New York City Nonprofit Organizations Receive $24.4 Million From Trinity Church Wall Street in 2020
NEW YORK, Dec. 10, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Trinity Church Wall Street, in its latest set of grants, has awarded $10.8 million to 31 organizations dedicated to addressing housing insecurity and racial justice in New York City. This brings the total amount in grants Trinity has awarded to local organizations in 2020 to $24.4 million. Trinity has nearly tripled its New York City grant-making this year from 2019.
The most recent grants, which range from $74,000 to $2,000,000, go to organizations that are actively working with some of New York City's most vulnerable residents, including undocumented immigrants, domestic violence survivors, homeless families, and formerly incarcerated adults and youth.
"The pandemic has hit our nonprofit partners especially hard as the demand for their services has increased while funding has decreased," said the Rev. Phillip A. Jackson, Priest-in-charge and Vicar of Trinity Church Wall Street. "Trinity is proud to work with this latest group of grantees that are addressing the needs of our neighbors who are often overlooked and left behind."
Before COVID-19 hit New York City, the city was already facing a serious housing crisis. Now, with the eviction moratorium set to expire at the end of the year, thousands of additional New Yorkers face housing instability. Recognizing the economic hardship many households continue to face, Trinity provided a $2 million grant to Project Parachute, a collaboration between Enterprise Community Partners, service providers and a group of landlords, to provide eviction prevention services. Trinity's funding will specifically be used to assist households that do not qualify for federally funded services due to immigration status.
Beatriz de la Torre, Managing Director for Housing and Homelessness at Trinity, said, "We are focused on breaking the cycle of mass homelessness and instability in New York City, and this pandemic is a further setback in a system that disproportionately impacts communities of color. This is why we have chosen 22 organizations to receive $7.7 million dollars that will go towards addressing the needs of those at high risk for homelessness and preventing displacement."
Services for the Underserved received $250,000 to rehabilitate and preserve 350 units of supportive housing across various buildings. Trinity also provided a series of grants to organizations that provide housing services to survivors of domestic violence and their children who are at an elevated risk of homelessness. Organizations such as Sakhi for South Asian Women and the Korean American Family Service Center received $125,000 and $74,000, respectively, to provide safe housing and fund services to stabilize the families in the communities they serve. This money comes at a time when groups are seeing a spike in calls to domestic violence hotlines due to the pandemic.
Trinity also funded 10 grantees, for a total of $4 million, whose work centers on racial justice. For example, African Communities Together, Make the Road New York, and New York Immigration Coalition are working to end the criminalization of immigrants by advancing laws and policies that protect immigrant communities.
"These organizations are ensuring that progress made in ending mass incarceration also carries over to the immigration enforcement system. This is central to advancing racial justice in New York City and in support of Trinity's mission," said Susan Shah, Managing Director of Racial Justice at Trinity Church Wall Street. "COVID-19 has threatened to stifle organizations that are on the front line of battling systemic racism in New York City, and we're committed to aiding them in this fight."