Trinity Church Wall Street Grants Respond to Growing Crisis of Youth Mental Health in New York City

NEW YORK, November 21, 2022 (Newswire.com) - Trinity Church Wall Street, in its latest set of grants, has awarded $20.4 million to organizations in New York City, the U.S., and internationally.

The grants range from $50,000 to $1.4 million, with much of the money going to organizations focused on the mental health of New York City youth. The work of these groups includes comprehensive support services, mental health outreach to homeless LGBTQ+ youth, equipping school environments to better support the learning and social needs of students with learning disabilities, and programs to support New York City's faith-based organizations.

"The isolation of the pandemic put a spotlight on an already growing mental health crisis in our city. It also exposed the fragility of our children when their daily lives of school and in-person activities are disrupted," said the Rev. Phillip A. Jackson, Rector of Trinity Church Wall Street. "Trinity is excited to work with organizations that are focusing their efforts on the mental health of our youth and giving them the tools they need to thrive."

Trinity's commitment to investing in the mental health of young people is highlighted by a $1.1 million grant to The Wellness Classroom, a project of FJC - A Foundation of Philanthropic Funds. This new funder collaborative will invest several million dollars annually to identify, fund, and expand programs that address adolescent mental health and promote well-being for children and young adults. 

"Trinity seeks to invest and learn with other philanthropic funders to support the mental health and emotional well-being of the 1.1 million students in New York City's public schools," said Neill Coleman, Executive Director, Trinity Church Wall Street Philanthropies. "Trinity understands the urgency of focusing on young people's mental health. One in five New Yorkers says the most important priority for mental health in our city is to increase supports in our public schools."

Another grantee, Children's Aid is providing comprehensive, holistic mental health support services and violence prevention programming to vulnerable youth in the South Bronx and East Harlem. 

They plan to use Trinity's $250,000 grant to improve the mental health and well-being for young people through the development of social-emotional skills, conflict resolution, and safe home environments.

With $300,000, Eye to Eye will partner with 20-25 public schools to provide mentoring, teacher training, and community building to support students with learning disabilities. The project aims to help neurodivergent learners understand their strengths, deepen their sense of belonging, and advocate for themselves in schools. 

Five grants center LGBTQ+ communities, including youth struggling with housing insecurity. The Ali Forney Center is receiving a $300,000 grant for the expansion of onsite mental health services for homeless LGBTQ+ youth.

With these latest grants, Trinity also continues its work on addressing New York City's housing and homelessness crisis, which not only includes expanding access to housing, but also access to services.

Trinity is awarding $5.2 million in grants to organizations for faith-based, community-focused initiatives throughout New York City, the U.S., and internationally. In New York City, Trinity is making a five-year commitment of $1.4 million dollars to the Enterprise Community Partners' Faith-Based Development Initiative to help faith-based organizations in the five boroughs expand their mission to address the housing affordability challenge in their own communities. This will provide faith-based organizations with real estate development training, technical assistance, and pre-development support to convert their underutilized properties into affordable housing.

A grant of $350,000 to the UCC Church Building & Loan Fund will help four churches in urban Black, Brown Indigenous communities to fund pre-development costs in planning property development projects that will help to serve and revitalize their neighborhoods.

Pride in the Pews is receiving $150,000 to create a fellowship program that will support and amplify the work of Black church leaders who have demonstrated success in working with their congregations on LGBTQ+ inclusion. The conflict resolution skills honed through this model are broadly applicable for contemporary faith leaders.

These latest grants bring Trinity's 2022 total in grantmaking to $42.7 million. Trinity has a total of 633 active grants and had its largest year for grantmaking in 2021 with $46 million in awards. 

Source: Trinity Church Wall Street