June 2012 Grants Newsletter

Making your giving matter more... since 1924 June 2012 Newsletter

grants

You know that good feeling you get when you help make things better?

This newsletter looks at grants that were made possible in large part by generous New Yorkers who wanted to make a difference—and set up endowed funds with us. To find out how you can leave your own legacy, contact our general counsel, Jane Wilton at (212) 686–2563 or janewilton@nyct-cfi.org.

table of contents 2 Three-Years-Old, Not Talking Yet, In Need of Advocate 3 Tapping Offshore Wind Energy 4 Nourishing New York’s Cultural Roots 6 Other Grants

When a Mental Health

P

Crisis Can’t Wait

sychiatric emergencies need to be taken care of immediately, but where in the City does someone in trouble get help?

Regular outpatient clinics cannot provide urgent care and emergency rooms are expensive, overburdened, and not equipped to refer patients to longer-term treatment. St. Vincent’s Medical Center had an urgent psychiatric clinic, but the hospital closed in 2010. Bellevue has a walk-in clinic that is so crowded that patients must show up by 8:00 a.m. to be seen that day.

Psychiatrists, social workers, nurses, and administrators at the International Center for the Disabled make sure patients visiting their new psychiatric walk-in clinic get emergency care.

“For a child with disabilities, birth through age six is a time of frequent transition, and for the parents that can be very bewildering and stressful.”

—Kim Sweet, executive director of Advocates for Children

worse. We want to make sure that treatment doesn’t harm their health.” After evaluation, patients are referred to appropriate care, either at the Center or elsewhere.

Advocates for Children staff attorney Randi Levine holds a workshop for parents and child care professionals on changes to City policies affecting young children with disabilities.

“Finding a cost-effective and clinically sound way to provide fast mental health care for people in a psychiatric crisis is sorely needed in the City,” says Trust program officer Irfan Hasan. A $75,000 grant to the International Center for the Disabled is helping it open a new walk-in clinic to provide this care.

Not only will patients get the help they need when they need it, but because most are uninsured or on Medicaid, the costs to taxpayers also will come down. Research shows that immediate psychiatric treatment at a clinic reduces the need for inpatient hospital care by 13 percent and emergency room visits by 36 percent.

The clinic, opened in mid-April, will see clients with chronic health problems such as diabetes and heart disease, in addition to psychiatric problems. Walk-ins and referrals will receive comprehensive mental and physical evaluations from a team of social workers, psychiatric nurse practitioners, and psychiatrists so the most appropriate treatment can be determined and medications reviewed.

“Sometimes medication has been misprescribed,” says Dr. Les Halpert, the Center’s chief executive officer. “Some anti-psychotic drugs lead to weight gain, exacerbate high blood pressure, and generally make metabolic problems

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Some clients will also be addicted to drugs and alcohol, and the Center is ready. “There is a high correlation between substance abuse and traumatic brain injury, both of which can lead to or exacerbate psychiatric issues,” says Sondra Segal, the Center’s director of external affairs. “Addictive drugs are often used to self-medicate for symptoms of head trauma, and if addiction came first, that person is more likely to be in fights and accidents that lead to injury. Because of this correlation, we can refer clinic patients to our outpatient treatment program with staff that can handle brain injuries.” The Center’s electronic medical records system will help staff monitor patients, track progress, and collect data so that it can provide useful information to other agencies wishing to create similar psychiatric clinics.

Three-Years-Old, Not Talking Yet, In Need of Advocate First words, first steps, the ABCs—milestones that mean the world to parents and are important benchmarks in a child’s development. When kids don’t meet milestones by a certain age, early therapeutic help can make the difference.

The New York State Early Intervention Program provides free speech, physical, and other therapies to children from birth to age three. If a child continues to need help, as many do, new agencies become responsible, and children can slip through the proverbial bureaucratic cracks. “For a child with disabilities, birth through age six is a time of frequent transition, and for the parents that can be very bewildering and stressful,” says Kim Sweet, executive director of Advocates for Children. By first grade, the Department of Health and

A Federal Clean Energy Agenda The U.S. Department of Energy has set a goal of tapping 54 gigawatts of offshore wind power by 2030. Google is on board with a recent major investment in the Atlantic Wind Connection, a transmission line that will support 350 miles of offshore wind projects. Port cities would breathe new life as thousands of workers commuted to jobs out at sea building and maintaining wind turbines. Manufacturing jobs would also multiply as turbines with blades longer than football fields would need to be produced domestically because of their sheer size.

The Lillgrund Wind Farm sits six miles off the coast of southern Sweden and can produce 110 megawatts of energy—enough to power 60,000 homes.

the Department of Education’s (DoE) Committee on Preschool Education and its Committee on Special Education may have all played a part in serving a child.

