Melville, NY (October 13, 2020) – The Long Island Racial Equity Donor Collaborative at the Long Island Community Foundation has approved $175,000 in planning grants to seven nonprofits advancing racial equity by increasing access to living-wage jobs and improving financial wellness.
The Long Island Racial Equity Donor Collaborative launched in 2018 with the north star of a more financially inclusive and racially equitable Long Island. “We are focused on strengthening the capacity of community-based efforts to create economic opportunities among Black residents, enabling them to make meaningful contributions to their families and communities,” said the Long Island Racial Equity Donor Collaborative.
A 2019 landscape scan conducted by the Urban Institute revealed that among residents who experience a sudden job loss, medical emergency, or any other crisis leading to a loss of stable income, Black Long Islanders are 27 percent less likely than white Long Islanders to have access to liquid assets to cover sudden costs. Furthermore, the Long Island Credit Profile, released by the Federal Reserve Bank of New York in 2017, showed that while the overall credit metrics rank Long Island among the highest performing in the nation, a closer look revealed 18 communities (communities of color) that have some of the lowest credit indicators in the nation. Making matters worse, the COVID-19 pandemic revealed a glaring disparity in death rates – where Blacks on Long Island accounted for 19 percent of the COVID-19 deaths in Nassau County, despite comprising only 12 percent of the population.
Given the racial economic inequities on Long Island, the Collaborative has worked to leverage greater public and private investments to provide opportunities for Black Long Islanders. Specifically, it is focused on working with the community to gain financial access; inspire innovative, suburban-oriented solutions through local collaborations that address inequities; and foster partnership and shared learning opportunities with national donors. The Collaborative will partner with the Racial Wealth Divide Initiative staff at Prosperity Now to bring best practices and technical expertise to support the grantees as they work to build a more equitable ecosystem.
“We are excited to amplify the extraordinary work being done by these community organizations on Long Island and provide capacity-building assistance to support them in making change happen,” said the Long Island Community Foundation.
With $25,000 in support from the Long Island Racial Equity Donor Collaborative:
Next year, these grantees will be invited to submit grant proposals for funding to support the implementation phase of their projects.
The Long Island Racial Equity Donor Collaborative
Need help or advice?
Marie C. Smith
Director of Donor Relations and Communications
(631) 991-8800, ext. 223
msmith@licf.org
Need help or advice?
Marie C. Smith
Director of Donor Relations and Communications
(631) 991-8800, ext. 223
msmith@licf.org