Faith & Comm. Groups Can Apply
Mayor Michael Bloomberg announced UnityNYC Grant Awards, a new program of Citizens Committee for NYC and a partnership between CCNYC and the Mayor’s Office of Immigrant Affairs with philanthropic support from The New York Community Trust, The One Nation Foundation, New York Council for the Humanities and The J.M. Kaplan Fund.
UnityNYC will award grants up to $3,000 to faith-based or neighborhood based immigrant and non-immigrant groups that collaborate on community projects.
Groups need to complete grant applications and submit to Citizens Committee for NYC. The grant application submission deadline is Thursday, Jan. 31. To access the grant application or to receive more information, e-mail Wilfredo Florentino at wflorentino@citizensnyc.org or call 1-212-822-9568.
“This partnership between the city and these non-profits and foundations will strengthen New York’s efforts to welcome immigrants to the city and indeed to the United States,” Citizens Committee for New York City CEO Peter Kostmayer said. “Immigration remains at the very heart of what this City and Nation stand for and we are proud to encourage it, support it and respect it.”
“Immigrants are our neighbors, our communities; they are our past and our future and have always been at the heart of what makes New York City great,” added Commissioner Fatima Shama of the Mayor’s Office of Immigrant Affairs. “UnityNYC Grant Awards will provide another opportunity to have New Yorkers work together to better our neighbor- hoods and communities, strengthen relationships, and continue to create a city that respects and celebrates the breadth and beauty of its diversity. And we are delighted to be partnering with Citizens Committee to better support innovative opportunities to engage immigrant New Yorkers.”
UnityNYC Grant Awards support the city’s ongoing commitment to sustaining healthy communities through high impact service projects. UnityNYC Grant Awards will tap into New York City’s neighborhood reserves of human capital and innovation, widely promoting opportunities that directly contribute to the public good.
From revitalizing community spaces to creating English tutoring programs and sharing cultural traditions, the community collaboration projects supported through the UnityNYC Grant Awards will strategically target and solve local problems. In so doing, bonds between these neighborhood groups are strengthened, civic engagement is increased, and the overall quality of life for all New Yorkers is improved.
Groups will receive project planning assistance from Citizens Committee for NYC to ensure the success and sustainability of the projects. Applicants will have access to a multimedia community resource center and the signature Citizens Committee Neighborhood Leadership Institute capacity building workshop series.
UnityNYC Grant Awards are a signature program of One NYC One Nation, a two-year civic engagement initiative led by The New York Community Trust, Mayor’s Office of Immigrant Affairs, and One Nation Foundation. With a specific focus to increase the participation of immigrants in the city’s civic life and strengthen understanding among and across diverse communities, One NYC One Nation brings together the City’s philanthropic, public, and community leadership to collaborate and leverage resources.
The Citizens Committee for New York City is the leading organization supporting grassroots groups in New York City. In 2012 alone, Citizens Committee is awarding nearly $600,000 in micro-grants to more than 300 neighborhood groups. For more information, visit their website, www.citizensnyc.org.
