The ABNY Foundation Awards $80,000 in Economic Opportunity, Civic Engagement Grants to Eight New York City

THE ABNY FOUNDATION AWARDS $80,000 IN ECONOMIC OPPORTUNITY, CIVIC ENGAGEMENT GRANTS TO EIGHT NEW YORK CITY ORGANIZATIONS

Grant funding will support voter education, workforce and career development, entrepreneur advising, and other impactful economic and civic engagement work

Editor’s note: Previously, this organization held a conference about the need for the City to reimagine the contract and procurement process for nonprofits to ensure they are paid in a timely manner. Waiting a year or even more in some cases creates a high barrier to entry as only the most solvent (or able to sustain on loans) and large nonprofits can carry this kind of financial burden. Several Staten Island nonprofits recently received engagement oriented grants for the World Cup soccer tournament, which recently completed. 

NEW YORK, NY – The Association for a Better New York (ABNY) Foundation today announced $80,000 in grant funding to eight New York City organizations to support economic opportunity and civic engagement programming across the city. The grants support the work of ABNY to strengthen the civic fabric of New York City and to create opportunity for all New Yorkers. Each organization will receive a grant of $10,000.

“New York City’s strength has always come from the people and organizations working every day to create opportunity, solve problems, and strengthen their communities,” said Emma Pfohman, CEO of the Association for a Better New York. “Through these grants, the ABNY Foundation is proud to invest in programs that are expanding economic opportunity, fostering civic participation, and helping more New Yorkers build a stake in our city’s future. We congratulate this year’s grantees and look forward to seeing the impact of their work across the five boroughs.”

“For more than 50 years, ABNY has convened business, civic, and community leaders around the idea that New York is strongest when we invest in one another,” said Steven Rubenstein, Chair of the Association for a Better New York. “These grants continue ABNY’s long tradition of giving, our commitment to strong cross-sector partnerships, and our mission to empower the organizations working to serve our fellow New Yorkers. Together, we are helping to build a stronger, more competitive city and put opportunity within reach for each and every New Yorker.”

Grants were awarded to programs focused on two priority areas: economic opportunity and civic engagement. Economic opportunity grants support programs that focus on career training, prioritizing tangible skill or accreditation at program completion, as well as programs that support small businesses, entrepreneurship, and vibrant commercial districts. Civic engagement grants will fund initiatives that remove barriers to civic participation by increasing civic literacy and dialogue and cultivating the next generation of civic leaders. Eligible organizations included small and mid-sized non-profit organizations that provide direct services within the five boroughs of New York City.

The grant recipients include:

• United for Brownsville (Civic Engagement): The grant will support the Brownsville Family Civic Leadership Fellowship, which builds capacity for a resident leader to facilitate community engagement and civic participation among parents and caregivers in Brownsville.
• Design Trust for Public Trust (Economic Opportunity): The grant will support the New York: City Designed program at Macaulay Honors College to introduce first-generation college students and underrepresented students of color to urban design and planning careers through seminars, workshops, and paid summer internships.
• F.Y. Eye (Civic Engagement): The grant will support a voter education public service announcement initiative that produces and distributes multilingual, nonpartisan content through community-based channels to reach New Yorkers facing barriers to civic participation.
• Getting Out and Staying Out (Economic Opportunity): The grant will support workforce development and career advancement opportunities for justice-impacted youth.
• Grace Institute of New York (Economic Opportunity): The grant will support career training and job placement programming for low-income women.
• New York Professional Advisors for Community Entrepreneurs (NYPACE) (Economic Opportunity): The grant will support the NYPACE Flagship Entrepreneurship Advising Program, which matches underserved small business owners with skilled pro bono advisors to address growth barriers.
• Red Hook Initiative (Economic Opportunity): The grant will support the Red Hook Initiative’s Green Future Pre-Vocational Training Program, which creates pathways to careers in green energy and agri-tech through workforce readiness training, subsidized internships, and holistic support services for young adults.
• Welcome to Chinatown (Economic Opportunity): The grant will go toward Welcome to Chinatown’s existing small business and entrepreneur support services.

In addition to the $10,000 grant award, grantees will also receive benefits of ABNY Membership, including free access to ABNY’s signature Power Breakfasts, ABNY Talks, and the annual Spirit of ABNY Awards reception.

For more information about the ABNY Foundation grants and future grant opportunities, visit abny.org/abny-foundation.

Banner Image: ABNY Summer Social. Image Credit – ABNY