Money Talks, So Let’s Talk Money: Q+A with Business Owner Karen Lenahan

Karen Lenahan is the owner of Small Kitchen, Big Taste, a boutique catering and events business in Connecticut. During a recent phone interview, she shared her perspective on the importance of the Community Fund for Women & Girls today, more than 10 years after her three-year term on the Advisory Board, from 2013 to 2015. During this time, Lenahan also chaired the Fund’s Grant Review Committee.

How did you first get involved with the Community Fund for Women & Girls?

I was a museum manager at the Eli Whitney Museum starting in 2007, and the directors there were very well connected with the New Haven community and The Community Foundation. They saw in me what was clearly a passion for women and girls, and for programs that supported and lifted up women and girls. At Georgetown, I was a double major in psychology and women’s studies, and it’s always been something that I’m super passionate about: women’s issues and women’s lives.

When we applied for a small grant for our girls’ program at the museum, I started looking into the programs at The Community Foundation. I was interested in and excited about The Foundation using its scope and strength to support women and girls in the New Haven community.  In 2012, there was an opportunity for me to sit on the Fund’s Advisory Board, and that was the beginning of my experience with the Community Fund for Women & Girls. It was a first lesson, as a female entrepreneur, in relationships and community-building.

Do you remember some of the grants that were distributed during your time? What sticks out looking back?

All the grants were worthwhile, and the organizations were obviously doing really exciting work, but I think some of the more exciting moments were bigger investments in specific programs. I think sometimes, especially when it comes to women and girls, there’s an impression that it doesn’t have to be about the money, or that it’s more about the soft skills or the meaningful work. But money really will move the needle, and I think women are less comfortable or have been less welcomed in the spaces where money is the main focal point of conversation. We have the potential to do really big things and make an impact because of the larger investments that the Fund made in specific programs.

Even as an entrepreneur, all the time people will question, “Are you the sole owner?” or “Can I speak to the owner? Is he available?” It’s very recent that women could get lines of credit for their businesses or take out significant amounts of money, or even a mortgage. It was a really good thing for me as a young woman to start having conversations about money and what it can do, specifically when it’s in the hands of women, for women and by women. That wasn’t something I was comfortable with, but I started to be more comfortable through my experience as chair of the Fund’s Grant Review Committee. It has definitely informed the way I think about money, the way I talk about money, and how comfortable I am with it. I mean, I need to be. I run a business, you know? It was a powerful message and learning moment for me for those two years of being on the Committee.

Why is now the time to stand behind women and girls in Greater New Haven?

There is a danger at this moment, especially for women of color, Indigenous women and immigrant women. Government funds are in danger or are already gone from so many crucial programs.

I’m speaking as a white woman, but my partner and my children are brown. I feel so deeply, watching my children grow, that it’s vital to protect all women and girls who do not have many protections in this world — and even more of them are being threatened right now. I think specifically in New Haven County, women and girls of color have so many things coming at them — issues like literacy, nutrition, access to medical care, and the need for safe spaces to work and live and play, to just be, and to be joyful. There’s so much that is at stake. It almost feels so urgent that it’s overwhelming, but the Fund can do the research and invest intelligently and powerfully in specific things that can really help move the needle locally.

It’s incredibly powerful to just start where you are — your family, your neighbors, your block, the people here that we can make an impact on. That’s how we protect each other now. What can we do for the people right in front of us who are imminently in danger? I think that’s a huge opportunity the Fund has to help fill in some of these holes.

As the Community Fund for Women & Girls marks its 30th anniversary, we invite you to join us in sharing your light in our local community. Every dollar you give helps create lasting change across generations. Donate today.