The Ford Foundation continued its support for community rebuilding efforts in the wake of Hurricane Sandy today by committing to provide 23 new grants to community organizations in the metro area totaling $469,000.

The diverse set of organizations—which includes food banks, religious organizations, neighborhood initiatives and others—is helping communities get back on their feet to recover and rebuild.

The new grants are the result of a staff nomination process that began in the immediate aftermath of the storm, when Ford Foundation president Luis Ubiñas asked foundation staff members to recommend support for organizations working in their neighborhoods to advance recovery and rebuilding efforts.

“Since the very moment Hurricane Sandy hit, the entire foundation has been committed to helping our neighbors rebuild,” said Ubiñas. “We hope these grants can be another shot in the arm for a region that is showing tremendous resilience and resolve.”

The commitment announced today is part of a broader effort by Ford to support the region’s immediate and long-term response to the storm. Last month, the foundation committed $5 million to the NYC Nonprofit Recovery Loan Program, which will provide short-term bridge funding to help local nonprofit organizations serving communities devastated by the storm. In addition, Ford committed $254,000 to help protect the health and safety of vulnerable workers on the frontlines of community rebuilding efforts.

The staff nomination process guiding this new set of grants was designed to help the foundation quickly identify and support local efforts that needed it, and to reach organizations that were less likely to receive support from others.

The result is a set of organizations that are contributing to relief and recovery efforts, including in many of the hardest-hit areas, whose efforts may not be well known by those outside their immediate reach.

About the Grants

The grants are being coordinated by the Ford Foundation’s Good Neighbor Committee, a longstanding, staff-led initiative that provides grants to organizations working in the neighborhoods surrounding its New York headquarters and several international offices.

The Ford Foundation

The Ford Foundation is an independent organization working to address inequality and build a future grounded in justice. For more than 85 years, it has supported visionaries on the frontlines of social change worldwide, guided by its mission to strengthen democratic values, reduce poverty and injustice, promote international cooperation, and advance human achievement. Today, with an endowment of $16 billion, the foundation has headquarters in New York and 10 regional offices across Africa, Asia, Latin America, and the Middle East.

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