Foundation proudly announces $552,000 in grants

Westchester Community Foundation has announced $552,000 in grants to a broad range of nonprofits throughout the county.  A total of $320,000 in college prep and persistence grants was awarded to The Guidance Center, Yonkers Partners in Education, Westchester Community College Foundation, and Project Morry to help young people prepare for and succeed in college. 

 

“Young people continue to need support and guidance throughout their college years,” notes program officer Robin Melén. “Our investments are in results-oriented programs geared to meet that need for students who are often the first in their family to attend college.”

 

The Foundation also awarded arts and culture grants totaling $50,000 to Lyndhurst, Jazz Forum Arts, and the Westchester Library System. Support to the library system will bring back the popular Creative Aging program for seniors.

 

“Our grant to the library system is made possible by generous donors to the Fund for Westchester’s Future. We are thrilled to be able to nurture creativity for seniors in our community,” says Laura Rossi, the Foundation’s executive director.  

 

• Aisling Irish Community Center, $25,000, to provide mental health services to Irish immigrants in Yonkers.

• Community Governance & Development Council, $20,000, for a civic engagement project in Yonkers.

• Furniture Sharehouse, Inc., $10,000, to expand the capacity of a furniture bank to accept more donated household furniture.

• Interfaith Council for Action, $25,000, to provide credit counseling, financial literacy training, and small emergency loans to low- and moderate- income individuals in Ossining.

• Jazz Forum Arts, $10,000, to present 16 free summer concerts at two venues in Tarrytown.

• Jewish Community Center on the Hudson, $15,000, to help Tarrytown’s youth with special needs learn skills for independent living and self-advocacy.

• Lyndhurst, $15,000, to make tours of Lyndhurst free for Tarrytown residents.

• Mount Kisco Child Care Center, $12,000, to support an intergenerational program.

• Project Morry, $20,000, to support Westchester youth in a nine-year leadership development program in preparing for college.

• Rivertowns Village Green, $5,000, to make fresh, locally grown produce more accessible to low-income Tarrytown residents.

• RSHM Life Center, $30,000, to provide legal services to immigrants.

• The Guidance Center, Inc., $100,000, to expand a comprehensive academic success and college-preparation program.

• Westchester Children's Association, $10,000, to train Westchester youth to be advocates for juvenile criminal justice reform.

• Westchester Community College Foundation, $100,000, to expand a college transition support program for lower-income, first-generation students attending Westchester Community College.

• Westchester Jewish Community Services, $30,000, for an education and employment readiness program for women in Yonkers.

• Westchester Library System, $25,000, to provide Creative Aging artists residencies in Westchester public libraries for seniors.

• Yonkers Partners in Education, $100,000, to support a college access and retention program for Yonkers School District students.

 

The grants, approved by the Foundation’s Board of Advisors and the New York Community Trust, bring the total disbursed thus far in 2016 by the Foundation to $661,000, in two rounds of grantmaking. A third round will be announced in late October.
Letters of Intent for the first round in 2017 are due Nov. 4.