New York’s largest community foundation, The New York Community Trust, will celebrate its centennial by inviting the public to a series of free events at iconic venues across NYC, Long Island, and Westchester, and offering New Yorkers a chance to help guide $3 million in grants.
The initiative, “Our Votes, Our Vision, Our Community,” invites New Yorkers to cast their votes through a survey on the foundation’s website. The results will shape The Trust’s grantmaking in 2025, determining three causes to which it will allocate $1 million each, for a total of $3 million in grants. Causes participants may choose from include affordable housing, nonprofit resilience, workforce development, mental and behavioral health, decarceration, democracy, and immigration.
The Trust will select the nonprofit grantees supporting the three winning causes. Voting starts September 10 andis open until November 30. The survey will be available in each of New York City’s 10 official languages.
“The Trust has always helped New Yorkers champion the causes they care about,” said Amy Freitag, The Trust’s president. “Our goal with this initiative is to include even more voices from the community in our grantmaking to better serve our region. We hope as many New Yorkers as possible will vote and join our celebrations this fall.”
For a century, The Trust has connected generous New Yorkers with effective nonprofits to support causes such as education, health care, racial and gender equity, the arts, affordable housing, and LBGTQ+ rights. The foundation played a vital role in the region’s response to the AIDS crisis, September 11th, and COVID-19. Its grantmaking has expanded local support for immigrants, funded critical medical research, increased employment opportunities for young people, cleaned up polluted waterways, and much more.
The Trust’s free centennial events will feature panel discussions with nonprofit leaders, donors, activists, artists, public officials, and community organizers to seek common solutions that advance causes such as food security, accessibility, an equitable justice system, neighborhood cultural preservation, and building climate resilience.
Local artists—including Bobby Sanabria & Quarteto Aché featuring Antoinette Montague, Gallim Dance, and young poets from Urban Word—will perform, and festive receptions with light bites and drinks will follow each discussion. Panelists include Murad Awawdeh, president of the New York Immigration Coalition; actor André Holland (Moonlight, Selma); and climate activist Sophia Li.
Attendees will have the opportunity to share their vision for New York’s next 100 years and discover new ways to support the causes they care about.
Events are free and open to the public. All venues are wheelchair accessible and ASL interpretation will be provided. RSVPs are required.
From Farms to Food Security
Tuesday, September 10, 2024
6:00-8:00 pm, Gatsby on the Ocean, 2000 Ocean Parkway, Wantagh, NY 11793
Keeping it Real: Neighborhood Arts, Culture & Preservation
Tuesday, September 17, 2024
6:00 – 8:00 PM, Brooklyn Academy of Music, 30 Lafayette Avenue, Brooklyn, NY 11217
Breaking Cycles of Harm & Incarceration for Young New Yorkers
Tuesday, October 1, 2024
6:00 – 9:00 PM, Bronx Music Hall, 438 E 163rd Street, Bronx, NY, 10451
Towards Resilience: Climate Change & Coastal Communities
Tuesday, October 8, 2024
6:00-8:00 PM, The Noble Maritime Collection, Building D, 1000 Richmond Terrace #8, Staten Island, NY 10301
Getting There: Building a More Inclusive Region
Tuesday, October 22, 2024
5:00 – 8:00 PM, Museum of the Moving Image, 36-01 35th Street, Queens, NY 11106
How We Can Keep the Torch Lit: Support & Protection for Immigrants
Tuesday, October 29, 2024
6:00 – 8:00 PM, The Jacob Burns Film Center, 364 Manville Road, Pleasantville, NY 10570
About The New York Community Trust
As New York’s largest community foundation, The New York Community Trust fosters and engages in enduring and innovative philanthropy, making grants that bring together the diverse, local knowledge and expertise of its team, nonprofits, and partners to help donors fulfill their vision for the causes they love. The New York Community Trust has an endowment of over $3.3 billion. From education and the arts to health care and the environment, The New York Community Trust seeks to improve every aspect of the cultural and civic life of New York City, Long Island, and Westchester. The New York Community Trust celebrates 100 years of impact and looks forward to the next 100 years of improving life for New Yorkers. This is philanthropy for New Yorkers, by New Yorkers.
For more information about The New York Community Trust and its centennial celebration, please visit: www.thenytrust.org
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