Menu

NYC Council Reaffirms its Support for Nonprofit Stabilization Fund

One of the reasons for the creation of the Hispanic Federation twenty-five years ago was the need to address the lack of parity in funding for Latino nonprofits compared to their non-Latino peers in New York City. A review of government and private philanthropic allocations to nonprofits in the late 1980s revealed that Latino community-based organizations, many of which were on the front-lines of the battle against New York’s most pressing social problems, did not receive their fair share of resources from government or private funders.

Throughout its history, HF has continually advocated for funding parity for Latino nonprofits. Last year we gained a significant victory in the fight for greater equity when the New York City Council provided funding for a Communities of Color Nonprofit Stabilization Fund that would allow the Federation and its partners - Coalition for Asian American Children and Families, New York Urban League, Asian American Federation and Black Agency Executives — to re-grant funds to nonprofits in communities of color who are traditionally excluded from funding streams. The Fund provided capacity building support to 80 emerging and seasoned social services organizations in the inaugural year. The coordinating organizations oversaw the selection of the awardees, offered 24 training sessions, and provided technical support to build the administrative, fundraising and outreach capacity of nonprofit organizations in communities of color. Following a competitive Request for Application (RFA) process, interested nonprofits were screened by the coordinating organizations and decisions were made by independent panels of philanthropic experts. Awardees were provided grants of up to $35,000 to address infrastructural needs including leadership development, financial management, fundraising, management information systems and outcomes system development, among others. The 80 awardees are community-based organizations from all five boroughs and cover a range of services and communities including arts, educational, immigration, anti-poverty, seniors, health, youth, LGBTQ, worker rights, small business, organizing and others.

The program was such a success in its first year that the City Council awarded $2.5 Million to the program for Fiscal Year 2016. “We are extremely grateful to the New York City Council for their vision and continued support for the Communities of Color Nonprofit Stabilization Fund and the great benefit it has been to the city’s Latino, Asian, and Black community based organizations,” said José Calderón, President of the Hispanic Federation. “These institutions have been historically underfunded and under-capitalized by city government, foundations, and other funding entities. This ongoing investment in our nonprofits is an overdue, wise and responsible step forward towards ensuring we have a healthier and more robust safety net for our city’s majority communities of color population.”

For more information, please contact Diana Caba.