Monday, December 7, 2015
New York Community Trust President: Donors Can Make a Difference on Homelessness, Heroin, Incarceration and Education
During 25 years as president of one of New York’s leading charitable foundations, I’ve overseen more than $1 billion in grants to nonprofits doing vital work—from educating preschoolers to caring for the elderly. But I’ve come to understand that good intentions and charity alone can’t fix the city’s problems: Homelessness has reached record highs, graduating teens are ill-prepared for today’s jobs, and heroin deaths now exceed murders.
Still, every day I arrive at work optimistic. I’ve seen that well-targeted grants make a huge difference. It’s even more effective when a foundation like the New York Community Trust pools the gifts of generous neighbors, then joins other funders and government agencies to bring about change. Sometimes that change means significant savings for taxpayers, too. . .