Mother Cabrini Health Foundation Awards $160 Million in Grants to Support Vulnerable Communities Across New York State

NEW YORK, Jan. 20, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- The Mother Cabrini Health Foundation announced today it awarded more than 450 year-end 2021 grants totaling $140 million to support organizations and programs addressing the health-related needs of low-income residents and underserved communities across New York State in 2022.

This is in addition to $20 million in funding authorized for emergency COVID-19 programs earlier in 2021.

In all, the Foundation's $160 million in 2021 funding supports 507 programs to improve health and human services during a time of unprecedented need. In the three years since its inception, the Foundation has awarded grants totaling nearly $470 million.

The $140 million in new grants will support programs in 2022, including $14 million to three-year strategic efforts focused on improving oral health access and outcomes, increasing availability and access to quality healthcare, and funding programs to provide young children with necessary health and education resources to succeed in underserved communities.

"As we look back at the compounding crises of the last few years, the health-related needs of vulnerable communities have only grown. Our grantees have demonstrated tremendous resilience, creativity, and dedication to serving those in need, especially as the COVID-19 pandemic continues to have such detrimental impact," said Alfred F. Kelly, Jr., Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Visa and Chair of the Mother Cabrini Health Foundation Board.

"After nearly two years of recovery from a pandemic that has hit vulnerable populations the hardest, we must continue to address the challenges communities across New York State are facing: food and housing insecurity, lack of access to basic healthcare including vaccines, lack of equity within the healthcare professions, and racial and economic healthcare disparities made worse during COVID-19. We must continue to support the full range of services that make for healthy people and communities," said Msgr. Gregory Mustaciuolo, Chief Executive Officer of the Mother Cabrini Health Foundation.

"This year the Foundation is proud to support so many essential, innovative, and hard-working groups working on behalf of the health of New Yorkers. These include an array of religiously affiliated organizations that support critical programs through a well-established infrastructure serving the needs of the poor and underserved of all faiths," said Kathryn Ruscitto, Chair of the Mother Cabrini Health Foundation's Regional Grants Committee.

"To complement its statewide grantmaking efforts and improve the health of underserved and vulnerable New Yorkers in a truly impactful way, this year the Foundation is continuing its commitment to strategic, long-term grants to address key issues of health equity and access as they impact low-income and vulnerable populations," said Kathryn Connerton, President and CEO of Lourdes Hospital in Binghamton and Chair of the Foundation's Statewide Grants Committee overseeing strategic grants.

In addition to funding COVID-19 relief, the grants address a range of urgent health needs and social determinants of health across New York State. These include programs that enhance access to mental health counseling, increase availability of nutritious food in food deserts, improve access to healthcare and transportation, support older adults with access to technology, strengthen veteran services, and offer scholarship support as well as remote learning opportunities. Initiatives also promote housing, employment assistance, and translation services; advancements in telehealth technology; and extended legal and social services.

Recipients include community-based organizations, food banks, healthcare providers, nursing homes, schools, federally qualified health centres, and trade associations that are addressing the needs of target populations: low-income individuals and families; older adults; youth and young adults; persons with special needs; immigrants and migrant workers; veterans; formerly incarcerated individuals; and young children, pregnant women, and new moms.

The Foundation's new round of grants includes:

• $54 million toward general services for low-income individuals and families, including a grant to City Mission of Schenectady to expand its Transitional Housing and Wellness Center, and to Island Harvest Food Bank to expand its East End Expansion Program route to a network of food pantries on Long Island's East End.
• $21 million toward needs of young children, pregnant women, and new moms, including grants to Daystar Kids to support its new Rochester-based Pediatric Complex Care program that would ensure children and families experience a seamless transition from hospital to home, and to the Read to Them Inc. program in Syracuse to reverse literacy loss caused by the pandemic.
• $18 million toward programming, nursing, and caregiving services for older adults, including a grant to Presbyterian Senior Services to support its Life University program which helps older adults become more comfortable using technology and engages them in array of online classes centered on popular topics including health, wellness, legal support, retirement strategies, and arts and culture.
• $18 million toward programs serving youth and young adults over 12 years old, including a grant to the Mental Health Association of New York State in Albany to renew support for its Family Education Project, which provides guidance and resources to equip families and schools to address youth mental health services.
• $13 million toward general services for immigrants and migrant workers, including a grant to the Safe Passage Project to continue providing critical legal and social services for unaccompanied minor refugees as immigration proceedings ramp back up.
• $12 million toward housing and general services for persons with special needs, including a grant to Westchester Institute for Human Development to expand mobile primary care services to individuals with disabilities, and to Montefiore Medical Center to enhance treatment for children with autism.
• $2 million toward opportunities for formerly incarcerated individuals, including a grant to Providence House for their Women's Justice Program and Trinity Church Wall Street to expand access to housing and support services for women exiting Rikers Island.
• $1 million toward support services for veterans, including a grant to the Albany Housing Coalition to expand its Veterans Employment and Training Services ("VETS") program and provide case management to homeless veterans to help them secure sustainable employment.

In 2020, the Foundation launched an initial round of strategic grants, committing $5 million to strengthen the infrastructure of dental health systems across New York state. At year-end 2021, the Foundation expanded its strategic grantmaking portfolio, launching $14 million in grants to 46 programs focused on three areas: a second year of grants supporting oral healthcare access, and new grants to address health disparity, and early childhood health and development. Strategic grants include:

• $6 million to achieve localized health equity, expand the diversity of the health workforce pipeline, strengthen health partnerships around key health equity issues, expand telehealth efforts in rural communities, and train healthcare providers to serve individuals with special needs appropriately and effectively. Grantees include Community Health Care Association of New York State; Iroquois Healthcare Association, Inc.; Hunter College Foundation; and Catholic Health System of Long Island, Inc.
• $4 million to provide important early childhood intervention services for children living in high poverty urban and rural communities as well as immigrant children. Grantees include Children's Health Fund, Buffalo Hearing & Speech Center Inc., United Way of CNY, and YMCA of Greater New York.
• $4 million to continue to improve oral health access and outcomes in underserved communities through widespread tele-dentistry programs and expanded use of mobile dental vans. Grantees include the NYU Dentistry Oral Health Center for People with Disabilities, Syracuse Community Health Center Inc., the University at Buffalo, and the University of Rochester.

In spring 2021, the Foundation invited organizations from across the State to apply for funding through an open process, receiving over 1,500 letters of interest, both from returning grantees and new organizations. Approximately half of the grants were for $250,000 or more. For approximately 45 percent of funded programs, the Foundation is the largest private funder.

Click HERE for a list of year-end 2021 Mother Cabrini Health Foundation grantees.

About Mother Cabrini Health Foundation  
The Mother Cabrini Health Foundation is a private, nonprofit organization whose mission is to improve the health and well-being of New Yorkers, bolster the health outcomes of vulnerable communities, eliminate barriers to care, and bridge gaps in health services. Named after a tireless advocate for immigrants, children, and the poor, the Foundation funds programs and initiatives across New York State that provide either direct healthcare services or address the social determinants of health. For more information, visit https://www.cabrinihealth.org/

Media Contacts: 
Sarah Epelman, [email protected]; (347) 668-4586 
Bob Varettoni, [email protected]; (917) 734-4156

SOURCE Mother Cabrini Health Foundation