Trinity Philanthropies in 2024: Housing, Youth, and Leadership

From building new housing to caring for young people grappling with mental health issues, Trinity's Chief Philanthropy Officer Bea de la Torre details how we made an impact last year.

“What good is it, my brothers and sisters, if someone claims to have faith but does not have works? Show me your faith apart from works, and I by my works will show you faith.” — James 2:14, 18

At Trinity, we stand firm in our Episcopal calling to embrace a lively faith of good works. Over five years of strategic grantmaking, we have contributed to nonprofits and institutions that courageously affirm the dignity of every person. Last year, we made 166 grants and 4 program-related investments (short-term, low- or no-interest loans)  totaling $30.6 million. But we won’t stop there. Now is the time to continue serving our most vulnerable neighbors and to strengthen the ability of faith institutions to meet the needs of their own communities.

Now is the time to build housing. As a longtime housing advocate, I am committed to the idea that people need a safe place to live before they can fully take on other aspects of their lives. Churches from Buffalo to Burundi showed their commitment to doing their part last year, proposing 806 units of affordable housing as part of their Mission Real Estate Development (MRED) grants. Here in New York City, many of our Housing and Homelessness grantees were leaders in the fight for the City of Yes for Housing Affordability. Now that we’ve won the right to build a little more housing in every neighborhood, we are fighting to make it easier for faith-based organizations across the state to build more housing.

Building housing is not enough. We must also protect our neighbors on the verge of homelessness or already experiencing its ills. Our Housing and Homelessness grantees have done this, preventing eviction for more than 3,500 tenants last year and providing 8,460 households with housing services and case management. In a significant win for housing affordability, the Housing Rights Initiative won a $15 million settlement, putting money back in the pockets of tenants overcharged for rent by a private equity firm.

Now is the time to invest in our youth. One in six young people experience a mental health disorder every year. As we increasingly embraced education as the focus of our Racial Justice initiative, our grantees engaged more than 1,500 young people in programming around life skills, mental health, and restorative justice last year. The Youth Justice Network, for example, helped 750 young people connect with crisis care, ensuring their immediate needs were taken care of when they encountered unthinkable obstacles.

Unfortunately, record numbers of young people have nowhere to sleep at night in New York City. Our Housing and Homelessness grantees helped to support more than 1,500 youth experiencing homelessness last year. While organizations like WIN and Girl Scouts Troop 6000 welcomed the youngest and newest New Yorkers, others like Safe Horizon helped young people transition into permanent housing. Groups like the Ali Forney Center helped care for LGBTQ+ youth, while others like Friends of Karen tended towards the needs of children experiencing life-threatening illnesses.

Now is the time for strong leaders. We welcomed 24 new Trinity Leadership Fellows this year, made up of inspiring individuals from Hudson Square to Pretoria. The Leadership Development initiative enabled more than 4,000 faith leaders to participate in trainings and courses that equipped them with the practical skills needed to minister to a modern world. Some of these leaders, such as Pride in the Pews’ Don Abrams, won recognition for this work locally and nationally.

Our Mission Real Estate Development team is working directly with faith leaders through events such as the Gift of Place Conference, which explores how real estate can be developed to both enhance mission work and provide sustainable financial resources to support ministry. More than 300 people attended our fifth annual virtual conference last year, while over two dozen joined us in New York for the first in-person regional conference. With the inaugural regional convening, the MRED team, which has long worked with dioceses across the Anglican Communion, emphasizes its support for diocesan and parish projects in the United States.

We understand that not everyone can participate in a fellowship program or conference. That’s why we were proud to announce Faith Leadership Campus last summer. Open to users around the globe, Faith Leadership Campus offers access to core courses from the Trinity Leadership Fellows curriculum, as well as an introduction to mission real estate development. Thousands have already joined our online community, and we hope you will too.

Now is the time to welcome the stranger. Here in New York, the nonprofit sector has welcomed the influx of more than 200,000 new New Yorkers. Our grantees, who help empower young people, protect LGBTQ+ communities, and connect faith-based organizations, have expanded their programs to serve these new populations in culturally competent, inclusive ways. Organizations like Hot Bread Kitchen and the Ellis Island Initiative are creating job opportunities for new New Yorkers, while agencies like Catholic Charities are helping them navigate their legal needs. Along the way, anchor organizations in the movement, like the New York Immigration Coalition, are reminding us all that immigrants are part of the fabric of our city.

Now is the time to show our faith through our works. In 2025, we will work with courage to support families searching for safe, affordable places to call home. We will work with hope to ensure our children have access to mental health services and education. We will work with joy to connect inspired church leaders with the strength of community and mentorship.

We look forward to working with you, in faith, in the year to come.

Faithfully,
Bea

Image: Trinity's Chief Philanthropy Officer Bea de la Torre speaks during a vestry learning visit to our partner organizations in the Lower East Side on June 20, 2024.