elena's light

What elena's light does

Elena's Light is a Connecticut-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit founded in 2019 by Fereshteh Ganjavi, an Afghan refugee, to serve refugee and immigrant women and children in the New Haven area. The organization delivers three core programs: ESL (one-on-one home tutoring with volunteers drawn from Yale and the University of New Haven, each beneficiary paired with two volunteers for 1–2 hours weekly, with embedded driver's education support); Health (maternal healthcare access, child wellness classes, and health education); and Advocacy (system navigation and legal/resource access). Primary beneficiaries are women and children speaking Arabic, Pashto, Dari, or Farsi, with secondary beneficiaries including partner organizations that refer clients. The organization's underlying operating model is human-led service delivery: there is no proprietary technology platform, no API, and no digital product — service is delivered through direct volunteer engagement, home visits, and group classes within New Haven County.\n\nThe business model is donation-funded: services are provided free of charge to beneficiaries, and the organization is sustained by individual contributions, foundation grants (CT Humanities, The Community Foundation for Greater New Haven), and event-driven fundraising. The go-to-market motion is community-led — clients are acquired primarily through referrals from partner resettlement agencies (IRIS) and community organizations (CRIW), and the organization relies on a volunteer base sourced through Yale and University of New Haven partnerships rather than paid labor. Ancillary revenue-adjacent mechanics include a public donation page, referral/intake forms, an annual report cadence (most recent: 2024), and the Lighting the Future speaker series and award ceremony used for both fundraising and awareness generation.\n\nElena's Light occupies a tightly defined vertical in the regional refugee-services ecosystem rather than competing on geographic or demographic breadth. Competitive positioning rests on cultural credibility (founder identity and lived refugee experience), university volunteer pipelines, and embedded relationships with the major Connecticut refugee resettlement agency (IRIS) and Yale-affiliated academic programs on displacement and humanitarian response. The organization does not disclose financial data — no revenue, budget, headcount, or grant totals are present in available sources — and operates with a narrow management footprint (founder-led) and a Connecticut-only geographic scope.

Name

elena's light

Legal name

Elena's Light

Website

https://elenaslight.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2019

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Elena's Light is a Connecticut-based nonprofit that provides free ESL tutoring, health education, and advocacy programs to refugee and immigrant women and children in the New Haven area, funded by donations and delivered primarily through volunteers from Yale and the University of New Haven.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Refugee and immigrant support services

NAICS

Educational Services (611), Language Schools (611630), Educational Support Services (611710), Other Individual and Family Services (624190)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200), Services-Social Services (8300)

akta.pro primary industry

General ESL Programs (Multi-level Adult ESL) (EDAAACAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Immigrant/Integration Language Programs (ESL/ESOL, Civics-Integrated) (EDAMAFAK), Newcomer & Refugee Student Support Programs (EDAJAGAH), English for Citizenship (ESL/Civics Integrated) (EDAAADAC), Family & School System Navigation (Parent Engagement, Youth Services) (EDAAADAH), Cultural, Multilingual & Immigrant Family Engagement Programs (EDACALAL)

Keywords

• ESL tutoring services
• Refugee support programs
• Immigrant health education
• Community advocacy services
• Nonprofit social services

Headquarters

HQ city

West Haven

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Donations and Charitable Contributions: Elena's Light is a nonprofit organization that relies on donations from individuals, foundations, and community partners to fund its programs for refugee women and children.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Elena's Light is a nonprofit organization that provides free ESL tutoring, health education (including maternal healthcare and child wellness), and legal/system advocacy programs to refugee and immigrant women and children in the New Haven, Connecticut area. Programs are delivered through one-on-one home tutoring with university volunteers and group classes, and services are offered at no cost to beneficiaries.

Product overview

Elena's Light is a non-profit organization offering three core programs: ESL (English as a Second Language), Health, and Advocacy. The ESL program provides one-on-one tutoring to Afghan immigrant women with volunteer support, including driver's education assistance. The Health program delivers maternal healthcare support and wellness classes. The Advocacy program helps refugees navigate systems and access resources. The organization also facilitates donations and uses referral forms for client intake.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Elena's Light ESL Program One-on-one English as a Second Language (ESL) home tutoring for refugee and immigrant women, with paired volunteers providing 1–2 hours of instruction per week and driver's education support for obtaining learner's permits.
• Elena's Light Health Program Health education classes, child wellness programs, and maternal healthcare support for female refugees and immigrants.
• Elena's Light Advocacy Program Advocacy services that help refugee and immigrant women navigate U.S. systems and access resources that support their independence.

