Nonprofits in underserved communities across New York are hoping to secure a significant funding increase as state leaders hammer out a budget agreement.
They are lobbying with the New York State Black Legislative Task Force for $90 million in grants.
Last year, the task force asked for $50 million and received $30 million. Members then went on a statewide listening tour to help determine where the funding should go.
“We've hit all the places to listen to the people tell us what is absolutely necessary and needed in their communities,” said Assemblymember Chantel Jackson, a Bronx Democrat, and chairwoman of the task force. “We listened, we learned, then we created our application process.”
But the level of need can’t be addressed by the current level of funding, nonprofit leaders said at a news conference last week.
“The challenges we face remain the same: mental and physical health, substance abuse, housing instability, economic inequities, and of course, poverty, to name a few,” said Phil Phil Nelson, founder and executive director of The Stack Project, a financial literacy nonprofit in Broome County. “These challenges are magnified in the upstate region. Resources are especially limited in rural communities where my organization provides services.”
The state’s Division of Budget is doing final vetting before last year’s funding is distributed to nonprofits, task force members said. Those dollars will be doled out through four agencies -- Elmcor Youth & Adult Activities, United Way of New York State, the Federation of Protestant Welfare Agencies, the New York Urban League. A fifth fiscal conduit has been added this year: LISC NY.
Both the Assembly and Senate included the $90 million in their budget proposals, Jackson said.
Legislative leaders and the governor are negotiating a budget deal, ahead of the April 1 deadline.
