It’s amazing what New Yorkers can accomplish when we come together to care for each other and our communities.
This year, even as needs grew and nonprofits faced increasing challenges, our grants helped change policy, advance justice, and improve quality of life across the region—from Staten Island and Babylon to the Bronx and White Plains.
We’re excited to share some examples below, made possible thanks to our innovative nonprofit colleagues and the generous donors who established charitable legacies to fuel their work.
Together, we’re driving bold solutions to ensure our region can weather any storm and become a place where everyone has the opportunity to thrive.
Housing
New rental assistance program helps prevent homelessness statewide
Rising rents and a shortage of affordable housing have made it harder than ever for families across the state to stay in their homes. More than 158,000 New Yorkers experienced homelessness in 2024, a 53% increase from 2023. Women In Need led advocacy in Albany that secured $50 million in the 2025 state budget for the Housing Access Voucher Program, which is providing rental assistance to help New Yorkers afford safe, longer-term homes and ensure that low-income residents spend no more than 30% of their income on rent.
Our Rhodebeck Fund for the Homeless (est. 1989), and Sheila Kelley Kaufman Fund (est. 2009), both of which were created to address homelessness, made this grant possible.
Worker’s Rights
Curbing employer wage theft for delivery workers
After a yearlong collaboration with the office of the New York State Attorney General, the Worker’s Justice Project secured a landmark settlement of $16.75 million for DoorDash delivery workers whose tips the company had illegally pocketed from 2017 to 2019. The settlement also requires DoorDash to ensure that, going forward, 100% of customer tips go to its workers.
This victory was made possible in part by our Lola G. Hanna Fund (est. 1995) and Herbert B. West Fund (est. 1989), which provide flexible funding for our competitive grantmaking.
Transit
Faster commutes across boroughs
In 2018 and 2019, we supported the Regional Plan Association’s research and advocacy for the creation of a new transit service connecting Brooklyn, Queens, and the Bronx. The Interborough Express, now in its design and engineering phase, will be the biggest rail expansion in New York City since the 1930s. It will provide a much-needed transit option for nearly 900,000 New Yorkers, connecting them to 17 subway lines, multiple bus routes, and the LIRR. A 2025 grant is helping the Association advance advocacy for the project and ensure local communities have a voice in its development.
These grants were made possible by several funds at The Trust, including our Wheaton B. Kunhardt Fund (est. 1949) and David and Mary Warfield Fund (est. 1973), both of which provide flexible funding for the benefit of our region.
Family Justice
Court victory protects victims of domestic violence & their children
Until recently, New York City regularly mandated ongoing surveillance of parents who were survivors of domestic violence, causing further trauma and harm to them and their children. Earlier this year, two New York Appellate Courts ruled that this practice was illegal, thanks to landmark appeals brought by the Family Justice Law Center against the city’s Administration for Children’s Services.
This grant was supported in part by our Charles Merz and Evelyn Scott Merz Fund (est. 1984) and S. Prentiss Bailey Fund (est. 1960), which provide flexible funding for our competitive grantmaking.
Clean Water
Long Islanders vote to restore their bays and beaches
For decades, nitrogen pollution from aging septic systems has contaminated Long Island’s waterways and drinking water and harmed marine life. With ongoing support from The Trust, a coalition of nonprofits, including Group for the East End and Citizens Campaign for the Environment, mobilized voters across party lines to overwhelmingly approve a ballot proposition in support of the Suffolk County Water Quality Restoration Act. In March 2025, financing went into effect for wastewater upgrades that will restore clean water, protect marine life, and preserve Long Island’s natural beauty for future generations.
This work was supported by our Henry Phillip Kraft Family Memorial Fund (est. 1996), created to protect the environment.
Arts & Culture
Cash awards to playwrights serve as career springboards
Time is money, and artists too often must choose between developing new work and paying the bills. The late theatrical agent Helen Merrill created a fund at The Trust in 1999 through her estate plan to provide awards that would help playwrights explore their unique visions with fewer financial pressures. Since then, her legacy has funded 115 awards totaling more than $2.6 million to playwrights who have gone on to win Pulitzer Prizes, Tony and Obie awards, and Guggenheim Fellowships, among other honors.
Environment
Polluter legal settlement supports pollinator restoration projects
One in every three bites of food depends on pollination, yet as many as 60 percent of pollinator species native to New York are at risk of disappearing from the state. After securing a settlement from Bayer CropScience LP and Monsanto, the New York State Attorney General’s Office selected The Trust to administer the New York Pollinator Conservation Fund. In June 2025, the fund made more than $3.2 million in grants to 34 nonprofits powering a statewide pollinator restoration effort from Buffalo to the eastern tip of Long Island.
Immigration
New interpreter bank helps immigrants connect with services
New Yorkers speak over 800 languages—more than any other city in the world—yet many struggle to access services in the languages they speak. To address this, African Communities Together used our grant to advocate for the city’s first-ever Community Interpreter Bank. The Bank was launched in January 2025 by the New York Immigration Coalition, the New York City Council, and the Language Justice Collaborative and is connecting immigrants with critical government resources, legal services, and city-funded programs—vital support to navigate rapidly changing policies.
This grant was made possible by our Alice V. and Dave H. Morris Memorial Fund (est. 1958), created to further the study and improvement of communications.
LGBTQ+ New Yorkers
More affordable senior housing in Westchester
In 2018, a Trust grant to The Loft helped it conduct a study, Stand Up and Be Counted, which revealed a severe lack of affordable senior housing for LGBTQ+ residents of Westchester County. After several years of planning, The Loft partnered with developers this year to begin construction on new affordable housing for seniors in downtown White Plains. The building will provide 141 affordable apartments for low-income seniors ages 55 and older.
This grant was made possible by the Endowment for Westchester’s Future Fund (est. 1987).
