TOP NEWS
City councilman pushing for probe of foster-care center: A city councilman is calling on the Administration for Children’s Services to disclose how it handles troubled kids in a foster-care center who are sent next door to Bellevue Hospital for possible psychiatric medication, the New York Post reports. Councilman Paul Vallone said he has asked the council to hold a hearing on an agreement between ACS and Bellevue to treat youths in city custody at the Nicholas Scopetta Children’s Center on First Avenue.
City should not have awarded housing deal to buyer of former nursing home, local groups say: A developer that conspired to dupe city officials about plans for a former nursing home should not be handed the reins on a massive residential project on city-owned land, outraged community groups say, according to Crain’s.
Tahl Propp, Enterprise agree to keep 549 Harlem apartments affordable for 40 years: The city has cut a $135 million deal with Tahl Propp Equities and others to renovate five affordable housing properties in Harlem and to keep more than 500 apartments affordable for the next 40 years, The Real Deal writes. National nonprofit Enterprise Community Partners and its subsidiaries have bought a stake in Tahl’s properties to help renovate the 18 buildings at five affordable housing projects.
Brooklyn church, over a century old, likely to make way for affordable housing: After a series of clashes and compromises, the Roman Catholic Diocese of Brooklyn filed an application in June with the New York City Buildings Department to demolish the Our Lady of Loreto church which was built by Italian immigrants in 1908 in Brownsville, according to the New York Times. Catholic Charities plans to build low-income housing on the property.
Researchers or corporate allies? Think tanks blur the line: Think tanks are seen as independent, but their scholars often push donors’ agendas, amplifying a culture of corporate influence in Washington, the New York Times writes. The shift has occurred as nonprofits in general have been under increasing pressure from their donors to meet specific goals.
Struggling hospital spends thousands on lavish travel, dinners: The New York Post writes that struggling SUNY Downstate Medical Center in Brooklyn allowed a top “restructuring” consultant to bill the state for $83,000 in lavish travel, lodging and dining expenses, a scathing audit by state Comptroller Tom DiNapoli reveals. The expenditures included pricey rooms at the Carlyle Hotel on the Upper East Side, a booze-infused “team dinner” at the Docks Oyster Bar in Midtown, and sticker-shock limo bills, the audit found.
A call to action for New York City’s struggling Holocaust survivors: When New York City approved its 2016 fiscal year budget, for the very first time, it included a 1.5-million-dollar allocation to assist Holocaust survivors living in poverty, Blue Card Executive Director Masha Pearl writes in the Huffington Post. The decision to pass the New York City Council Survivor Initiative was a result of long term advocacy by New York based nonprofit organizations, government agencies, and local activists, but there is still so much more that can and needs to be done. See New York Nonprofit Media’s interview with Masha Pearl here.
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At the Center of Social Impact
Explore non-degree programs in social enterprise at Columbia Business School Executive Education and find yourself at the center of social impact.
Jump-start your career at MCNY! Join us at our Grad Info Session onThursday, August 11 from 6-8 pm at our brand new Financial District campus. Learn how to advance your career and network with faculty and alumni. Fall semester starts Thursday, Sept. 8. Seats are filling up fast!Financial Aid and scholarship opportunities available. RSVP here.
* NYN PODCASTS: Subscribe to get all of NYN Media’s in-depth conversations with NY Nonprofit sector newsmakers via City & State Presents on iTunes or Stitcher.
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NYN BUZZ
Applications due by Sept. 12 for Technical Assistance Grants:
Applications are available to eligible municipalities and not-for-profit organizations to compete for Technical Assistance Grants, a signature grant program of the New York State Council on the Arts and the Preservation League of New York State, according to a press release. For a second year, the Erie Canalway National Heritage Corridor has provided additional support for the fall TAG funding round. A total of $34,528 is available, which includes $24,528 from NYSCA and $10,000 from the Erie Canalway National Heritage Corridor. Funds from the Erie Canalway National Heritage Corridor must be used within the corridor. The first of two grant rounds for 2016 awarded $28,600 to ten projects in ten counties.
