Grant Will Support the Governor’s Rochester Anti-Poverty Task Force and Other Critically Important Programs
Governor Andrew M. Cuomo today announced that New York State has been awarded $5.4 million in AmeriCorps funding from the federal Corporation for National and Community Service. New York will administer this funding to 19 municipalities and non-profit organizations which help at-risk children, homebound seniors, low-income families, and struggling veterans throughout the state.
“This is about putting people and resources on the ground in high-needs communities,” Governor Cuomo said. “By supporting these programs, we are guiding children to academic success, preparing the unemployed to re-enter the workforce, and taking care of those who have served our country.”
Awarded through a competitive Request for Proposals process, the grants will enable the 19 municipalities and non-profit organizations to recruit approximately 700 AmeriCorps members across the state. Each member will receive a scholarship upon completion of his or her service. Nearly $600,000 will complement the work of the Governor’s Rochester Anti-Poverty Task Force by supporting programs designed to improve academic achievement, adolescent health, and violence prevention in the city’s most impoverished neighborhoods.
The New York State Commission on National and Community Service – New Yorkers Volunteer, a Governor-appointed commission, will administer the grants. The Commission uses the power of AmeriCorps to address some of the state’s most challenging issues, and encourages citizens to make a difference in the lives of others.
New Yorkers Volunteer Executive Director Linda Cohen said, “These AmeriCorps members will be serving in their own communities. That means they will be earning a scholarship and gaining valuable experience while making a difference in the lives of their neighbors. It’s a real win-win.”
The grants awarded in New York State are:
Organization Name | Program Summary | Approved Funding | Population Served |
City of Rochester | Promote adolescent health, childhood literacy, and violence prevention in poverty-stricken areas | $431,600 | Rochester |
Community Health Care Association of NYS | Prepare AmeriCorps members for a successful career in community-based primary health care | $244,412 | Buffalo, Glens Falls, Newburgh, New York City |
Cradle Beach Camp | Improve academic achievement and attendance rates in Buffalo Public Schools | $406,544 | Buffalo |
Grand Street Settlement | Improve academic achievement and economic opportunities in Brooklyn and the Lower East Side | $231,133 | New York City |
Great Oaks Foundation | Improve academic achievement at a charter school serving the Lower East Side and Two Bridges | $717,162 | New York City |
Legal Assistance of Western New York | Expand legal services to the poor in Bath, Elmira, Geneva, Ithaca, Jamestown, Olean, and Rochester | $265,280 | Finger Lakes, Southern Tier, Western New York |
Mental Health Association of Columbia-Greene Counties | Mentor students to improve academic achievement and literacy in the Hudson City School District | $331,294 | Hudson |
New York Restoration Project | Restore and maintain green spaces in economically and environmentally challenged neighborhoods | $275,642 | New York City |
Oswego City-County Youth Bureau | Mentor disadvantaged youth; promote nutrition education and physical education to reduce childhood obesity | $225,375 | Oswego County |
Provide financial literacy and housing assistance at the Department of Social Services and other agencies | $125,702 | ||
Relay Graduate School of Education | Improve educational outcomes by training and certifying teachers to work in low-income communities | $42,000 | New York City |
Rural Health Network | Assist elderly and home-bound individuals; improve access to health care; increase food security | $313,806 | Counties of Broome, Chemung, Chenango, Cortland, Delaware, Otsego, Tioga, and Tompkins |
SCO Family of Services | Facilitate academic, arts, and recreation activities for low-income students in Sunset Park, Brooklyn | $193,695 | Brooklyn |
Student Conservation Association | Protect at-risk ecosystems on public lands; provide environmental education in rural and urban communities | $475,000 | Adirondack Park, Hudson Valley, New York City |
Sunset Park Health Council / Lutheran Family Health Centers | Improve academic achievement, job readiness, and health care access in southwest Brooklyn | $179,618 | Brooklyn |
The Institute for Human Services | Develop occupational skills; promote employment readiness; provide housing assistance | $183,615 | Counties of Chemung, Schuyler, and Steuben |
The Service Collaborative of WNY | Provide financial literacy services to 1,800 economically disadvantaged adults in Western New York | $245,011 | Counties of Allegany, Cattaraugus, Chautauqua, Erie, and Niagara |
Urban League of Rochester | Improve academic achievement and college readiness in five northeast Rochester neighborhoods | $135,000 | Rochester |
Utica Municipal Housing Authority | Connect low-income residents to job opportunities; help veterans achieve financial and housing stability | $136,252 | Counties of Herkimer, Madison, and Oneida |
Yeshiva Kehilath Yaakov | Train low-income and unemployed residents to mentor students and work on health education projects | $228,753 | New York City |
Congressman Jerrold Nadler said, “Community is about more than the individual, and New Yorkers have long demonstrated their commitment to service as one of the hallmarks of what makes our state great. As a longtime supporter in Congress of the AmeriCorps program, I am glad this federal funding is being brought to help those most at risk, understanding that we can go further together when we look out for one another. I commend the AmeriCorps volunteers for dedicating their time and energy to giving back, and congratulate Governor Cuomo and the 19 organizations across our state who are working to improve our communities through their tireless work and commitment to service.”
Congressman Brian Higgins said, “The AmeriCorps program does incredible work to move communities forward and help their most vulnerable members. Supporting organizations like the Community Healthcare Association of New York State, Cradle Beach Camp, and The Service Collaborative of Western New York will make a real difference in our region and in the lives of those in need.”
About AmeriCorps
AmeriCorps is administered by the Corporation for National and Community Service, a federal agency that engages more than five million Americans in service through AmeriCorps, Senior Corps, the Social Innovation Fund, and the Volunteer Generation Fund, and leads the President’s national call to service initiative, United We Serve. Since 1994, more than 72,000 AmeriCorps members in New York State have completed more than 110 million hours of service. For more information, visit NationalService.gov.
Editors note: At this time the City of Syracuse has not been included in this round of funding.