The coming year will be particularly challenging for families as the State and City plan major changes to services for disabled children. An $80,000 grant to Advocates for Children will support its work to make policies responsive to the needs of disabled kids and their families. One proposed change would have private insurers take over some of the costs from government, a move supported by Advocates. But the agency is fighting a stipulation that would give health insurance representatives a role in deciding what services children can get.

Advocates will run workshops on the changes and update its Turning 5 Guide for parents and professionals. The group will also provide legal advice and representation to low-income families. “We want to make sure that parents know the full range of schools available to their kids, how and when to apply, and what special services they are entitled to,” Sweet continues.

“Because of their work directly with families, Advocates plays a particularly important role in learning their needs and are then able to apply that knowledge directly to policies that shape the future of so many of the City’s children,” says Trust program officer Shawn Morehead.

In addition, a $100,000 grant to the Fund for Public Advocacy will be used to assess DoE’s efforts to reform special education, including changes to admission procedures for kindergarten students with disabilities.

Free and Abundant Energy: Now all we have to do is get it

With families still rebuilding after Hurricane Irene, East Coasters are all too familiar with the destructive power of wind. But what if it was put to good use—generating clean energy?

“Offshore wind is a massive energy source just sitting there that we haven’t even begun to tap,” says Catherine Bowes, Northeast global warming program manager at the National Wildlife Federation.

The potential is enormous. The Department of Energy estimates that there are 213 gigawatts of wind energy in accessible areas of shallow waters off the Eastern seaboard alone—enough to replace 200 average coal-fired power plants. Offshore wind is one of the few sources of renewable energy abundant and steady enough to become a primary energy source on the East Coast.

“Wind energy presents an incredible opportunity for cleaning up our air, achieving energy independence, and creating thousands of jobs,” Bowes continues. But it’s not going to be easy.

Developing our offshore wind energy resources at this scale involves coordinating several state and federal bodies, lining up investors, and getting energy purchasers—not to mention the work of siting and building the wind farms in rough waters. As a new

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(Left) Designed by Napoleon LeBrun & Sons, this 1888 Romanesque Revival-style firehouse on east 125th street is being converted to a LEED-certified new home for the Caribbean Cultural Center African Diaspora Institute (CCCADI).

(Above) Revelers at the CCCADI-organized Dance of the White Dress, a traditional Cuban festival welcoming the spring.

the permitting process is expedited without compromising the integrity of the environmental review process,” says Bowes.

source of competition in the lucrative energy sector, offshore wind must also outmaneuver competitors. But powerful oil industry representatives are trying to stop offshore wind projects in their tracks. Clean energy advocates need to keep the pressure on to make sure that political and logistical hurdles are cleared.

The Campaign for Atlantic Offshore Wind, a project of Conservation Law Foundation, Environment America, the National Wildlife Federation, and the Southern Environmental Law Center, received a $200,000 grant to build political and public support for wind power. It is publishing an updated report on its generation potential, as well as the economic and environmental benefits of bringing this new clean energy source ashore. “In addition to mobilizing diverse, influential voices to support offshore wind development, the Campaign for Atlantic Offshore Wind is making sure

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Last year, a $100,000 grant to the Clean Energy Group helped it begin to line up funding for offshore wind power. The Group got its first purchasing contract from the Department of Defense, which will use the energy at military bases. With a recent $100,000 grant, the Group will continue to make the economic case for wind power and find financing for the project. “We are launching a ground-breaking ‘collaborative purchasing’ pilot project,” says Mark Sinclair, vice president of the Group. “This project would enable state and federal governments, utilities, and municipalities to use their collective buying power to reduce costs and make offshore wind cost competitive.”

Nourishing New York’s Cultural Roots As the home of salsa and jazz legends, the dazzling West Indian Day Parade, and the birthplace of hip-hop, our City has deep African, African-American, Caribbean, and Latin roots. The arts, tastes, traditions, and languages of these intersecting cultures have shaped our neighborhoods, and two recent grants are helping to preserve and celebrate these facets of our heritage.

Renderings of the Bronx Music Heritage Center (below), the centerpiece of Bronx Commons (right).

The Institute’s move to 125th St. from its substantially smaller home on West 58th St. will further the revitalization of East Harlem. “Our being able to locate ourselves at the crossroads of African diaspora culture will be phenomenal because we will be in the communities that we serve,” continues Dr. Vega.

