Cabrini Health Foundation announces 2021 grants

The Albany Diocesan School Board, the City Mission of Schenectady and St. Catherine’s Center for Children were among numerous state organizations and programs to receive grants from the Mother Cabrini Health Foundation on Feb. 23.

The City Mission of Schenectady — which received a $2 million grant to expand a transitional housing and wellness center to support victims of domestic violence — was part of the more than 400 year-end 2020 grants totaling $115 million that address “the health-related needs of low-income residents and underserved communities across New York State,” the foundation said in a press release.

“These grants demonstrate our continued commitment to support a wide range of organizations improving the health and well-being of New York’s most vulnerable,” said Alfred F. Kelly, Jr., chief executive officer of Visa and chair of the Mother Cabrini Health Foundation Board. “Our grantees are providing crucial support at a pivotal moment, when so many across the state face challenges that are complicated by the impacts of COVID-19.”

The Albany Diocesan School Board received $500,000 for the Beacon of Hope Scholarship Fund, $500,000 for technology assistance and $250,000 for counseling services and family connection. The grants come at the crucial time for Catholic schools in the Diocese.

“With the Cabrini Foundation grant, we now will be able to award much more to our schools,” said Kathleen Yanas, director of advancement and strategic partnerships for diocesan schools. “We are talking about more scholarships per school and the scholarship amount will be larger than it has been in the past.

“So it’s a really exciting time for families, prospective families, to look into our schools because we will have much more financial aid to assist them in paying the tuition.” (For more information about the Beacon of Hope Scholarship Fund, contact Yanas at [email protected]).

St. Catherine’s Center also received a $500,000 grant for its Pathways to Health program which will assist individuals and families living in poor and underserved communities in Albany, Rensselaer and Columbia

The $115 million in grants adds to the $50 million in funding authorized for emergency COVID-19 programs earlier in 2020. In all, the foundation’s $165 million in 2020 funding has or will support 650 programs to improve health and human services during a time of unprecedented need. In the two years since its inception, the foundation has awarded grants totaling $315 million.

Also of note, the foundation gave $19 million toward programs serving youth and young adults over 12 years old, including a local grant to the Mental Health Association of New York State in Albany ($216,561) to renew support for its Family Education Project, which provides guidance and resources to equip families and schools to address youth mental health services; and $10 million toward housing and general services for persons with special needs, including a grant to the Albany-based Cerebral Palsy Association of New York State ($442,648) to establish a best-practices training program for clinicians to ensure health-care equity for people with disabilities.

Other local organizations and programs to receive grants include: Albany Housing Coalition, Inc., Veterans Employment & Training Services (VETS) program ($70,000); Altamont Program, Inc., Expanding Services to Veterans in the North Country ($50,000); Capital Roots, Expanding Holistic Food Access to Low-Income Residents of the Capital Region ($121,138); Colonie Senior Service Centers, Inc., Providing Transportation Services to Isolated Seniors to Maintain Physical and Mental Health ($125,000); Dominican Retreat House, Inc., Spiritual Sanctuary for Seniors, Persons with Disabilities and 12-Step Program Members ($142,000). 
Ellis Hospital Foundation, Inc., The Living Room serving low-income, at-risk individuals in crisis ($350,000); and Expanding Access to Mental Health Supports for At-Risk Children, Adolescents and Their Families ($774,207); Herkimer County Chapter, NYSARC, Inc., dba Arc Herkimer, COVID-19 Protection through Employment of People with Special Needs ($75,000); Iroquois Healthcare Association, Inc., Expansion of Workforce Investment Organization (WIO) to Essential Workers at Acute Care Providers in Upstate New York ($999,788); Maria College, Accessibility Services & Counseling at the Frank E. O’Brien, Jr. Student Support Center ($120,000) and the Bishop Maginn Partnership for Low Income Students ($117,000); RF SUNY — University at Albany, An initiative to expand social determinants of health assessment and case management for older adults ($108,695).

Schenectady Community Action Program, Behavioral Health Services Capacity Expansion Project ($135,750); Shelters of Saratoga, Inc., Saratoga Springs Street Outreach Initiative, ($170,000); Sisters of St. Joseph, Dementia and Mental Illness Recognition and Training ($100,000); St. Peter’s Hospital Foundation, Inc., Improving the Pathway to Healing: Connecting Older, Vulnerable Individuals to Spiritual Resources ($84,787); Teresian House Nursing Home Co. Inc., It Takes A Village-Unlocking Memories, Enriching Lives ($325,600); The Food Pantries for the Capital District, Food is Medicine ($150,000) and Unity House of Troy, Inc., Community Resources Food Pantry and Community Meals Program Expansion ($88,596).

To learn more about the Mother Cabrini Health Foundation and for a complete list of the grants, head to cabrinihealth.org.