We are pleased to announce that the Foundation has awarded three community-based organizations in New York City $60,000 to address a capacity-building need. This year’s Youth Service Capacity-Building Grantees are:
Brave House, Inc., which supports young immigrant and refugee women, ages 16-24, in New York City, with a focus on survivors of gender-based violence.
Developing Artists Theater Company, which empowers underrepresented youth from diverse racial, ethnic, and socioeconomic backgrounds to fight for positive social change through the practical application of the performing arts.
Bell Voices, which equips New York City’s young people with the tools to report important stories and the skills to thrive in the media careers.
The Youth Service Capacity-Building Grants (YSCG) program supports activities to strengthen the organizational infrastructure of small nonprofit organizations in the five boroughs of New York City that provide direct services to young people ages 5 to 25. The long-term goal of the program is to help build stronger, more stable youth-serving organizations that tackle inequality in youth outcomes.
This year’s grantees will take on a wide range of capacity-building projects:
At Brave House, their capacity-building project will implement a leadership succession plan. They have an already-identified Brave House program alumna they recently hired full-time, who will follow a three-year timeline to assume the role of Executive Director. Funding will go toward leadership training and skills development that will ensure success for the new hire and the organization broadly.
While Developing Artists Theater Company has grown significantly in recent years, limited Board engagement in fundraising and a lack of sustainable fundraising infrastructure is holding them back from reaching more youth. The YSCG grant would include board recruitment and trainings, board-led fundraising campaigns and events, and eventually hiring a Development Director to build sustainable fundraising infrastructure that supports DA’s long-term growth.
Bell Voices is in the final stages of rolling off their fiscal sponsor, which will enable them to receive City Council discretionary funds, open additional public and private funding opportunities, and instill confidence from potential supporters and partners. Through their capacity-building project, Bell Voices will work to bring the financial management previously done by the fiscal sponsor in-house. To support this transition, Bell Voices will contract with a part-time accounting firm and eventually taper the firm’s hours as they assume more accounting and control responsibilities.
“Brave House, Developing Artists Theater Company, and Bell Voices are providing critical programming to New York City’s youth. We are excited to support these organizations as they embark on their capacity-building projects and strengthen their youth services,” said Selina Lee, who manages the YSCG program.
