New York (June 15, 2020) –The New York Community Trust, Robin Hood, and UJA-Federation of New York are funding a new half-million dollar effort to provide consulting services for hundreds of nonprofits across New York that are struggling from impacts to their business from Covid-19. This partnership was borne out of a collective mission to support vulnerable New Yorkers and sustain New York’s human service infrastructure.
The partnership will engage six well-respected organizations that serve New York’s nonprofit sector, including Cause Effective, Community Resource Exchange, Lawyers Alliance, Nonprofit Finance Fund, Operations Inc., and Support Center. They will offer a full range of capacity-building services including cash flow and financial scenario planning, legal, fundraising, human resources, organizational restructuring, leadership development focused on staff, and board of directors.
“Robin Hood is so proud to partner with New York Community Trust and UJA-Federation of New York to offer critical capacity-building resources to the nonprofits on the frontlines of this pandemic,” said Deb Sakellarios, Head of Management Assistance, Robin Hood. “Now – more than ever – it is critical that we go beyond traditional grantmaking to also support the organizational needs of the nonprofit sector to ensure that they have the tools to respond to the needs of the community.”
“Nonprofits across New York are facing extreme financial pressure and operational risk. We must help strengthen these critical institutions so that they can continue to provide essential services that are a lifeline to so many in our city, such as food provision, shelter, mental health counseling, workforce development, and so much more,” said Abby Knopp, managing director, network department, UJA-Federation of New York. “This partnership with Robin Hood and The New York Community Trust enables us to maximize the resources we can make available and create efficiencies of scale in order to best serve the community.”
“The future of many vital New York City nonprofits has been jeopardized by the coronavirus’s economic toll. Canceled benefits, shuttered cultural spaces, the costs of doing everything remotely…all these have weighed on organizations that operate on tight budgets in the best of times. Technical assistance providers can ease the burden for these groups, but they, too, need our help,” says Shawn Morehead, vice president for grants at The New York Community Trust. “We are thrilled to join with other funders to pool resources to increase the capacity of these six critical providers.”
These capacity-building resources will be available to current nonprofit partners of Robin Hood, UJA- Federation, and New York Community Trust.
“The COVID pandemic has devastated the economy and caused many nonprofits to operate with great uncertainty about the future of their programs and services,” says Judy Levine, executive director of Cause Effective. “We’re working with a range of groups to help them adapt, identify immediate solutions, and reimagine their fundraising activities to elevate their mission and platforms to engage donors.”
About the New York Community Trust
The New York Community Trust connects past, present, and future generous New Yorkers with vital nonprofits working to make a healthy, equitable, and thriving community for all. We are a public grantmaking foundation dedicated to improving the lives of residents of New York City, Westchester, and Long Island. For more information, visit us at nycommunitytrust.org.
About Robin Hood
Founded in 1988, Robin Hood finds, fuels, and creates the most impactful and scalable solutions lifting families out of poverty in New York City, with models that can work across the country. Robin Hood invests nearly $120 million annually to provide legal services, housing, meals, workforce development training, education programs, and more to families in poverty in New York City. Robin Hood tracks every program with rigorous metrics, and since Robin Hood’s Board of Directors covers all overhead, 100 percent of every donation goes directly to the poverty fight. Learn more at www.robinhood.org and follow Robin Hood on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
About UJA-Federation of New York
Working with a network of hundreds of nonprofits, UJA extends its reach from New York to Israel to nearly 70 other countries around the world, touching the lives of 4.5 million people each year. To date, UJA has allocated more than $46 million to help respond to the devastating impact of the coronavirus pandemic. Aid has supported New Yorkers facing food insecurity, UJA partner organizations providing essential health and human services to New Yorkers, Jewish Community Centers, low-income students, single parents, and ensuring dignified Jewish burials. For more information, please visit www.ujafedny.org.