The New York City Mission Society is bringing the gift of music to underserved students in New York City:
The New York City Mission Society, a centuries old nonprofit in Harlem, is working to remedy cut cultural programs with a unique program called GRIOT(which stands for Global Rhythms In Our Tribe). Created in partnership with the Afro Latin Jazz Alliance, GRIOT brings the gift of music to students who otherwise have no access to professional music instruction. Piloted last year with 30 students, the Mission Society expects to enroll approximately 60 students for the upcoming 2016-2017 academic year. From September 13, 2016 to June 13, 2017, 10- to 18-year-old students enrolled in GRIOT will meet twice a week after school at Minisink, the Mission Society’s flagship community center in Harlem.
JRM Construction Management Issues RFP for 2017 Community Impact Grants:
JRM Construction Management issued a Request for Proposals for its 2017 Community Impact Grants program. Through the program, JRM will award grants of up to $25,000 each to three nonprofit organizations working in any one of three focus areas: health, education/youth services, or housing and food security. Grants may be used for program/project support or general operating support. See the RFP for complete program guidelines and application instructions.
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PAYING MORE THAN YOU NEED TO FOR TELECOM SERVICES?
AMS can help nonprofits save money: Review for Billing Errors - Audit invoices against your billing records for discrepancies; Optimizing Existing Plans - Assessing existing plans to optimize utilization without switching carriers; Efficient Services - Explore more robust options available for the same cost; Savings for Organizations - Focus on what really matters, with additional available resources to support your mission. To receive a preliminary complimentary assessment click here.
Become the Social Entrepreneur You Want to Be
Transform your professional life at an executive education program at Columbia Business School in New York City. Our non-degree programs in social enterprise bring you right to the very center of business, immersing you in relevant information and providing you with actionable skills that you can use both immediately and over the long term.
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NYN CAREERS
(Visit www.nyncareers.com to view all jobs.)
Foster Care Caseworker, SCO Family of Services
SCO Family of Services helps vulnerable New Yorkers build a strong foundation for the future. We get young children off to a good start, launch youth into adulthood, stabilize and strengthen families and unlock potential for children and adults with special needs. The foster care caseworker will provide comprehensive casework and support services for children and families involved in the foster care system under the guidance of a Foster Care Supervisor. Utilize Solution-Based Casework to engage with and build a partnership with each family that pragmatically focuses on the necessary skills that ensure safety and restore the family’s confidence and competence.
Director of Community Habilitative Services, Edwin Gould Services for Children and Families
The Director of Community and Habilitative Services is responsible for direct oversight of the Medicaid Service Coordination department, Residential Habilitation Specialists, ISS and Community Habilitation programs. The Director of CHS will ensure compliance with all regulatory and billing requirements for all designated programs. The Director of Community and Habilitative Services will represent the organization at public forms, including family support fairs, conferences, task forces and membership organization meetings. The Director of CHS will foster person centered planning principles and work to integrate those principles into the development of effective and meaningful programming. Work is performed under the supervision of the Division Director of ID/DD programs.
Job Developer (SEMP), Goodwill Industries of Greater New York and Northern New Jersey
We are very excited to announce that Goodwill’s SEMP program is currently seeking a passionate and energetic Job Developer to join our team. In this role, you will be responsible for developing and securing employment opportunities for participants in intensive Supported Employment programs. The successful candidate will ensure that clients are properly assessed and given job referrals for employment opportunities, and will be responsible for following up with employers post-interviews to obtain outcomes.
NYN MEDIA CAREERS: To advertise your employment opportunities with NYN Media email lblake@cityandstateny.com.
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POLITICAL BULLETIN by CITY & STATE:
* With time possibly running out on Bharara's term, many are bracing for a frenzy of activity as his office works to finish up ongoing cases looking into the Cuomo and de Blasio administrations before the next president takes office, the Daily News’ Ken Lovett reports.
* A nonprofit created by Brooklyn Borough President Eric Adams to advance his pet projects is being probed by both federal authorities and the city’s Department of Investigation to see if it is being used to dish out pay-to-play favors, the Post writes.
* Outgoing NYPD Commissioner Bill Bratton said his biggest regrets of his tenure were having to bury officers killed in the line of duty and not fully healing the racial tensions that threatened to tear the city apart after the assassination of two of them, the Post writes.
