New York Community Trust and Robin Hood offer $4M to support migrants

STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. — The New York Community Trust and Robin Hood are offering at least $4 million to nonprofit organizations supporting the city’s migrants.

“Philanthropy, nonprofits, and government have each invested substantial time and money to help meet the needs of new New Yorkers,” Shawn Morehead, The Trust’s vice president for grants, said in a press release. “By developing a unified approach, The Funds for the Newest New Yorkers aim to build coordinated, resilient systems that can support current and future arrivals to the city.”

This funding will help organizations accommodate the over 200,000 migrants and asylum seekers who have arrived in New York City since 2022. The Funds for the Newest New Yorkers is an initiative that will “facilitate economic inclusion and mobility for newly arrived immigrants while strengthening the city’s social service infrastructure and resilience against future crises that cause strain,” according to the press release.

By giving nonprofits the opportunity to aid the migrant population, the New York Community Trust and Robin Hood hope to promote both long and short-term support for the community.

The New York City Community Trust encourages philanthropy, equity and innovation throughout New York. Robin Hood is a poverty-fighting organization that prioritizes upward mobility. The partnership between these two groups is to improve lives through the establishment of infrastructure and enhancement of social services, according to the press release.

On Staten Island specifically, this funding will bring nonprofits the increased ability to provide migrants with legal support and resources, as well as help those living in shelters. Organizations will be able to offer education, job training, English classes, childcare and more.

The New York Community Trust and Robin Hood hope that this money will promote coordination between government agencies and the private sector to support community members.

“The Funds for the Newest New Yorkers are not just about financial support, but are catalyzing a new infrastructure to aid the nonprofits and governmental agencies on the frontlines of social service delivery in a way that neither can accomplish alone. Long after this crisis recedes, we hope this work will influence future public funding design and decisions to strengthen the sector and our response mode to newcomers in need,” Emary Aronson, chief knowledge officer and senior advisor to the CEO at Robin Hood, said.

The advisory board of this initiative includes representatives from the offices of Mayor Eric Adams, Comptroller Brad Lander and Gov. Kathy Hochul. Philanthropic organizations like the UJA Federation and Ford Foundation are also involved.

Nonprofit organizations on Staten Island can apply for this funding until September 16 here: grantseeker.thenytrust.org/RobinHood.

“Immigrants helped to make our city what it is today. They are valued members of our community and we must ensure that structures remain in place to aid their resiliency, enabling them to thrive because New York must always be a beacon of hope and opportunity,” Aronson said.