The Diva Fund

The Diva Fund was established in memory of Allison Alkire and Roslyn (Roz) Rubinstein's beloved Bernese Mountain Dog — the first of their many dogs and cats. Grants from the Diva Fund will be made with a preference given to nonprofits providing shelter for cats and dogs in the Greater New Haven community.

They adopted Diva, “after the opera ‘Tosca,’ in which the lead character, diva Floria Tosca, is described as a ‘raven haired beauty’. She was turning heads and winning hearts all over the streets of Brooklyn, New York, and the sidewalks of Guilford, Connecticut, their summer home at the time, which later became their permanent hometown.  

Allison and Roz decided to share Diva’s good nature more broadly: The couple brought Diva to the ASPCA in New York to be trained as a certified therapy dog, and she worked with young adults with cerebral palsy.

Giving back has always been a part of life for Allison and Roz. “We’ve both always donated to philanthropic organizations, animal-oriented and otherwise. Since we retired, we also have time for hands-on volunteering at a local feline rescue and adoption center. We became more aware of the many small organizations that work tirelessly for animal welfare." Through their experience with locally-based, volunteer-driven organizations, they became familiar with the work of The Community Foundation for Greater New Haven.

When updating their estate plans, Allison and Roz decided that, “in order to have a meaningful impact in an area of importance to us, we needed to concentrate our assets around a specific cause,” which led them to start the fund. At The Community Foundation, “you make the process so easy,” adds Roz. “You do all the work for the donors in terms of coordinating the whole grant process.”

“We've been very fortunate,” says Roz. “Hopefully, we can leave something behind. And what better way to leave it behind, than in a fund to help animals. There will always be a need."