4/2/09 - $7,000,000 to Help Struggling New Yorkers.
Read more about these and other grants to help New Yorkers and nonprofits through the economic crisis.
CONTACT:
Ani Hurwitz, Communications Director
The New York Community Trust
909 3rd Avenue, New York, NY 10022
T (212) 686 -0010 x 224
F (212) 532-8528
afh@nyct-cfi.org
http://www.nycommunitytrust.org
$7,000,000 TO HELP STRUGGLING NEW YORKERS
NEW YORK CITY – February 5, 2009. Grants totaling $7,198,000 to eight New York nonprofits were approved today by the board of The New York Community Trust, the City’s community foundation, to help New Yorkers who are hungry or homeless, and those facing eviction or foreclosure. “These kinds of grants have always been a major part of our giving,” said Lorie Slutsky, The Trust’s president. “What’s different is that we have given significantly more money to agencies that have the ability to increase the number of people they help, but face a serious drop-off in private contributions and severe reductions in public funding. And we’re doing it early in the year.” The eight grants are part of a total grant package of $10,443,000 approved today by the board; at its February meeting last year, The Trust’s board approved grants totaling $3,982,000.
The Trust received an unsolicited contribution of $250,000 from Goldman Sachs Gives for this effort. "The New York Community Trust has been a consistent and effective advocate for New Yorkers for more than 85 years," said Dina Habib Powell, Managing Director and global head of Corporate Engagement. "The Trust's efforts are truly vital to our community."
The City shed 50,000 jobs in 2008 and a study for the U.S. Conference of Mayors projects a loss of 181,000 jobs in 2009. Nonprofits are being besieged by families who have never before asked for help to pay for food and rent, fight predatory debt collectors, apply for benefits, and deal with family violence and other problems endemic to hard times. With the poor getting poorer and the number of struggling New Yorkers rising, The Trust began planning its response late last year.
“In developing these grants, we looked at ways we could help effective groups provide the most service for the most people most efficiently,” said Joyce Bove, The Trust’s senior vice president of programs. “The grant to the New York City Financial Network Action Consortium, for example, will unlock millions in federal benefits and tax credits for eligible New Yorkers, making our $560,000 grant go a very long way.” Similarly, a $1.2 million grant to Legal Services NYC will fund a partnership with the Legal AID Society to expand legal services for New Yorkers, helping protect them from illegal debt collection and shielding them from destitution.
“As we did after September 11th, The Trust is working to balance immediate needs with our long- term goal of improving life in the City,” added Ms. Slutsky. “We are fortunate to have a nonprofit community that is smart, efficient, and compassionate. And we are confident that New Yorkers who can will dig deep to help their neighbors.”
Grants:
- $1,000,000 to the Bridge Fund of New York for cash assistance and counseling to help families keep their homes. Read more>>
- $850,000 to Cancer Care for financial aid to needy cancer patients. Read more>>
- $275,000 to City Harvest to get more fresh produce to the City’s emergency feeding programs. Read more>>
- $500,000 to Citymeals-on-Wheels for weekend and emergency meals for poor, homebound elders. Read more>>
- $1,500,000 to Food Bank for New York City, Food for Survival to help emergency feeding programs get more food and serve more people. Read more>>
- $1,200,000 to Legal Services NYC for a partnership with the Legal Aid Society to expand civil legal services for low-income New Yorkers who are threatened with destitution by the economic collapse. Read more>>
- $560,000 to the New York City Financial Network Action Consortium will help eligible New Yorkers get millions of dollars in Earned Income Tax Credits, food stamps, and other benefits. The grant will also fund credit and financial counseling and free tax preparation at dozens of churches, food pantries, and community centers throughout the five boroughs. Read more>>
- $1,300,000 to United Neighborhood Houses of New York to help all 36 settlement houses in the five boroughs maintain critical services for poor New Yorkers. Read more>>
About The New York Community Trust
Since 1924, The New York Community Trust has been the community foundation of the New York metropolitan area, an aggregate of 2,000 funds created by charitable individuals, families, and corporations to improve the quality of life for all the area’s residents. Grants made from these funds meet the changing needs of children, youth, and families; aid in community development; improve the environment; promote health; assist people with special needs; and support education, arts, and human rights. In 2008, The Trust made grants of $168 million from assets of $1.5 billion (unaudited).