The latest from CPC ... Breakthrough New York ... Samaritan Daytop Village

Tino Hernandez is stepping down as president of Samaritan Daytop Village, effective by mid-July. The move comes after ten years leading the New York City nonprofit from a $23 million annual budget to approximately $200 million, according to a press release. He also oversaw the merger of Samaritan Village with both Veritas in 2013 and Daytop Village in 2015.

Mitchell Netburn, president of Project Renewal, will succeed him as leader of the 50-year-old Samaritan, which provides substance abuse treatment, veterans services and homeless services, according to the press release.

Breakthrough New York Executive Director Beth Onofry showed support for Mayor Bill de Blasio, in a June 7 statement expressing support for his desegregation plan for specialized high schools in the city. While it appears that the plan will most likely not pass the state legislature with just weeks to go in the legislative session, chances appear better once the legislature reconvenes.

“While no admissions process is perfect, the mayor is heading in the right direction with one that would consider both the results on the State’s standardized tests – which, unlike the SHSAT, every student takes – and grades on middle school course work,” she wrote in a statement. “Not only will this help diversify the specialized schools, it will more effectively identify the best students, rather than just the best test-takers.”

There’s a new grant program to help children, adults, families and communities that experienced trauma from natural or community-wide disasters. The program, Building Resilience in the Face of Disaster is a partnership between New York Life and Alliance for Strong Families, according to a press release.

"Research has shown that traumatic events, such as hurricanes, floods, or mass gun violence, can harm children’s physical and mental health, as well as their sense of safety and security," Susan Dreyfus, president and CEO of the Alliance, said in the press release. “Building resilience in the face of these disasters using the latest advances in neurosciences and trauma-informed practices, will help promote the overall health and well-being of children, families, and communities.”

The Chinese-American Planning Council has something to share about how it’s been affected by delays in the New York City contracts process. A city program that provides some financial advances on contracts has been helpful, Executive Director Wayne Ho said in an email but programming has to stay “lean” until the city ultimately pays what it owes the nonprofit.

“We use funds from general operating support, reserves, and private donations to cover costs. We have also increased our credit line. Once the contract funding arrives, there is a two-part scramble by CPC.

First, our Fiscal Department has to reallocate staff hours toward the contract. Second, each program must replenish supplies, equipment, and other items that they had deferred throughout the program year but need to spend down the funds before the fiscal year ends. This not only exposes programs to risk but also leads to underspending or wasting supplies in the final months.

This situation is even more difficult for city contracts that have very strict regulations on timing. For example, certain contracts mandate that each quarter must spend down 25 percent of the budget (e.g., $120,000 contract that mandates $30,000 of expense per quarter), so any excess expenses will be disallowed and unspent funds cannot carry over.

While we are struggling with these contract delays, we are expected to fulfill our deliverables, submit reports on time, achieve program outcomes, and continue to meet the needs of the community."

Queens Council on the Arts is accepting applications for the 2019 Queens Arts Fund grant cycle, according to a press release. The program funds projects in the borough by artists, collectives, and nonprofits, with grans ranging from $1,000 to $5,000.

There are three specific funding opportunities, according to the press release.
•       Community Arts Grant (organization Support)
•       Arts Access Grant (organization Support)
•       New Works Grant (individual Artist Support)
 

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