For 35 years, the Caribbean Cultural Center African Diaspora Institute has been sharing with New Yorkers the arts, culture, and living traditions of African descendants who came as workers, slaves, or immigrants to the Americas. This summer, the group is working with Hermanos Fraternos de Loiza, one of the last Puerto Rican “hometown clubs” in El Barrio, to hold its traditional street festival. “Tradition is a way of keeping communities together—we want cultural traditions to remain vibrant— not to become stagnant or fossilized,” says Dr. Marta Moreno Vega, founder and president of the Institute.

Continuing the dialogue spurred by the recent death of Trayvon Martin, the Institute’s next exhibition, Haunted, will feature testimonials of local black and Latino young men on being racially profiled and discriminated against.

Recently, the City’s Economic Development Corporation awarded a landmarked 1888 Romanesque Revival firehouse to the Institute for renovation as a LEEDcertified green building. A $50,000 grant will support the architectural planning for the extensive interior renovations. The 9,600 sq. ft. space will include a community gathering and exhibition space, classrooms, a resource center, office space, archive, and a café.

Celebrating the Rhythms and Legends of the Bronx Grand Master Flash, Tito Puente, Herbie Hancock—all musical pioneers—are all one-time residents of the Bronx. Salsa, mambo, jazz, doo-wop, funk, and hip-hop grew up in the apartments, clubs, cafes, and concert halls in this borough’s diverse neighborhoods—but large swaths of this musical history are not well documented or celebrated.

Women’s Housing and Economic Development Corporation (Whedco), which runs housing and economic development programs throughout the City, is planning on changing this. A grant of $50,000 will help it create the Bronx Music Heritage Center.

The future Center will sit inside a 10-story, 360,000 sq. ft. mixed-used development, called Bronx Commons, which is scheduled to break ground in Melrose next year. The development will house 293 affordable apartments, with 10 to 20 percent set aside for older musicians; a public school focused on the arts; a community performance and event space; a hydroponic rooftop garden; and sports facilities. The Center will house archives, recordings, educational events, and, of course, host concerts.

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Other Grants Promotion of Art Spaces Mind-Builders Creative Arts Center, $30,000 to market this newly expanded Bronx group’s dance, music, and theater programs for youth.

Clean, Green, and Blue Center for Biological Diversity, $75,000 to combat ocean acidification, which causes serious damage to marine ecosystems.

SculptureCenter, $30,000 for events, lamppost banners, and online promotions to attract local audiences to this Long Island City arts center.

Clean Air Task Force, $100,000 to reduce black carbon and methane emissions from Arctic oil and gas production that hasten global warming, already accelerated in the Arctic.

Preservation of New York’s History National Trust for Historic Preservation, $50,000 for a public outreach campaign to promote the importance of historic preservation in the City.

Oregon Environmental Council, $100,000 to develop a West Coast regional clean-energy initiative.

New York Landmarks Conservancy, $25,000 to help save historically and architecturally significant former synagogues.

Young People in Need of Special Help Brooklyn Childcare Collective, $30,000 to help teen mothers stay in school and get child care, vocational skills, and career guidance.

Hetrick-Martin Institute, $65,000 to expand a GED-prep course and other academic programs for gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender youth.

Jumpstart for Young Children, $60,000 to recruit and train volunteers to work with young children in Bronx School District 12 Head Start and other early childhood programs.

Help in Neighborhoods that Need it Most Bridge Fund of New York, $950,000 to provide cash and employment services to families at risk of losing their homes in neighborhoods where the need is greatest.

Food Bank for New York City, $800,000 to get more food and benefits assistance into neighborhoods with growing demands for food.

In Trouble with the Law at 16—Then What?

Friends of Island Academy, $65,000 to start Higher Ground, a program that helps 16- and 17-year-olds from Washington Heights and central Brooklyn recently discharged from Rikers Island make a successful transition to school.

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World Resources Institute, $100,000 to document the negative environmental and social effects of shale gas development and recommend regulations and management practices that address them.

Toxic Chemicals Around & In Us Green Science Policy Institute, $75,000 for a toxicity analysis of commonly used flame-retardants that will report the products in which they’re used, our exposure to them, their health effects, and recommend their regulation as a class of toxins.

Silent Spring Institute, $75,000 to study the characteristics of Americans with the highest levels of exposure to toxic chemicals and to help government agencies develop regulations to protect them.

Helping Nonprofits Do More and Come Together Community Health Project, $75,000 to add mental health services to the City’s only health center for gay, lesbian, and transgender patients.

Good Shepherd Services, $70,000 for the merger of Groundwork and Good Shepherd Services.

Human Services Council of New York City, $60,000 to promote cost and time savings in government-funded human services.