Named customers1 record

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

13 partnerships are on record, tiered core, major, supporting and minor.

• Yale Office of New Haven AffairscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerYale University office supporting community engagement in New Haven. Served as venue sponsor for the Lighting the Future Award Ceremony at Yale Schwarzman Center.
• Yale Macmillan Center – Program on Refugees, Forced Displacement, and Humanitarian ResponsescoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAcademic program at Yale focused on refugee and humanitarian issues. Partnered as sponsor for Lighting the Future events.
• University of New HavencoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerProvides volunteers for the ESL and education programs, supporting one-on-one tutoring for immigrant women.
• IRIS – Integrated Refugee & Immigrant ServicescoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMajor refugee resettlement organization in Connecticut. Co-sponsored Lighting the Future events and serves as referral partner.
• CT HumanitiesmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerConnecticut humanities council providing funding and support for cultural and educational programs.
• The Community Foundation for Greater New HavenmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerLocal foundation supporting Greater New Haven community organizations through grants and partnerships.
• Jewish Family Services of GreenwichsupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerJewish Family Services organization that sponsored Lighting the Future events.
• Dodd Impact (UConn)supportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerUniversity of Connecticut's Dodd Impact program focused on community engagement and social impact.
• CRIW – Collective for Refugee & Immigrant Women's WellbeingcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCoalition focused on refugee and immigrant women's health and wellbeing. Co-sponsored events.
• ECHO AssociatessupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerCommunity organization that supported Lighting the Future events as sponsor.
• The New Haven Arts CouncilsupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerLocal arts council supporting cultural programs in New Haven.
• YULAA – Yale Undergraduate Legal Aid AssociationsupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerYale student organization providing legal aid services. Partnered as sponsor for events.
• RedHot & BlueminorOthersYale a cappella group that performed at Lighting the Future Award Ceremony.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Connecticut Institute for Refugees and Immigrants (CIRI): Statewide nonprofit delivering legal, case management, and integration services to immigrants and refugees in Connecticut. Overlaps with Elena's Light's advocacy and ESL programming for the same target populations.
• Collective for Refugee & Immigrant Women's Wellbeing (CRIW): Coalition specifically focused on refugee and immigrant women's health and wellbeing. Already partners with Elena's Light on events; directly overlaps with the Health program and women-focused mission.
• IRIS – Integrated Refugee & Immigrant Services: Connecticut's largest refugee resettlement agency and a core Elena's Light partner. Provides ESL, case management, and employment services to newly arrived refugees in the same New Haven geography, making it the closest direct peer.
• New American Pathways: Atlanta-based nonprofit providing refugee resettlement, ESL, and self-sufficiency programs to refugees from arrival through citizenship. A close analog in size, mission, and integrated program model.
• Ascentria Care Alliance: Nonprofit providing refugee resettlement, unaccompanied minor services, and ESL across New England. Operates a similar integrated model of resettlement + language + social services to refugee families.
• International Institute of New England: New England-based refugee resettlement and education nonprofit providing ESL, case management, and employment services to refugees and immigrants. Comparable in mission, services, and refugee-focused clientele.

Broad incumbents

• HIAS (Hebrew Immigrant Aid Society): One of the largest U.S. refugee resettlement and protection agencies, operating resettlement, legal aid, and integration programs nationally. A broad incumbent whose resettlement services overlap directly with Elena's Light's mission.
• Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Service (LIRS): National refugee resettlement and immigration services agency, with Connecticut-area operations. Provides resettlement, ESL, and unaccompanied minor services that overlap with Elena's Light's ESL and advocacy offerings.
• Catholic Charities – Archdiocese of Hartford: Large multi-service nonprofit in Connecticut providing immigration legal services, refugee resettlement, and ESL to immigrant families. Overlaps with Elena's Light's advocacy and ESL program portfolio across a wider geography.

Regional players

• Jewish Family Services of Greenwich: Connecticut-based social services organization supporting immigrants, refugees, and other vulnerable populations. Already a known Elena's Light event sponsor, with overlapping immigrant-services programming in a different CT geography.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xtwitter.com/elenaslight1
• YouTubeyoutube.com/@elenaslightinfo7796
• Facebookfacebook.com/elenaslight11
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/elenas-light
• Instagraminstagram.com/elenaslight1

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about elena's light