The Bronx Community Foundation, and its CoViD-19 relief program, The Bronx Community Relief Effort, is pleased to announce the initial recipients of the Nonprofit Sustainability Grants program.
For its initial grants, The Bronx Community Relief Effort’s Nonprofit Economic Relief Working Group is proud to recognize a group of organizations focused on sustainability in a time of crisis for nonprofits providing urgent food, health, education, social and emotional and workforce support to a range of neighborhoods including Hunts Point, Melrose, Morrisania, Mott Haven, Belmont, Edenwald, Highbridge, Fordham / Riverdale / Marble Hill, Kingsbridge Heights and University Heights.
The Bronx Community Relief Effort was founded in the South Bronx just as CoViD-19 hit NYC, and has
since established a “Nonprofit Economic Relief” working group to support nonprofit organizations in the Bronx to empower and enable their exceptional work in supporting Bronx families and youth.
In this first round of grantmaking, the process emphasized those organizations dedicated to supporting Bronx families, an issue of particular urgency in this moment of crisis. We looked for those groups that have connections to community needs, and are uniquely equipped to respond to those needs. We sought out organizations that have found creative and varied ways to support their staff. Finally, as we seek to move beyond a traditional model of philanthropy and empower members of this community to thrive, we looked for organizations working to achieve sustainability in their service and support of Bronx youth, families and communities. A list of all the grantees is provided at the end of this document.
Over the last eight months, the Bronx has been the epicenter of the CoViD-19 crisis in NYC, and the pandemic has only exacerbated long-standing issues such as food insecurity, lack of access to healthcare, and systemic injustices that have been plaguing Bronxites for decades. Nonprofit organizations are the major employment sector in the Bronx, and have been critical in providing neighborhood stability, response to trauma, finding pathways for prosperity, and mechanisms for undoing generational, systemic, and institutional race-based inequities. Unfortunately, community-based organizations have received deep funding cuts, with many facing difficulties paying rent and staying afloat, let alone providing critical services to the community.
The Bronx Community Relief Effort is the first major program of The Bronx Community Foundation, the first and only community foundation solely dedicated to The Bronx, and devoted to serving the community for generations to come. In that ongoing work, The Bronx Community Foundation will continue to work with nonprofit organizations, which are an integral part of the Bronx fabric.
The Bronx Community Foundation will aim to provide resources, expertise, and capacity-building
support that nonprofits need.
By targeting the greatest barriers to progress and prosperity that Bronxites face, we hope to develop and pdeploy effective programs and resources to address issues and create a resilient Bronx for future generations.
Please find below all the organizations that have been funded by our Efforts:
- Hunts Point Alliance for Children: Provides education, arts, and after-school support for youth and families near Hunts Point.
- Bronx Lacrosse: Serves youth from across The Bronx with social and emotional support, academic support, small group mentoring and athletic opportunities.
- Finca del Sur: Provides access to food, nutrition and culinary programming to families in a connected and collaborative way.
- Word of Life International: Provides wrap around services including food pantry, emergency clothing bank, youth mentorship, immigration services, senior wellness program, and counseling.
- Grace Outreach: Serves low-income women seventeen and older who seek to enhance their academic skills, pursue higher education, and find employment.
- Bronx Movil: Provides services related to harm reduction, sexual health, drug prevention and addiction support.
- Riverdale Senior Services: Provides comprehensive services for seniors across The Bronx.
- Urban Dove: Provides educational support to under-credited students to re-engage them by providing after-school programs and additional skills they need to get on track to graduation and college.
- Wake Eden Baptist: Provides multi-faceted and wrap around services for families, many of whom are recent arrivals to this country; also provides services for elders and for early childhood, food pantry and counseling and mental health.
- Bronx Arts Factory: A community-based arts organization that supports artists by organizing workshops for families and youth.
- College Bridge Cafe: Provides college (FAFSA, College readiness and counseling) and workforce support for Bronx young people.
- Green Workers Cooperative: Provides training and ongoing support and connections for entrepreneurs and for a green economy in The Bronx.
- Manna of Life Ministries: Operates a food pantry and mobile food kitchen in Morrisania.
