Trinity Awards More Than $22 Million in Grants, Addressing Housing Insecurity and Mental Health Needs

NEW YORK, June 15, 2023 - Trinity Church Wall Street has announced its latest grant awards, including more than $22 million to 111 nonprofit organizations in New York City, the United States, and abroad. Most of the grants are aimed at addressing urgent issues—the concurrent crises of housing affordability, mental health, community safety, and asylum seekers—in line with Trinity’s strategic mission areas that work for justice rooted in essential human dignity.

“This is a time of great and increasing need in our neighborhood, and across the world,” said the Rev. Phillip A. Jackson, Rector of Trinity Church Wall Street. “Our faith calls on us to use our gifts to help all people, advancing equity and justice in the here and now—and hopefully for generations to come. We are grateful to be able to make these strategic investments in the work of our remarkable grantee partners, and in work that will have a direct impact on people’s lives.”

Thirty-two grants, totaling more than $8 million, are going to organizations focused on addressing the needs of those affected by the affordable housing crisis and homelessness in New York City. The grants will support a range of initiatives, including the development of affordable housing, the provision of emergency shelter and supportive services for those experiencing homelessness, and research and advocacy efforts aimed at addressing the root causes of the housing crisis.

“Our commitment to our neighbors in New York City and the faith community runs deep,” said Beatriz de la Torre, Trinity’s Chief Philanthropy Officer.  “We are dedicated to working alongside community-based organizations, faith leaders, and cross-sector partners to ensure that everyone has access to safe and affordable housing, mental health resources, and the support they need to thrive.”

Trinity understands that breaking the cycle of homelessness requires helping families secure and maintain permanent housing. To support this goal, Trinity made a series of grants to increase the capacity of organizations providing legal services to low-income households. For example, Brooklyn Legal Services Corporation, received $200,000 to provide legal services that help tenants remain in their homes and help homeowners avoid foreclosure.

“The pandemic and its aftermath have laid bare the precariousness of stable housing for many low-income New Yorkers,” said Jessica Rose, Executive Director, Brooklyn Legal Services. “Support from Trinity Church Wall Street will enable Brooklyn Legal Services to broaden and deepen our legal services to assist marginalized and low-income tenants and homeowners seek justice and to maintain housing stability for themselves and their families.”

Trinity is also continuing its commitment to supporting the more than 76,000 asylum seekers that have arrived in New York City since last spring. A new $300,000 grant to the Mayor’s Fund to Advance New York City, working with New York Disaster Interfaith Services, will help 50 houses of worship across the city provide temporary shelter for 950 asylum seekers. Trinity’s grant will specifically enable the construction of showers at the faith-based facilities participating in the Faith Beds program.

“New York City’s faith-based community has been on the forefront of helping our newest New Yorkers feel welcomed, experience connection and access the resources needed to navigate life in a new place,” said Marcella J. Tillett, Executive Director of the Mayor’s Fund to Advance New York City. “We are thankful to Trinity Church Wall Street for their generosity and steadfast partnership on our Asylum Seeker Relief Fund, supporting this innovative, infrastructure building program that enables houses of worship to respond to the current humanitarian need and provides permanent capacity to do so in the future.”

As Trinity continues to work toward mitigating mental health issues exacerbated by the pandemic, more than a million dollars in this grants cycle will go to organizations prioritizing mental health and youth in their work.

Children’s Rights received $200,000 and will use the money to improve access to critical mental and behavioral health services for New York City children. A $600,000 multi-year grant to The Brotherhood Sister Sol (BroSis) will support the organization’s mission to provide comprehensive support services including long-term mental health services to youth, ages 8-22.

“BroSis is deeply appreciative of the partnership with and support of Trinity Church,” said Khary Lazarre-White, Executive Director and Co-Founder, The Brotherhood Sister Sol. “BroSis is a social justice youth development organization that works in the interconnected areas of educating, organizing for equity, and training to advance justice. These funds will allow us to continue to grow our programs and services, while helping young people find and hone their voices as they become changemakers and organizers.”

Trinity’s national and global reach remains an important part of its mission with more than $6 million going to faith-based organizations in the United States and Anglican partners internationally in support of mission real estate development and leadership development.

These grants will ensure the continuing education of faith leaders and build financial capacity for Anglican dioceses in sub-Saharan Africa to advance their ministry, with a focus on rapidly growing regions and investments that support economic mobility for women and children.

Awards include a $750,000 grant to the Anglican Alliance to develop Anglican leaders’ ability to support asset-based community development; a $600,000 grant to the Pastoral Leadership Institute at Christ Church Cranbrook; a $150,000 grant expand the medical facility operated by The Anglican Diocese of Makamba with pediatric and maternal care; and a $100,000 grant to help The Anglican Diocese of Central Zimbabwe build a solar power plant.

Once complete, these projects will have a direct social impact: creating new affordable housing, providing microcredit and medical services for women, supporting agriculture and tourism, expanding clean energy infrastructure, and developing faith leaders who are significant supporters of their community members’ well-being.

