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NYC charity Robin Hood awards $1M each to 3 groups supporting impoverished children
By
Giulia Heyward
Published Apr 9, 2024
Modified Apr 9, 2024
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Angela Weiss/AFP via Getty Images
By
Giulia Heyward
Published Apr 9, 2024
Modified Apr 9, 2024
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Three local organizations will each receive up to $1 million to help New York City children living in poverty, according to an announcement by the Robin Hood Foundation.
Chances for Children, Family Cook Productions and Forestdale were awarded the funding from the philanthropic giant on Tuesday. The awards were based on the groups’ ability to use community partnerships and innovate in an area where need has almost doubled following the end of pandemic-era aid programs.
“Childhood poverty – even if it’s not your direct issue – is very much a city wide issue,” said Kelly Escobar, Robin Hood’s managing director of early childhood. “We are talking about the next generation of people going into the workforce, into the schools. We are thinking about how to ensure all of New York City is thriving – and we can’t necessarily just privilege folks who are not in poverty, and close our eyes to those.”
The expiration of pandemic-era aid has caused poverty rates to soar, including among children. Nearly 420,000 children were living in poverty in New York City as of 2022, according to the most recent poverty report from Robin Hood and Columbia University's Center of Poverty and Social Policy. This is a sharp increase from the previous year's estimate, which numbered 260,000 impoverished children.
Roughly 500,000 New York City children currently live in poverty, and 120,000 of them younger than 3 years old, according to another report from Robin Hood released earlier this year.
Chances for Children, Family Cook Productions and Forestdale are involved in work that handles parent-child therapy, family nutrition, and trauma.
Chances for Children has already expanded its reach by more than a quarter. Representatives from Forestdale and Family Cook Productions said they also expect to service more families through the additional funding.
“Our plan – with this grant – is to increase our internal capacity so that we can serve more families each year,” William “Bill” Weisberg, who heads Forestdale, told Gothamist.
Over the three years, the organizations have received well over $1 million, a RobinHood representative told Gothamist. Forestdale and Chances for Children will both receive $1 million while Family Cook Productions will receive $750,000. All organizations previously received $250,000 in the year while the initial cohort were also awarded $25,000.
The three organizations won the FUEL for 50 Challenge, which includes funding from a special program known as the Fund for Early Learning, which is separate from Robin Hood’s core grantmaking.
This story has been updated with new information.
Tagged
economics
child care
public safety
housing
poverty
Giulia Heyward
Giulia Heyward is a breaking news reporter on the Day-Of desk. She previously worked at NPR, as a breaking news reporter, and the New York Times, as a reporting fellow on the national desk. Her work has also appeared in CNN, The Atlantic and Politico. Got a tip? Email [email protected] or more securely on signal at 917-715-1458.
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