New York Community Trust Awards Grants to 56 Organizations in All Five Boroughs
(October 15, 2019) NEW YORK, NY – The New York Community Trust is committed to helping with some of New York’s most urgent challenges. For each of the following grants, we offer journalists additional one-page background memos that detail how the projects we’re funding are addressing some of our region’s most urgent challenges. Please contact Amy Wolf for more details. Some highlights:
REDUCING MATERNAL MORBIDITY IN BLACK WOMEN: The United States is the only developed nation that experienced an increase in pregnancy-related deaths over the past two decades. This trend affects black women the most. Research shows that college-educated black women experience higher rates of maternal morbidity than white, Asian, or Latina women with less than a high school diploma, regardless of the health care providers’ race or ethnicity. With $300,000 from The Trust, Fund for Public Health in New York will work to better care for black women in New York City hospitals by providing training for health care institutions. Clinicians will practice addressing life-threatening complications during childbirth using robotic mannequins, and peer educators will coach pregnant women on their rights in maternity care.
ENGAGING NONPROFITS TO INCREASE VOTER TURNOUT: New York City and State have some of the lowest voter turnout rates in the country, especially in low-income neighborhoods. That is why The Trust has supported Community Votes with $220,000 over the past five years (including $70,000 in this most recent round of grants) to help health, afterschool, and other social service organizations engage their clients and communities in voting and civic participation. Its successful model uses the staff of trusted agencies to register and educate hard-to-reach New Yorkers. This grant will also fund development of a tracking system to compare voter turnout data in targeted communities against the turnout in similar neighborhoods. The Mayor’s Fund to Advance New York City is also using $290,000 to register people with disabilities to vote and improve their access to community board meetings and other civic engagement opportunities.
STARTING A MUSEUM PROGRAM FOR SNAP FAMILIES: The New York Community Trust is continuing its commitment to helping low-income New Yorkers access our world-class cultural institutions. ArtsConnection will use $500,000 to start a free or $1 museum admission program for families who receive Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits—a population that accounts for one out of every five New Yorkers. The group will work with New Yorkers using SNAP to design and carryout the program. It will also work with the City’s Human Resources Administration to promote the effort...