Born from a simple belief: no one should navigate hardship alone.
We exist to bridge the gap between people in need and the agencies, volunteers, and neighbors ready to support them, through trusted relationships, real programs, and a community that shows up for its own.
Compassionate Connection
Every interaction is grounded in dignity and respect. How we connect people matters just as much as who we connect them with.
Community First
We work with the people, organizations, and agencies already doing the work; striving to make the whole system more connected.
Accountable and Transparent
We track every connection and outcome with anonymized data — so donors, partners, and the community can always see our efforts.
How Grata Connects Came To Be
Grata Connects was born out of a simple but urgent observation: too many people in our community do not know where to turn, and too many organizations do not know who needs them.
We exist to close that gap. Building a new model for community connection, one that is proactive, compassionate, and powered by real data. We do not wait for people in need to find help. We find them. We guide them. And we measure every step so our partners and supporters can see exactly what is working.
Grata Connects is a diverse team of community advocates, policy researchers, UNC students, and local leaders — united by one belief: that every person in this community deserves to be seen, supported, and connected.
Proactive Outreach
Rather than waiting for people to navigate a complex web of services on their own, we go into the community to meet people where they are.
Compassionate Connection
Every interaction is grounded in dignity and respect. How we connect people matters just as much as who we connect them with.
Why It Matters
Orange County is home to extraordinary resources, but a disconnected system means too many people fall through the cracks. We are changing that, one connection at a time.
Real People Who Really Care
Jay Radford: Founder and Executive Director
This all started with one interaction in August, 2023 that simply frustrated and infuriated me. It launched hundreds of conversations with local leaders, community members, and people living on the street or facing eviction. What I learned motoivated me to form Grata Connects and begin connecting our well resourced and well intentioned community. The sum of my life’s experiences have brought me to this moment and I am excited to Dare Greatly.
Our Board of Directors
Dr. Angela Kashuba
Dr. Natalia Mitin
Scott Jones
Our Guiding Belief
“It is not the critic who counts: not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles or where the doer of deeds could have done better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood, who strives valiantly, who errs and comes up short again and again, because there is no effort without error or shortcoming, but who knows the great enthusiasms, the great devotions, who spends himself in a worthy cause; who, at the best, knows, in the end, the triumph of high achievement, and who, at the worst, if he fails, at least he fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who knew neither victory nor defeat.”
—Theodore Roosevel, Speech at the Sorbonne, Paris, April 23, 1910