This Week's Resources
If you have resources to share with our network, please contact Tobi Mojeed-Balogun our Associate Director of Programs Support.
2023 Youth Opportunity Grant Application Now Open!
We are thrilled to announce that the application for our Youth Opportunity Grant is now open! The deadline for the application is April 7th at 5 pm. You can find the link to the application here. To learn about EC's grants (including YOG), see here. Please contact me (Tobi) for more information about the information sessions and if you have any other questions or concerns.
Please note that April 7th is Good Friday and that the final week of the application submission period is Holy Week. Please endeavor to start early so your application comes in on time.
NYS COVID and MonkeyPox Updates (Plus Info about the Flu, RSV, and Norovirus)
A lot of the news around mandates, vaccines and restrictions have been a little confusing so I will list some resources below that might help.
NYS Department of Health COVID website - It's a one stop shop with an info summary at the top. Link here.
Walgreens COVID Index - there's concerns about the accuracy of some COVID trackers but Wallgreens released one based on their tests. Link here.
NYC Department of Health Monkeypox Webpage - lots of information and resources about the virus with pictures of the rash included. Find the link here.
COVID vs Flu vs RSV info - I found a good article from the Washington post that gives information about three viruses that have been spiking this winter. Read the article here.
The Time Magazine article on the new variant (XBB.1.5) - Link Here
Gothamist article on norovirus, a stomach bug that is hitting the Northeast - Read more here.
64% of NYC’s bilingual special education students didn’t get all of their services last year
"Nearly two-thirds of New York City students who are entitled to bilingual special education services are not receiving all of their mandated support, according to new figures released by the city’s education department.
At the end of last school year, just 36% of children who were assigned bilingual special education services received the correct amount of instruction from a certified bilingual teacher and in a classroom with the proper ratio of students and staff." Read more here.
Budgeting for Unknowns
The Better Business Bureau is hosting a webinar about creating budgets for non-profits next Wednesday, March 29 at 1 pm.
"Tips and Tools for Budgeting Challenges
In the shifting economic landscape, it can be challenging to create and manage an accurate budget for the year. Certain budgeting tools and trend analysis can help you navigate these challenges successfully.
During this session, we will discuss: · Economic forces creating variability in nonprofit budgets · Budgeting tools to use in times of inflation and economic uncertainty · Trend analyses that can help you with budgeting · Budgeting for sustainability and forecasting into the future
Join us and bring your questions!"
New Yorkers in Need: Food Insecurity and Nutritional Assistance Programs
Thank you to Susan Fowler and our Friends at Staten Island Hunger Task Force and Christ Church, New Brighton for sharing this report on food insecurity from the State Comptroller.
"Millions of New Yorkers face daily challenges as a result of living at or near the federal poverty level, resulting in painful choices related to basic needs such as shelter, health care, food and transportation. Often, the result is hunger or food insecurity, which is uncertainty or inability to get enough food because of a lack of resources. The consequences can be devastating, from increased incidence of chronic disease and other health effects to reduced academic performance to an inability to succeed at the workplace.
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This report is the second in the “New Yorkers in Need” series. It details recent trends in food insecurity, explains policy interventions by the federal and State governments, and demonstrates a clear need for a continuing commitment to reduce the incidence of food insecurity. While income is a critical factor in determining food insecurity, there are many other challenges that can present barriers to accessing healthy food. Federal and State leaders must make efforts to address these challenges to continue to make progress in reducing food insecurity and improve the lives and productivity of millions of New Yorkers.
Thomas P. DiNapoli State Comptroller"
Campaign For Healthy Minds, Healthy Kids: Take Action and Let Elected Leaders Know to Prioritize Children’s Behavioral Health!
Here is an advocacy opportunity that you might be interested in:
"The challenges facing New York’s youth and families are driven by decades of chronic disinvestment in the children’s behavioral health system. This year, Governor Hochul has proposed $1 billion in the State Budget to open behavioral health beds across the state. As significant as this funding is, it will only change the lives of children and families if our state invests adequate funding directly in services for children and families, including by addressing the shortage of behavioral health providers and the crisis of waitlists. If we invest in the policies and programs children and families need now, we can change the trajectory of children’s lives.
Please take a few moments to send the letter [in the link] to your state leaders urging them to take actions to ensure all children in New York can access the behavioral health supports they need."
Kitchen Manager/Chef Needed at St. Michael's Saturday Kitchen Program
Our friends at St. Michael's Church in the Upper West Side are looking for a new Kitchen Manager for their Saturday Kitchen food access program. If you want more information, know any good candidates, or have any suggestions please contact the Rev. Kate Flexer, Rector, at kflexer@saintmichaelschurch.org. The job description can be found here.
Hudson Link Employer Toolkit
Our friends at Hudson Link for Higher Education in Prison put together an employer toolkit for hiring formerly incarcerated people. Thank you to Sean Pica, Eldredge Blalock, Elisabeth Santiago, and the rest of the team at Hudson Link for this important resource. The toolkit can be found here. If you have any questions about hiring formerly incarcerated people, please contact Elisabeth Santiago from Hudson Link's Alumni Services at esantiago@hudsonlink.org.
Community Food Funders Newslink
Community Food Funders has opened up their newsletter to a wider audience (so not just food funders). "Each month, CFF compiles a newsletter with news, articles, reports, and events for those in our region interested in an equitable and sustainable food system." Highlights on this month's newsletter include:
2023 Champions Award Accepting Nominations - In 2017, the Community Food Funders steering committee created the Champions Award to recognize the organizations empowering food system change in our region. The award aims to promote the work of an outstanding organization that is working towards the transition of our food system to one that pursues a true triple bottom line: a system that honors and values people, the environment, and sustainable economic models. We are now accepting nominations for the 2023 award. Anyone may submit a nomination, and organizations may self-nominate. Deadline: May 12, 2023.
Summit To Serve New York: Uniting on Food Justice - April 19, 2023 9AM-3:30PM - New York City - S:US' core mission of driving scalable solutions to transform the lives of people with disabilities, people in poverty and people facing homelessness is predicated on embracing the solutions that contribute to righting societal imbalances and ultimately creating opportunities for all. The first of our annual Summits addressing social justice themes will focus on Food Security. This half-day gathering will feature noted community leaders in the NYC-region food justice movement, diverse speakers from multiple sectors, and organizations serving New Yorkers in the food security and food justice space showcasing their work.
Dyson Foundation Mini-Grant Program - The Dyson Foundation’s mini-grant program funds capacity-building projects that improve a nonprofit’s administrative, governance, or programmatic functions. Mini-grants enable nonprofit board, staff, and volunteer leaders to develop new skills through specific consultant-led capacity-building activities, or through conferences, seminars, and other relevant training opportunities. Mini-grants are available to 501(c)(3) nonprofit organizations and libraries in the Mid-Hudson Valley. Grants are available on a rolling basis.
I will continue to include highlights from each month's newsletter on our weekly resource round-ups but if you would like to subscribe yourself, the link is here. The link to last month's newsletter is here and their archive is here.
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That's all for this week -- thanks for all you do!