ALBANY, N.Y. (NEWS10) – On Wednesday, August 25. Commissioner Betty Rosa said the State Education Department’s community schools’ technical assistance centers will provide the grants to 47 entities of community and faith-based organizations across New York state.
New York State will receive over $1 million in federal Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security (CARES Act) funds to provide services and supports for students and families adversely affected by the pandemic.
The New York State Education Department had previously used CARES Act funding to amend two existing contracts with the Community Schools Technical Assistance Centers (CSTACs) at Fordham University and the Research Foundation for the State University of New York (RF SUNY) at Binghamton University to expand their scope of work.
The amended contracts allow the CSTACs to partner with the community and faith-based organizations, as well as school districts, to leverage the resources and experience of community-based partners to address the needs of children and families most adversely impacted by Coronavirus.
“The COVID-19 pandemic has deeply affected New York’s students, who have suffered from social isolation, experienced personal and community loss of connection, witnessed ongoing civil unrest, faced economic hardship, and for many, lost loved ones,” said Commissioner Rosa. “By working with our community and faith-based partners in the neighborhoods hardest hit by the pandemic, we are making strides in supporting and helping children in these communities.”
The grants range from $10,000 to $25,000 for Not-for-profit and faith-based organizations that were eligible to apply for funding. The regions eligible for program support were identified based on economic disadvantage and the adverse impacts of the coronavirus. The partnership awards will be disseminated to organizations providing support to children and their families in the following areas:
- Social Emotional Learning and/or Mental Health services;
- Academic enrichment;
- Digital literacy for students and families; and
- Family services
“As the pandemic raged in New York, we saw our historically most marginalized communities bear the brunt of the impact,” said Board of Regents Chancellor Lester W. Young, Jr. “Working with community and faith-based organizations in those areas, resources will now be available to the children and families that need them.”
New York State Cares for Communities Partnership Awards
| Awardee | Region Served | Counties/Boroughs Served | Service Categories | Award |
| A House on Beekman | New York City | Bronx | Academic Enrichment, Social Emotional Learning or Mental Health Services, Family Services | $21,500 |
| Albany Community Action Partnership | Hudson Valley | Albany | Family Services | $25,000 |
| Astor Services for Children & Families | New York City | Bronx | Social-Emotional Learning or Mental Health Services, Family Services | $20,000 |
| Autism Society Habilitation Organization, Inc. (ASHO) | New York City | Queens | Social-Emotional Learning or Mental Health Services, Digital Literacy | $25,000 |
| Barbershop Books, Inc. | New York City | Bronx, Kings (Brooklyn), New York (Manhattan), Richmond (Staten Island) | Academic Enrichment, Social Emotional Learning or Mental Health Services | $25,000 |
| Berea Scholars Inc. | New York City | Kings (Brooklyn) | Academic Enrichment, Social Emotional Learning or Mental Health Services, Digital Literacy, Family Services | $25,000 |
| Berkshire Farm Center and Services for Youth | Hudson Valley | Dutchess | Family Services | $24,875 |
| BestSelf Behavioral Health, Inc. | Western New York | Erie | Social-Emotional Learning or Mental Health Services | $25,000 |
| Catholic Charities of Onondaga County | Central New York | Onondaga | Digital Literacy | $25,000 |
| Center for Community Alternatives | Central New York | Onondaga | Social-Emotional Learning or Mental Health Services | $25,000 |
| Center For Family Life and Recovery | Central New York | Oneida | Social-Emotional Learning or Mental Health Services, Digital Literacy, Family Services | $18,377 |
| Central Family Life Center, Inc. | New York City | Richmond (Staten Island) | Academic Enrichment, Social Emotional Learning or Mental Health Services, Digital Literacy, Family Services | $24,561 |
| Community Action of Orleans & Genesee, Inc. | Western New York | Orleans | Social-Emotional Learning or Mental Health Services, Digital Literacy | $25,000 |
| Community Mediation Services, Inc. (CMS) | New York City | Queens | Academic Enrichment, Social Emotional Learning or Mental Health Services | $11,262 |
| Contact Community Services | Central New York | Onondaga | Social-Emotional Learning or Mental Health Services, Family Services | $23,260 |
| Cornell Cooperative Extension Oneida County | Central New York | Madison, Oneida | Academic Enrichment, Social Emotional Learning or Mental Health Services | $19,555 |
| Educational Alliance | New York City | New York (Manhattan) | Academic Enrichment, Social Emotional Learning or Mental Health Services | $18,100 |
