A Force Multiplier for Good: A Coalition Effort

At United Way of New York City, we are a force multiplier for good working at the intersection of policy, the private sector, and community-based institutions. We partner with organizations to break down barriers to success and build pathways to economic mobility, empowering every New Yorker to thrive.

That is why we are highlighting some officials who played crucial roles in expanded funding for the critical work that we do, resulting from State Budget outcomes. Thank you for your continued dedication.

Let's start with health equity. At UWNYC, we work to address health disparities and expand access to preventative care for all New Yorkers. One of the ways that we do this is through our mobile health screening and care coordination program, which State Senate Deputy Leader Michael Gianaris, Senator Gustavo Rivera, Senator Andrew Gounardes and NYS DOH leadership have championed.

Our Education Equity work prepares New York City children for economic and civic engagement in some of our most culturally rich yet economically underserved communities. Our education victories were made possible with Governor Hochul's Deputy Secretary for Education, Maria Fernandez, recognizing the immense value of the Books from Birth program and Senator Zellnor Myrie who is passionately exploring the idea of universal after-school programming as tool for economic mobility.

Regarding food and benefits access, we address immediate crises by providing community-based organizations with high quality, culturally appropriate foods, nutrition education, and technical assistance, and connecting families with critical relief. Leading food justice efforts in the state budget was Assemblymember Catalina Cruz who worked tirelessly to increase resources for NYS's food programs including Nourish NY which provides food from New York farms to local food pantries.

Recent gains resulting from State Budget outcomes are only possible due to coalition efforts among New Yorkers dedicated to fighting poverty. We are excited to highlight a few of our 2024 State Budget outcomes. This year, NYS expanded funding for existing programs, and created new programs while introducing bold legislative mandates. The Preventative Care Access (PCA) Initiative received $7,500,000 in new funding as well as a $5,000,000 reappropriation - United Way of New York City (UWNYC) is excited to expand this throughout NYC with our partner organizations. The Dollywood Foundation's Books from Birth Program received $500,000 in grants which will provide up to $50,000 for Books from Birth programs at locations like schools and libraries throughout New York State. UWNYC also helped introduce a legislative mandate that requires the Office of Children and Family Services to conduct a statewide study on the feasibility and economic impact of universal after-school programs. Lastly, along with anti-hunger advocates and our partners providing food relief services, we were able to increase funding for the Hunger Prevention and Nutrition Assistance Program (HPNAP) from $35M to $57,797,000 and Nourish New York funding from $50M to $54,250,000.

Together, we will continue to address our communities' most pressing needs while fostering lasting, change.

To learn how you can get involved, read more here.