Leaning into Hope: Trinity Philanthropies 2025

“The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light; those who lived in a land of deep darkness — on them light has shined.” Isaiah 9:2

In 2025, philanthropic institutions throughout the country faced a difficult question: How do we instill hope during a time of despair?

At Trinity Church, we practice faith by building a more hopeful vision of the future. The prophet Isaiah reminds us we are not the first community to navigate periods of uncertainty. He points us to a moment when people weighed down by fear and sorrow encounter the chance to begin again. This message of hope is central to our common faith and core to our giving at Trinity.

With the gifts of Trinity’s endowment, we distributed $34 million to 182 organizations working to create a more just world. Nonprofits and houses of worship continue to show up for impacted communities even as they face challenges to their rights and funding. Over the last year, we collaborated with our partners to develop a vision of progress, respond quickly to crises, and build the long-term capacity of our grantees.

A Vision of Progress

In 2025, we stayed focused on our shared vision of a better future for all and partnered with our grantees to move that work forward. As nonprofits faced mounting attacks in the early months of the year, we committed ourselves to protecting and strengthening New York City’s social sector. Teaming up with the media agency F.Y. Eye, we debuted The Heart of New York, a public education campaign that raised awareness of the essential services nonprofits provide for our city. The campaign amplified the voices of nonprofit workers and highlighted how their work sustains New York’s cultural resources and social services. So far, more than 58,000 people have visited the campaign’s website to learn how they can support these organizations, which are the lifeblood of our neighborhoods.

Our efforts are also shifting to meet emerging needs. Recognizing that Black and brown youth are still struggling to recover from the setbacks of the pandemic, our Racial Justice initiative broadened its commitment. In November, the initiative outlined a five-year strategy to expand and deepen Trinity’s work with youth of color. The team aims to improve educational outcomes, with a focus on academic achievement, well-being, leadership development, and post-secondary success. The strategy builds on years of grantmaking in this area. With ongoing investments in partners such as The Arthur Project, Borough of Manhattan Community College, and Kings Against Violence Initiative, more than 2,000 New York City youth benefitted last year from programming in tutoring, mental health, leadership, and workforce development.

We also see progress in our faith communities. Trinity's Mission Real Estate Development initiative continues to power a network of visionary congregations committed to revitalizing church property for missional impact. Hundreds of participants in the initiative's Gift of Place and Faith Leadership Campus Programming are creating affordable housing, expanding educational access, and creating space for community building. Throughout the Episcopal Church and Anglican Communion, MRED grants supported 520 children and youth with educational opportunities and helped build 330 new units of affordable housing.

Responding Quickly to Crisis

As sweeping federal actions disrupted our communities, we moved quickly to respond to urgent needs. The federal government shutdown disrupted SNAP, leaving 1.8 million New Yorkers without food assistance last November. In addition to providing hot meals and groceries to neighbors in need at Trinity Church, we doubled down philanthropically across New York City. Within a week, the Philanthropies team distributed more than $500,000 in rapid response contributions to 25 organizations helping feed people in and around the city. With the timely support of Trinity’s clergy and Vestry, these additional gifts went beyond our strategic grantmaking and provided quick relief to those in need.

We also provided funding to nonprofit organizations advocating for and protecting the rights of our immigrant neighbors. As immigrants faced increasing obstacles on their path to citizenship — regardless of their documentation status — we equipped legal providers, interfaith partners, and direct service organizations working to protect the rights of all people. In the last year alone, Trinity’s Special Opportunity Fund mobilized $1,525,000 to support nine organizations who stand up for immigrants in New York.

Similarly, we made sure our nonprofit colleagues were supported as their organizations faced attacks on their rights and funding. Grants to the New York Lawyers for the Public Interest and the Human Services Council bolstered legal supports for organizations, expanded knowledge of rights and responsibilities, and helped nonprofits plan for future crises.

Building Long-Term Capacity

Throughout New York City, we continue to invest in partners who create new opportunities for safe, stable, and affordable housing. Last year, Trinity’s Housing & Homelessness initiative renewed grants that helped 3,300 households avoid eviction. At the same time, the initiative’s grantmaking to partners like New Alternatives for Children, the Center for Family Representation, and Hetrick-Martin Institute, made sure 5,300 young people avoided homelessness and accessed case management services. We remain committed to expanding affordable housing in New York City and unlocking long-term solutions that respond to the acute needs of our unstably housed neighbors.

In Lower Manhattan, our work focused on nurturing wellbeing in neighborhoods under 14th street. We supported organizations like Grand Street Settlement and the Chinese American Planning Council to  elevate the importance of culturally competent mental healthcare for youth, parents, and elders. And by continuing to convene Trinity’s 22-person Neighborhood Council, we deepened relationships between community leaders and learned more about how to strengthen the area’s diverse cultural landscape.

The Leadership Development initiative also brought together diverse voices in its programs. The initiative expanded the Trinity Leadership Fellows (TLF) program to include more interfaith voices, welcoming 22 new Fellows and registering 700 Faith Leadership Campus participants. The program’s innovative trainings, catalytic grantmaking, and growing peer network is transforming the skillset of emerging faith leaders.

In the last few months, I have been returning repeatedly to words Trinity Church’s Rector, the Rev. Phil Jackson, shared at our Heart of New York October convening.  “Hope sees a future where anxiety sees nothing but fear,” said Father Phil. “Hope leans in.” In 2026, we will continue to lean into hope together.

Faithfully,
Bea

Top image: Trinity's Chief Philanthropy Officer Beatriz de la Torre and vestry members visit Lower East Side nonprofits working on youth and housing initiatives, June 20, 2024.