This week, Trinity also announced its first Neighborhood Support grant application period, open from June 12 to July 12, to support wraparound services, newly arrived asylum seekers, youth, mental health and emotional well-being, and the arts in Lower Manhattan.

“Trinity recognizes that addressing these issues requires a collaborative effort, and we’re committed to working alongside government agencies, community organizations, faith leaders, and other stakeholders to find lasting solutions to these challenges,” added de la Torre. “The grants announced today are just one part of Trinity’s ongoing commitment to supporting the communities it serves and making a positive impact in the world.”

The grantees so far this year are:

Housing and Homelessness:
Alliance for Downtown New York
Breaking Ground HDFC
Bridge Street Development Corporation
Brooklyn Legal Services Corp
Chhaya Community Development
City Report (THE CITY)
Committee Against Anti-Asian Violence
Community Voices Heard
Enterprise Community Partners
Fair Housing Justice Center
Hetrick-Martin Institute
Housing Justice for All
Interfaith Assembly on Homelessness and Housing
The Ladies of Hope Ministries
Neighborhood Coalition for Shelter
New York Public Radio
New York State Council of Churches
New York University Grossman School of Medicine
NYC Youth & Family Homelessness Fund
Open New York
Pa'lante Harlem
The Partnership to End Homelessness
Part of the Solution
Project Renewal
Providence House
Public Policy Lab
RESTORE NYC
RiseBoro Community Partnership
TakeRoot Justice
The Trustees of the University of Pennsylvania
Urban Homesteading Assistance (UHAB)
West Side Federation for Senior and Supportive Housing

Leadership Development:
Anglican Alliance
Bloy House, The Episcopal Theological School at Los Angeles
Christ Church Cranbrook
Cyclical Incorporated
Digital Literacies for Ministry
Diocese of Olympia
Dudley Street Neighborhood Initiative
Episcopal Diocese of Atlanta
Episcopal Parish Network
Fundación Scholas Occurrentes
GreenFaith
Interfaith America
Joint Learning Initiative On Faith and Local Communities
Partnership for Renewal
Princeton Theological Seminary
Shalem Institute for Spiritual Formation
The Colossian Forum
The FaithX Project
The Society for the Increase of the Ministry

Mission Real Estate Development:
Anglican Diocese of Tema
Bricks and Mortals
Diocese of Central Zimbabwe
Diocese of Gitega, Burundi
Diocese of Harare, Zimbabwe CA
Diocese of Makamba, Burundi
Diocese of Southwest Tanganyika, Tanzania
Episcopal Diocese of Hawaiʻi-Hālau Waʻa Honoʻuliʻuli
New York State Council of Churches
St. Andrew's Episcopal Church
St. Mary's Episcopal Church Anchorage
St. Paul's Episcopal Church, King George, Virgin

Racial Justice:
A Little Piece of Light
Alliance for Quality Education (AQE)
Alliance of Families for Justice
American Friends Service Committee
The Arab-American Family Support Center
Avenues For Justice
Black Women’s Blueprint
Borough of Manhattan Community College (CUNY BMCC)
The Brotherhood Sister Sol (BroSis)
Center for Community Alternatives
Children's Rights
Center for Justice Innovation
Circle for Justice Innovations
CONNECT Inc.
Cypress Hills Local Development Corporation
Drive Change
Desis Rising Up & Moving (DRUM)
Elite Learners
Fountain House
Getting Out and Staying Out
Girls for Gender Equity Inc (GGE)
How Our Lives Link Altogether (HOLLA)
Hudson Link for Higher Education in Prison
Immigrant Defense Project
Interfaith Center of New York
Kings Against Violence Initiative (KAVI)
Living Redemption Community Development Corporation
The New School Institute for Transformative Mentoring
The NYC Justice Peers Initiative
New York City Environmental Justice Alliance
New York City Gay and Lesbian Anti-Violence Project
New York Communities for Change (NYCC)
New York Focus
New York State Immigrant Action Fund
New York Theological Seminary
North Star Fund Let Us Breathe Fund
Parole Preparation Project
Release Aging People in Prison Campaign (RAPP)
Rising Ground STEPS to End Family Violence
Staten Island Urban Center
Urban Justice Center Mental Health Project
Urban Youth Alliance International - BronxConnect
Vera Action
Violence Intervention Program

Special Opportunity Fund:
Mayor's Fund to Advance New York City
Faith & Philanthropy Pooled Fund
Citizens Committee for New York City

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About Trinity Church Wall Street:
Trinity Church Wall Street is a vibrant and growing Episcopal parish of more than 1,600 members. Over the past 325 years, Trinity has been guided by its mission to share God’s love for all people. Trinity’s programs seek to offer shared encounters with the holy, to cultivate compassion, to deepen knowledge and spiritual practices, to work for justice rooted in essential human dignity, to provide places of solace and healing, and to inspire a desire in all people to be conscientious contributors to the life of New York City and the world. More than 20 worship services are offered every week online and at historic Trinity Church and St. Paul’s Chapel, the cornerstones of the parish’s community life, worship, and mission.