Building a Generation of College Graduates and

Transforming Our Community

Happy Holidays!

Season’s greetings! It’s that magical time of year again, and as 2025 quickly comes to a close, we are counting our MANY BLESSINGS and are filled with SO MUCH GRATITUDE thanks to the extraordinary community that has supported our scholars all year long!!! THANK YOU ALL from the bottom of our hearts for believing in our mission, for helping us build out and scale up our program to serve nearly 900 scholars, and for putting a college degree within reach for so many talented students!

As we prepare to ring in 2026, we are excited for what lies ahead. We have 439 eligible scholars across all Waterbury high schools who are working hard to stay on track to promise. We look forward to engaging with them and their families in the months ahead at FAFSA completion nights and information sessions, and ultimately welcoming many to the program next summer. 

In just a few weeks, we will host our 3rd Annual Career and Internship Fair at the Courtyard by Marriott in downtown Waterbury as part of our Career Readiness Week activities. Please consider registering your business or organization for this important event! More details below. And of course, this May, we will cheer on our first cohort as they walk the stage and receive their bachelor’s degrees at colleges across our state! We will be bursting with pride!

Here’s to transforming more lives and making more dreams come true in 2026! Together, we can move mountains! From our family to yours, may your holidays be filled with peace, joy and love.  

Warmest wishes for a happy and healthy New Year!

Looking Back: A Night of Promise 2025

While a few weeks have passed, we can still feel the incredible sense of community and love that filled the room at A Night of Promise 2025. Our signature fall fundraising event raised more than $68,000 to support our growing program! Check out our photo gallery and our new recap video produced by WORX and feel the magic of this wonderful celebration of growth and impact!

Here's to working together to make 2026 another spectacular year of impact and community!

Contact Hedy Ayers, Director of Development and Community Engagement for more information at hedy.ayers@waterburypromise.org.

Founding Champions

Community Partners

Partner Colleges and Universities

Thank you to our major and individual donors! Your generosity is changing the lives of Waterbury students every day!

THANK YOU ALL FOR YOUR SUPPORT!

Follow us on social media!

Established in late 2021 in collaboration with the City of Waterbury and Waterbury Public Schools, Waterbury Promise is a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization dedicated to building a generation of college graduates in Waterbury. Our mission is to increase college aspirations, reduce financial barriers and inspire every student toward post-secondary education and completion. The program’s comprehensive college success model provides a generous last-dollar scholarship as well as critical support services to help talented Waterbury students get to college, thrive there, persist through graduation and be career ready to help create a robust and diverse talent pipeline for the local economy.