Legal Aid Society, $225,000 to create a single intake process for cases involving food stamps, cash assistance, unemployment insurance, Medicaid, and Medicare.

Fund for the City of New York, Center for Court Innovation, $150,000 to strengthen the Adolescent Diversion Program, which helps court-involved 16- and 17-year-olds avoid criminal records and get a fresh start.

SeaChange Capital Partners, $50,000 to establish the New York Merger, Acquisition, and Collaboration Fund, which will provide grants for nonprofit mergers and other formal alliances.

Community Infrastructure New York State Tenants & Neighbors Information Service, $55,000 to preserve Mitchell-Lama buildings as affordable housing through advocacy, organizing, and services.

Better Education Fund for Public Schools, $175,000 for summer programs that incorporate sports, field trips, and academic enrichment in English, science, math, and the arts in several Bronx schools.

Rockaway Waterfront Alliance, $40,000 to promote transportation improvements on the Rockaway peninsula that include repairing the bayside sea wall, refurbishing pedestrian beach-to-bay corridors, and creating waterfront greenways.

Graduate Center of the City University of New York, $65,000 to provide first-generation college goers with coaching on financial and academic planning to help them stay on track in college.

grants Newsletter

(Left) An elder beekeeper with United Community Centers—East NY Farms! helps keep their crops pollinated.

(Below) At a nearby urban farm in East New York, seniors build work benches to make planting and harvesting easier.

Healthy Food, Healthy Communities

The following seven grants will continue and expand an elder-led program that brings affordable fresh produce to people in poor neighborhoods.

BronxWorks, $70,000 to recruit and train elders and youth to run and start farmers’ markets, plant community gardens, and begin a mobile food delivery project for the disabled.

Just Food, $70,000 to help Staten Island nonprofits operate food and nutrition programs and to teach healthy cooking classes throughout the City.

Isabella Geriatric Center, $70,000 for an elder-led program in Washington Heights that purchases fruits and vegetables in bulk and sells them at a discount.

Myrtle Avenue Commercial Revitalization and Development Project, $70,000 to work with seniors in the Ingersoll Houses in Fort Greene to expand their community garden, hold healthy cooking workshops, and operate a farmers’ market.

Queens Community House, $70,000 to train elders in public housing to build community gardens and distribute the produce in Flushing, Queens.

United Community Centers, $70,000 to help older adults and youth run community gardens in East New York and promote, sell, and use the harvest.

United Neighborhood Houses of New York, $128,000 to coordinate the Healthy Food, Healthy Communities project.

Helping Immigrant Families Coalition of Asian American Children and Families, $50,000 for advocacy to improve instruction and support services for Asian-American students not proficient in English.

UJA-Federation of Jewish Philanthropies of New York, $125,000 to improve the training of home health aides and home workers in order to improve the quality of care for homebound elders.

Fund for New Citizens, $250,000 for a collaborative fund that assists immigrants and refugees in New York City.

Improving Care for the Visually Impaired Aging in New York Fund, $200,000 to strengthen a visionrehabilitation coalition for older adults that provides a referral service, outreach, and workshops for its member organizations.

Better Centers, Care, and Financial Help for Seniors Council of Senior Centers and Services of New York City, $50,000 to expand a money management program for frail elders.

Fordham University Graduate School of Social Service, $130,000 to evaluate newly established, innovative senior centers to determine what aspects are working and worth replicating.

National Center for Law and Economic Justice, $120,000 to make agencies that administer public benefits more accessible for people with vision problems and to hold workshops to inform people of their right to this information.

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909 Third Avenue New York, NY 10022 www.nycommunitytrust.org Address Service Requested

June 2012 Newsletter

grants

Inside:

When a Mental Health Crisis Can’t Wait, ThreeYears-Old & in Need of Advocate, Tapping Offshore Wind Energy, and More...

Nonprofit Org. U.S. Postage PAID Permit No. 5013 New York, NY

The grants described in this issue were approved by The New York Community Trust’s governing body at its April 2012 meeting.

For grantee contact information, or for more information about the grants, please call The Trust’s receptionist at 212.686.0010, ext. 0.

This issue and past newsletters can be found at www.nycommunitytrust.org.

If you’d prefer to receive our newsletter by e-mail, write to newsletter@nyct-cfi.org.

These young people come to the Hetrick-Martin Institute, a space for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and questioning youth, for a free course that helps them prepare for taking the GED. A Trust grant is helping the Institute expand the program.

Most of the grants in our newsletter are made possible through the generosity of past donors who established permanent, charitable funds with us during their lifetimes or through their wills. To learn more about setting up a fund, please contact our general counsel, Jane Wilton, at 212.686.2563.