Trinity Church Wall Street Grants Respond to Growing Crisis of Youth Mental Health in New York City

NEW YORK, NY, November 21 – Trinity Church Wall Street, in its latest set of grants, has awarded $20.4 million to organizations in New York City, the U.S., and internationally.

The grants range from $50,000 to $1.4 million, with much of the money going to organizations focused on the mental health of New York City youth. The work of these groups includes comprehensive support services, mental health outreach to homeless LGBTQ+ youth, equipping school environments to better support the learning and social needs of students with learning disabilities, and programs to support New York City’s faith-based organizations.

“The isolation of the pandemic put a spotlight on an already growing mental health crisis in our city. It also exposed the fragility of our children when their daily lives of school and in-person activities are disrupted,” said the Rev. Phillip A. Jackson, Rector of Trinity Church Wall Street. “Trinity is excited to work with organizations that are focusing their efforts on the mental health of our youth and giving them the tools they need to thrive.”

Trinity’s commitment to investing in the mental health of young people is highlighted by a $1.1 million grant to The Wellness Classroom, a project of FJC - A Foundation of Philanthropic Funds. This new funder collaborative will invest several million dollars annually to identify, fund, and expand programs that address adolescent mental health and promote well-being for children and young adults. 

“Trinity seeks to invest and learn with other philanthropic funders to support the mental health and emotional well-being of the 1.1 million students in New York City’s public schools,” said Neill Coleman, Executive Director, Trinity Church Wall Street Philanthropies. “Trinity understands the urgency of focusing on young people’s mental health. One in five New Yorkers says the most important priority for mental health in our city is to increase support in our public schools.”

Another grantee, Children’s Aid is providing comprehensive, holistic mental health support services and violence prevention programming to vulnerable youth in the South Bronx and East Harlem. 

They plan to use Trinity’s $250,000 grant to improve the mental health and well-being for young people through the development of social-emotional skills, conflict resolution, and safe home environments.

“Intergenerational poverty and systemic racism inhibit youth in the communities we serve from achieving their true potential,” said Phoebe Boyer, President and Chief Executive Officer of Children’s Aid. “Supporting youth comprehensively from college counseling to mental health services is an investment in healthy minds and safer communities in the South Bronx and East Harlem.”

With $300,000, Eye to Eye will partner with 20-25 public schools to provide mentoring, teacher training, and community building to support students with learning disabilities. The project aims to help neurodivergent learners understand their strengths, deepen their sense of belonging, and advocate for themselves in schools. 

Five grants center LGBTQ+ communities, including youth struggling with housing insecurity. The Ali Forney Center is receiving a $300,000 grant for the expansion of onsite mental health services for homeless LGBTQ+ youth.

“Providing housing and onsite services is key to supporting LGBTQ+ youth who have dealt with trauma, family rejection, and the emotional toll of street homelessness,” said Alexander Roque, President and Executive Director of the Ali Forney Center. “Mental health support that is carefully tailored for these young people to regain their well-being and move towards stability and independence is key for their overall health. We are grateful for the support of Trinity Church Wall Street in this investment in the mental health and well-being of homeless youth.”

With these latest grants, Trinity also continues its work on addressing New York City’s housing and homelessness crisis, which not only includes expanding access to housing, but also access to services.

Four grants of $200,000 each strive to build capacity for Community Development Corporations (CDCs) serving New York neighborhoods under increasing development pressure. One such grant, to Fifth Avenue Committee, will facilitate the completion of a 100% affordable housing development in Sunset Park, Brooklyn, which will include 50 housing units and a new public library branch at the base of the building.

Trinity is awarding $5.2 million in grants to organizations for faith-based, community-focused initiatives throughout New York City, the U.S., and internationally. In New York City, Trinity is making a five-year commitment of $1.4 million dollars to the Enterprise Community Partners’ Faith-Based Development Initiative to help faith-based organizations in the five boroughs expand their mission to address the housing affordability challenge in their own communities. This will provide faith-based organizations with real estate development training, technical assistance, and pre-development support to convert their underutilized properties into affordable housing.

