS debt, rebuild leadership, and reopen our doors in time to celebrate three decades of community, culture, and support services.
On March 17th, we met with supporters to outline our goals for Project Phoenix. Our plan is comprehensive: full debt clearance, an operational runway, support for an executive director search, and investment in fundraising capacity to give the New Haven Pride Center a genuine fresh start rather than a short-term fix.
In just two weeks, $225,000 has been pledged to Project Phoenix. This would not be possible without incredible folks championing our work – including the Community Foundation for Greater New Haven, the New Alliance Foundation, Mayor Elicker, Alder Smith, and Representative Rosa DeLauro's office.
To protect donor confidence, we will not collect any funds until our full $500,000 goal is reached. Pledges are activated only when success is secured. We will continue collecting pledges through April 30th.
If our campaign succeeds, we could reopen as early as May, restoring critical services including our food pantry, clothing closet, youth after-school safe space, and affinity groups. Our home at 84 Orange Street remains available to us thanks to the steadfast support of Beacon, our landlord, who continues to hold the space for us as we work toward reopening.
Thank you for your extraordinary support thus far.
Thank you for proving how vital the New Haven Pride Center is to this community.
Thank you for staying with and believing in us.
We especially want to thank our staff, who have been incredibly gracious throughout this pause. While the furlough will need to continue through April, the staff join us in the belief that Project Phoenix is the right path forward for the New Haven Pride Center and our community.
If you are ready to make a pledge to support the New Haven Pride Center and the LGBTQIA+ community of Greater New Haven, please consider making a pledge toward the future today. You can do so by contacting us at president@newhavenpridecenter.org. You can also help us spread the word about Project Phoenix by sharing this message with your networks.
With gratitude and hope,
The Board of Directors, New Haven Pride Center
Hope Chávez, Nick Bussett, Chloe Lasky