Three local organizations will each receive nearly $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.
“This additional funding will allow us to train additional staff and collaborate with partner agencies, dramatically expanding our impact over the years to come,” said Forestdale’s head William Weisberg.
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.
“By supporting parents and caregivers, we are reaching beyond traditional child care centers, enabling us to move nimbly, elevate what works, and build a New York City where every space a child inhabits provides an opportunity to learn and thrive,” said Robin Hood CEO Richard Buery Jr.