Round Two: All In Neighborhood Grantee Announcement
Citizens Committee for New York City Announces $236,950 in Grants to 73 Community Groups Responding to COVID-19 and Community/Police Relations
New York, NY (June 24, 2020)—Citizens Committee for New York City, whose mission is to help New Yorkers—especially those in low-income areas—improve the quality of life in their neighborhoods, has announced a second round of funding to community groups responding to the COVID-19 crisis and community/police relations.
Under its new All In Neighborhood Grants program, Citizens Committee has awarded $236,950 in grants to 73 resident-led organizations that address urgent community needs and fill in service gaps, which COVID-19 stay-at-home orders revealed. Additionally, second round grantees engage youth, advance community journalism, and improve community/police relations in the wake of unprecedented mobilization citywide for equality and racial justice. Each grantee will receive up to $10,000, and groups will have access to Citizens Committee staff knowledge and resources to implement their projects. Grantees in all five boroughs are organizing food pantries, seed exchanges for subsistence farming, remote wellness checks, youth summer opportunities, workshops for community reporting, and more.
“Our All In Neighborhood Grants again fund NYC community groups whose critical services keep New York City resilient, even after weeks of COVID-19 closures,” says Dr. Rahsaan Harris, CEO of Citizens Committee. “Now as NYC communities rally to peacefully march for racial justice, we support All In Grantees as they advance our mission to improve New York City neighborhoods, promoting equality, dignity, and justice for all New Yorkers.”
All In Neighborhood Grants award unrestricted general operating support to grassroots groups who identify and assess their own neighborhood’s needs and design service projects accordingly. For nearly 50 years, Citizens Committee’s neighborhood grant projects have centered on improving residential life in the areas of arts and culture, beautification, literacy, education, urban greening, youth, leadership, and well-being programs. The COVID-19 crisis instigated seismic changes in the economic and social order. To quickly respond, the organization paused its annual neighborhood grant cycle to focus on a survey meant to determine New Yorkers’ most urgent needs and challenges. The survey resulted in more than 1,000 responses from all five boroughs, and highlights a pattern of citywide priorities, including food, financial aid, healthcare, and access to technology. Citizens Committee aligned grant decisions to better meet the needs of New Yorkers.
Unprecedented national events impact Citizens grant making once again. Hundreds of thousands of New York residents join millions nationwide, in daily rallies that call for improved community/police relations. This second round of All In Neighborhood Grant funding reflects this extraordinary public appeal to redress the uneven, unequal quality of New Yorkers’ lives.
List of organizations/groups funded for 2020 All In Neighborhood Grant Program, the second round
About Citizens Committee for New York City
Citizens Committee for New York City’s mission is to help New Yorkers—especially those in low-income areas—come together and improve the quality of life in their neighborhoods. Residents are uniquely situated to define and act on the issues affecting their communities. When provided with modest support, neighborhood and school groups can effectively mobilize with the assistance of grants, skills-building workshops, project planning assistance and an equipment share library. In 2019, we provided 596 projects with $2.3 million in grants and services, impacting more than 130,000 residents in 164 different neighborhoods across the five boroughs. Since 1975, we have promoted the spirit of volunteerism, local engagement, and social justice that drives our work. Go to citizensnyc.org to learn more.
Contact: Scott Young, Interim VP, Development & Communications, syoung@citizensnyc.org