| Empowered Pathways | Central New York | Madison, Oneida | $16,310 | |
| Family Help Center | Western New York | Erie, Niagara | Academic Enrichment, Social Emotional Learning or Mental Health Services, Family Services | $20,000 |
| Food 4 Ur Soul International Kitchen Mobile Soup Kitchen and Pantry, Inc. | Long Island | Suffolk | Academic Enrichment, Social Emotional Learning or Mental Health Services, Digital Literacy, Family Services | $25,000 |
| FORESTDALE, INC. | New York City | Kings (Brooklyn), Queens | Academic Enrichment, Social Emotional Learning or Mental Health Services | $25,000 |
| Fresh Youth Initiatives | New York City | New York (Manhattan) | Academic Enrichment, Social Emotional Learning or Mental Health Services | $25,000 |
| Girl Be Heard | New York City | Bronx, Kings (Brooklyn), New York (Manhattan), Queens | Social-Emotional Learning or Mental Health Services | $25,000 |
| Global Kids | New York City | Bronx, Kings (Brooklyn), New York (Manhattan), Queens, Richmond (Staten Island) | Academic Enrichment, Social Emotional Learning or Mental Health Services | $25,000 |
| Hudson River Housing, Inc. | Hudson Valley | Dutchess | Academic Enrichment, Social Emotional Learning or Mental Health Services | $10,498 |
| Joe Torre Safe At Home | New York City | Bronx, Kings (Brooklyn), New York (Manhattan), Queens | Social-Emotional Learning or Mental Health Services | $25,000 |
| La Fuerza Unida, Inc. | Long Island | Nassau | Academic Enrichment, Family Services | $15,068 |
| Long Island Crisis Center | Long Island | Nassau, Suffolk | Social-Emotional Learning or Mental Health Services | $25,000 |
| Make the Road New York | New York City | Kings (Brooklyn), Queens | Academic Enrichment, Social Emotional Learning or Mental Health Services | $25,000 |
| New Alternatives for Children, Inc. | New York City | Bronx, New York (Manhattan), Queens, Richmond (Staten Island) | Academic Enrichment, Social Emotional Learning or Mental Health Services | $17,463 |
| New Directions Youth & Family Services | Western New York | Erie, Niagara, Orleans | Social-Emotional Learning or Mental Health Services | $25,000 |
| NIA Community Services Network, Inc. | New York City | Kings (Brooklyn) | Academic Enrichment, Social Emotional Learning or Mental Health Services | $25,000 |
| SPEAKHIRE | New York City | Bronx, Queens, Richmond (Staten Island) | Academic Enrichment, Social Emotional Learning or Mental Health Services, Digital Literacy | $17,463 |
| Student Advocacy, Inc. | Hudson Valley | Westchester | Social-Emotional Learning or Mental Health Services, Family Services | $24,314 |
| The Arthur Project | New York City | Bronx | Academic Enrichment, Social Emotional Learning or Mental Health Services | $23,926 |
| The Auditory Oral School of New York | New York City | Kings (Brooklyn) | Academic Enrichment, Social Emotional Learning or Mental Health Services, Family Services | $25,000 |
| The Bowery Mission | New York City | Bronx | Academic Enrichment, Social Emotional Learning or Mental Health Services, Digital Literacy | $15,744 |
| The Opening Word Program, Inc. | Long Island | Suffolk | Family Services | $25,000 |
| The Reading League | Central New York | Oneida, Onondaga | Academic Enrichment | $25,000 |
| The Urban League of Rochester, N.Y., Inc. | Western New York | Monroe | Social-Emotional Learning or Mental Health Services, Digital Literacy, Family Services | $25,000 |
| United Way of the Dutchess-Orange Region, Inc. | Hudson Valley | Dutchess, Orange | Social-Emotional Learning or Mental Health Services, Family Services | $25,000 |
| Urban Dove | New York City | Bronx, Kings (Brooklyn), New York (Manhattan), Queens | Academic Enrichment | $25,000 |
| Villa of Hope | Western New York | Monroe | Academic Enrichment, Social Emotional Learning or Mental Health Services, Digital Literacy, Family Services | $17,811 |
| Vision of Hope Caregivers Inc. | Long Island | Nassau | Academic Enrichment, Social Emotional Learning or Mental Health Services, Digital Literacy | $25,000 |
| Washingtonville Housing Alliance | Hudson Valley | Westchester | Academic Enrichment, Digital Literacy | $25,000 |
| Westchester Jewish Community Services, Inc. | Hudson Valley | Westchester | Academic Enrichment, Social Emotional Learning or Mental Health Services, Digital Literacy | $25,000 |
| Young Women’s Christian Association of the City of New York | New York City | Bronx, Kings (Brooklyn), New York (Manhattan), Queens, Richmond (Staten Island) | Academic Enrichment | $25,00 |
| Total Awarded: | $1,060,085 |
The program expands the variety of services already provided through the CSTACs, which helps to meet the goal of increasing statewide capacity to support effective Community School strategies, to continue in serving all of New York State through consultation, training, and support to school districts and community providers in three regions: the Central-Western CSTAC led by Binghamton University; the Eastern CSTAC led by Rockland 21C; and the New York City CSTAC led by Fordham University.