A grant of $350,000 to the UCC Church Building & Loan Fund will help four churches in urban Black, Brown Indigenous communities to fund pre-development costs in planning property development projects that will help to serve and revitalize their neighborhoods.

Pride in the Pews, a project of Interfaith Youth Care, is receiving $150,000 to create a fellowship program that will support and amplify the work of Black church leaders who have demonstrated success in working with their congregations on LGBTQ+ inclusion. The conflict resolution skills honed through this model are broadly applicable for contemporary faith leaders.

These latest grants bring Trinity’s 2022 total in grantmaking to $42.7 million. Trinity has a total of 633 active grants and had its largest year for grantmaking in 2021 with $46 million in awards. 

The grantees are:

Housing and Homelessness 
Ali Forney Center
Arab-American Family Support Center
Bailey House
Broadway Housing Communities
City Limits
Community Service Society of New York
Cypress Hills Local Development Corporation
Empire State Coalition of Youth and Family Services
Fifth Avenue Committee
Housing Plus Solutions
Housing Rights Initiative
IMPACCT Brooklyn
JustFix
Local Initiatives Support Corporation
National Alliance on Mental Illness of New York City
National Law Center on Homelessness & Poverty
Nazareth Housing
New Alternatives for Children
New York Foundation
New York State Tenants & Neighbors Information Service
New York University (Furman Center for Real Estate and Urban Policy)
Osborne Association
Queens Power
Safe Horizon
Settlement Housing Fund
Sheltering Arms Children & Family Services
Trinity Community Connection (Trinity Place Shelter)
United Way of New York City
Urban Pathways
West End Residences HDFC

Leadership Development 
African Leadership Transformation Foundation
Presencing Institute
Pride in the Pews

Mission Real Estate Development 
Diocese of Biharamulo, Tanzania
Diocese of Bujumbura, Burundi
Diocese of Kagera, Tanzania
Diocese of Goma, Democratic Republic of Congo
Diocese of Ruvuma, Tanzania
Enterprise Community Partners
Joint Venture Churches of Almaden, San Jose, CA
Kinetic Christian Center
St. Christopher’s Mission, Navajoland
St. John’s Cathedral, Denver, CO
St. Luke’s Episcopal Church, Seattle, WA
Local Church Ministries Church Building & Loan Fund

Racial Justice 
African Communities Together
Black Women’s Blueprint
Bronx Community College
Children of Promise, NYC
Children’s Defense Fund – New York
Community Access
Community Connections for Youth
Community Service Society of New York
Eye to Eye
FreeCap Financial
Girl Vow
Good Call NYC
Justice Committee
Legal Action Center
LIFE Camp
Lineage Project
Marshall Project
Mobilization for Justice
Movement for Family Power
New Hour for Women and Children – Long Island
New York Immigration Coalition
New York Peace Institute
Partners for Dignity & Rights
Pure Legacee
Rikers Public Memory Project
The B.R.E.A.T.H.E. Collective
Urban Youth Collaborative
Women’s Community Justice Association
Worth Rises

Special Opportunity
Global Impact Investing Network
The Aspen Institute
The Children’s Aid Society
The Wellness Classroom

About Trinity Church Wall Street:
Trinity Church Wall Street is a growing and inclusive Episcopal parish of more than 1,200 members. For more than three centuries, Trinity has been a part of the fabric of New York City-weaving together a vibrant and diverse parish of people of all backgrounds from the five boroughs and surrounding area. The parish is guided by its core values: faith, integrity, inclusiveness, compassion, social justice, and stewardship. These principles are the reason Trinity champions justice and equity through public advocacy, neighborhood outreach, and financial resources. More than 20 worship services are offered every week online and at its historic sanctuaries, Trinity Church and St. Paul’s Chapel, the cornerstones of the parish’s community life, worship, and mission, and online at trinitywallstreet.org.