Trinity Church Wall Street announced today that it is providing $2.425 million to local nonprofits and Nonprofit Finance Fund to help vulnerable New Yorkers during the COVID-19 crisis.

Trinity has given $25,000 grants to 17 nonprofit organizations that focus on helping those who are homeless and those involved in the criminal justice system, in particular by advocating for the release of vulnerable people in prison and jails and providing housing and other supports for those who are being released. In addition, the funding will help with the provision of direct services, such as basic cleaning supplies, and digital access for caseworkers and homeless schoolchildren. All 17 organizations are current Trinity grantees, with a history of strong partnership and positive outcomes for those in need.

“Trinity is focusing our support on New Yorkers with some of the greatest needs at the moment—the homeless and formerly incarcerated, who are often overlooked during times of crisis but suffer the most,” said the Rev. Phillip A. Jackson, Priest-in-Charge and Vicar of Trinity Church Wall Street. “COVID-19 is further magnifying the inequities in our city and only strengthens our calling and commitment to end the cycles of mass homelessness and mass incarceration.”

Trinity’s Chief Philanthropy Officer, Neill Coleman, said, “This is a rapidly moving crisis and time is of the essence. It was important to us to be able to provide grants, and support loans, through an expedited approval process so these organizations can provide service without interruption, and our most vulnerable neighbors can receive the support they need.”

The organizations that received Trinity grants are:

• African Communities Together
• Bowery Residents Committee
• Chinese-American Planning Council, Inc.
• Coalition for the Homeless, Inc.
• Exodus Transitional Community, Inc.
• Girls for Gender Equity Inc.
• Housing Plus Solutions, Inc.
• Local Initiatives Support Corp. (LISC)
• Neighbors Together Corp.
• Osborne Association
• Research Foundation of the City University of New York (Prisoner Reentry Institute)
• Robert Daniel Jones Refugee Shelter (St. Mary’s Manhattanville Episcopal Church)
• The Fortune Society
• Urban Pathways
• Voices of Community Activists & Leaders
• Women in Need, Inc.
• Women’s Prison Association & Home Inc.

As part of its support, Trinity is contributing a $2 million program-related investment (PRI) to nonprofit lender and consultant Nonprofit Finance Fund (NFF) to support its work in administering loans through the NYC COVID-19 Response & Impact Fund. The $75 million NYC COVID-19 Response & Impact Fund, launched on March 20 through a partnership of leading philanthropic organizations, is providing grants and loans to New York City nonprofit organizations working in the human services and arts sectors to ensure continuity in operations for those providing critical services to New Yorkers in need.

Trinity’s investment will support the loan component of the initiative, which is being operated by NFF. The PRI will provide assistance primarily to nonprofit organizations that serve populations affected by the legacy of racism and those caught in the cycle of mass incarceration and homelessness.

“Through a combination of grants, to address urgent needs like food and cleaning supplies, as well as loans, to help organizations maintain their basic operations, we want to help the most vulnerable access shelter, safety, and dignity,” Coleman said.

About Trinity Church Wall Street
Now in its fourth century, Trinity Church Wall Street is a growing and inclusive Episcopal parish of more than 1,200 members that seeks to serve and heal the world by building neighborhoods that live Gospel truths, generations of faithful leaders, and sustainable communities. The parish is guided by its core values: faith, integrity, inclusiveness, compassion, social justice, and stewardship. Members come from the five boroughs of New York City and surrounding areas to form a racially, ethnically, and economically diverse congregation. More than 20 worship services are offered every week at its historic sanctuaries, Trinity Church and St. Paul’s Chapel, the cornerstones of the parish’s community life, worship, and mission, and online at trinitywallstreet.org. The parish welcomes approximately 2.5 million visitors per year.