Annual Appeal

Columbia Community Service Grants $400,000 to 61 Organizations in Harlem & Morningside Heights

By
Maggie Barrows
July 12, 2022
Collage of CCS grantees

In its milestone 75th year, the Columbia Community Service Annual Appeal raised more than $400,000 from hundreds of Columbia, Barnard, and Teachers College faculty, staff, and retirees. Thanks to that generous support, CCS will be awarding grants to 61 organizations in Harlem and Morningside Heights, totaling $400,262. These organizations, rooted in the local community, combat hunger, provide social services, support the arts, and fill educational gaps for youth in STEM, arts, and literacy: 

  • $71,000 awarded to seven organizations that provide meals and food to people in need in Harlem and Morningside Heights. These organizations, which include Broadway Community and The Corbin Hill Food Project, meet an important area of need in our community and help ensure that children and adults have access to plenty of nutritious food.
  • $45,862 awarded to nine organizations that support the arts and arts education, such as The Morningside Players and Bloomingdale School of Music. These organization enrich the culture of the neighborhood, and provide hands-on opportunities for children and adults to experience theater, music, and visual arts.
  • $150,500 awarded to 24 organizations that provide educational support for K-12 students. These organizations provide literacy education (like Behind the Book), educational clubs and activities (like Triple F Empowerment, Inc.), tutoring and physical activity opportunities (like StreetSquash), and more.
  • $132,900 awarded to 21 organizations that provide vital health and social services to a wide variety of vulnerable and in-need populations in our community. These services range from Arts and Minds providing arts programs for individuals with dementia and Alzheimers to Trinity Community Connection helping house homeless LGBTQ+ youth to Samaritan Daytop Foundation providing substance abuse and health care.

In addition to the long-term grantees that CCS is proud to support every year, this year we're providing funds to eleven first-time grantees. With grants totaling $50,900, these organizations will be able to enhance STEM education, support vulnerable children and seniors, and provide community programming and festivals. Meet our newest grantees:

  • Association to Benefit Children (ABC): Serves children struggling with the complex and compounded issues of hunger, poverty, and abuse since 1986. The CCS grant will allow ABC to support their family therapist who provides key services.
  • DOROT: With their CCS grant, DOROT will support two of their visiting and package delivery programs for seniors, allowing them to continue their work to alleviate isolation for older adults.
  • Friends of Morningside Park: The CCS grant money that supported the Juneteenth/Common Ground Family Festival is part of the group's continued work to maintain Morningside Park.
  • Hit the Books: CCS grant money will allow Hit the Books to dramatically expand the number of students they provide with after-school services that include academic support, mentorship, martial arts classes, and more.
  • In Arms Reach, Inc.: With CCS support, they will continue to provide STEM education to children and families who have been impacted by mass incarceration.
  • Moving for Life: CCS funding will allow more stabilized dance programming at a variety of West Harlem locations. The dance exercise classes, which are for older adults and anyone affected by cancer, are proven to help improve health.
  • Riverside Hawks Leadership Academy: Providing more enrichment opportunities to middle school athletes with CCS funding, Riverside Hawks will continue working to encourage academic success, character growth, and athletic excellence in students.
  • STEM Educational Institute (SEI): The CCS grant will allow SEI to provide college scholarships to students from several Upper Manhattan zip codes.
  • The Community Initiatives of NY (TCIONY): The Teens Against Guns program, part of the organization's work to improve the quality of life for vulnerable individuals, will be bolstered by the CCS grant. 
  • The HOPE Center: CCS funds will support a photography project called Snapshot, focused on enhancing social and emotional communication through photography and images.
  • The Parris Foundation (TPF): The foundation's return to in-person STEM education programming will be eased with the funding from CCS.

Columbia Community Service is one of the oldest and most visible elements of the commitment that Columbia, Barnard, and Teachers College have to our surrounding communities. Every year, the CCS Annual Appeal connects the university community with numerous ways to support our neighbors, including volunteer opportunities and special events like an Annual Toy Drive. Our commitment to supporting the food security, health, and education of our neighbors in Harlem and Morningside Heights dates back 75 years, and will continue into the future.

A full listing of grantees can be found on our website, including a history of this 75-year-old institution at Columbia.