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NYN SOCIAL BUZZ
Upcoming galas and events:
Aug. 13 -- The Evelyn Alexander Wildlife Rescue Center of the Hamptons hosts annual GET WILD Summer Gala
Aug. 17 -- ACC's Pit Bowl
Aug. 21 -- Damon Runyon Cancer Research Foundation's 8th Annual Runyon 5K at Yankee Stadium
Aug. 22 -- Habitat for Humanity of Suffolk hosts the 18th Annual Roger Metcalf Memorial Golf Classic at the Southward Ho Golf and Country Club in Bay Shore.
Sept. 7 -- Design Industries Foundation Fighting AIDS will host its fifth annual summer soiree and fundraiser, Picnic By Design.
* To have your event featured here send your top 1-2 photos, along with a one sentence caption and photo credit, to info@nynmedia.com with the subject line “Recent Galas and Events.” To see more events, check our events/community calendar here.
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Join the fun at the 15th Anniversary of “Camp Finance.” Hosted by NYCON onOctober 6th & 7th at Mohonk Mountain House in New Paltz NY, this is an incomparable two-day retreat experience for Executive Directors, Financial Staff, Board Members, Fundraisers, Marketing and Development Staff alike. Keynote Speakers include Vu Le, Nonprofit Humorist fromnonprofitwithballs.com and Melanie Herman, Executive Director at theNonprofit Risk Management Center. Information Online Now.
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NONPROFITS IN THE NEWS
"What was it like to be pregnant with me in jail?": StoryCorps profiles Kellie Phelan, who was incarcerated Rikers Island, and later moved with her daughter into Hour Children, a Queens-based nonprofit that provides supportive programs and transitional housing for women and mothers that have been incarcerated. Today, she works there as a program coordinator, mentoring youth whose parents are formerly or currently incarcerated, and often speaks openly about her own experiences.
New York buildings with communal gardens: At Hunters Point South, an affordable housing complex in Long Island City, Queens, a garden club with about 100 members helps tend a 2,300-square-foot communal garden on the 14th floor of one of two buildings, the New York Times writes. The garden is run by GrowNYC, a nonprofit organization that builds and supports community and school gardens, among other programs.
Bushwick school playground, plagued by graffiti, gets new mural painted by students: A wall at P.S. 120 in Bushwick is getting refurbished thanks to the nonprofit organization CITYarts, which funds a program to transform bleak walls like this into lively murals, NY1 writes.
Nonprofit group offers campers free eye exams: Campers at The Fresh Air summer camps in Fishkill received comprehensive eye exams and eyeglasses through a vision care clinic from OneSight, an independent nonprofit,according to the Poughkeepsie Journal.
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NYN EVENTS
On Thursday, September 15th, New York Nonprofit Media will host the 2nd annual Nonprofit MarkCon which will bring together marketing and communications executives from nonprofits across New York to discuss how to build a brand. We expect over 200 nonprofit communications, marketing, PR and strategy executives to attend this event. Topics to include: brand transformation, social media, event planning, integrated marketing, data analytics and more. If you are looking to reach nonprofit executives pleaseclick here.
Submit your nomination for New York Nonprofit Media’s first Cause Awards 2016: Honoring individuals/agencies/philanthropists who’ve had a major impact on the top human services concerns of the New York nonprofit sector throughout 2016. If a colleague, client or employer has had a major impact on one of this year's top causes though good work or philanthropy, nominate them for this great honor today by clicking here. The opportunity to submit your nominations will officially close Friday, September 16th at 6 pm.
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SECTOR FOCUS: Higher Education
College students protest, alumni’s fondness fades and checks shrink: A backlash from alumni is an unexpected aftershock of the campus disruptions of the last school year, the New York Times reports. Although fundraisers are still gauging the extent of the effect on philanthropy, some colleges - particularly small, elite liberal arts institutions - have reported a decline in donations, accompanied by a laundry list of complaints.
Study finds U.S. college endowments could afford to spend more: The richest U.S. colleges could pay more out of their endowments to help low-income students, according to a study that comes as some funds facing losses may reduce spending, Bloomberg writes. The report released Thursday from the Education Trust, a Washington nonprofit group, also criticizes the opacity of endowments, which don’t offer much detail about how their funds are spent and often make their tax returns “difficult to find.”
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TODAY’S GOVERNMENT SKED
11 a.m. – “The Capitol Pressroom” features former Gov. David Paterson and former Albany Law professor Paul Finkelman, the Ariel F. Sallows Visiting Professor of Human Rights Law College of Law at the University of Saskatchewan, WCNY.
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