Mother Cabrini Health Foundation awards $165M in grants

NEW YORK – The Mother Cabrini Health Foundation awarded 538 grants totaling $165 million on Jan. 23 to support nonprofit organizations addressing the health-related needs of low income residents and underserved communities across New York State in 2023. 

In the four years since its inception, the foundation has now awarded approximately 2,200 grants totaling nearly $635 million. Newly funded grantee initiatives will target New York’s evolving needs by expanding access to food, education, support for mental health, as well as access to healthcare and social services. Grant recipients include community-based organizations, food banks, healthcare providers, nursing homes, schools, federally qualified health centers, and trade associations addressing the needs of key populations: low-income individuals and families; older adults; youth and young adults; persons with special needs; immigrants and migrant workers; veterans; formerly incarcerated individuals; and young children, pregnant women, and new moms. 

“At a moment when New York State’s health needs are both acute and wide-ranging, the foundation is supporting hundreds of programs addressing the needs of vulnerable New Yorkers and underserved communities across the state,” said Alfred F. Kelly, Jr., chairman and chief executive officer of Visa and chair of the Mother Cabrini Health Foundation Board. “From building up our healthcare workforce and providing essential resources for immigrants and migrants, to investing in community-based providers that address chronic challenges from mental health to food insecurity, funding this year will again offer much-needed support to underserved communities.” 

Locally, the Albany Diocesan School Board was awarded $1.7 million for the Beacon of Hope Scholarship Fund ($500,000), the Social Emotional Learning Initiative ($500,000), and for the Enhanced Learning Initiative ($700,000).

Catholic Charities of the Diocese of Albany was awarded $2,328,000 for the Casework Home Visitation-Maternal and Child Health Program ($523,000); Supervised Apartments for Young Families-Transitional Living Program ($168,000); Aging Life Care Services ($437,000); No Wrong Door ($807,000); and the Catholic Charities Mobile Outreach Vehicle Extension Program-CC MOVE, ($393,000)

Efforts will address urgent challenges including New York’s healthcare workforce shortage and current migrant crisis. Over 60 grants totaling $17 million will support immigrants and migrants fleeing violence and persecution in their home countries and those encountering significant challenges upon arrival to the U.S., a roughly 30 percent increase in funding from the previous year. In addition, 55 grants totaling $14 million will allow organizations to focus on recruiting and retaining a diverse workforce, especially as the state continues to face an urgent shortage of nurses and healthcare practitioners. 

“When Mother Frances Cabrini arrived in New York as an Italian immigrant in 1889, she dedicated herself to serving fellow immigrants and underserved New Yorkers,” said Monsignor Gregory Mustaciuolo, chief executive officer of the Mother Cabrini Health Foundation. “This year, New York has welcomed tens of thousands of new immigrants seeking a new home, and the Foundation is proud to follow in our namesake’s footsteps by increasing our support for nonprofits helping immigrants and migrant workers. As the needs of New Yorkers continue to evolve, the Foundation is committed to ensuring our grants have the greatest impact possible.” 

The complete list of local awardees includes: AIM Services, Inc., Person-Centered Telehealth Services for People with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities, $130,000, Saratoga Springs (Healthcare System Improvement); Equinox, Inc., Elder Abuse Services Project, $80,000, Albany (Violence Prevention/Treatment); Albany Diocesan School Board, Beacon of Hope Scholarship Fund, $500,000, Albany (Education-Scholarship); Albany Diocesan School Board, Social Emotional Learning Initiative, $500,000, Albany (Education-Social Services); Albany Diocesan School Board, Enhanced Learning Initiative $700,000, Albany (Education-General).

Diocese of Albany-Catholic Charities, Casework Home Visitation-Maternal and Child Health Program, $523,000, Albany (Maternal Health); Diocese of Albany-Catholic Charities, Supervised Apartments for Young Families -Transitional Living Program, $168,000, Albany (Housing); Diocese of Albany-Catholic Charities, Aging Life Care Services, $437,000, Albany (Care/Case Management/Coordination); Diocese of Albany-Catholic Charities, No Wrong Door, $807,000, Albany (Social Services); Diocese of Albany-Catholic Charities, Catholic Charities Mobile Outreach Vehicle Extension Program (CC MOVE), $393,000, Albany (Care/Case Management/Coordination); Dominican Retreat House, Inc., Spiritual Sanctuary, $100,000, Niskayuna (Coaching and Wellness). 

Joseph's House and Shelter Inc., Street Outreach, $80,000, Troy (Care/Case Management/Coordination); Maria College, Accessibility Services and Counseling Services at the Frank E. O'Brien Jr. Student Support Center, $140,000, Albany (Education-General); Mountain Top Cares Coalition Inc., Rural Recovery Outreach Center and Expanded Services-Renewal, $200,000, Maple Crest (Substance Use Disorder Prevention & Treatment); Siena College, Institute for Pastoral Leaders, $499,162, Loudonville (Workforce Development).

St. Catherine's Center for Children, Pathways to Health: Year 4, $350,000, Albany (Care/Case Management/Coordination); St. Peter's Hospital Foundation Inc., Crime Victim Prevention Education Program, $150,000, Albany (Violence Prevention/Treatment); St. Peter's Hospital Foundation, Inc., Healing Our Community: Continuing Food Farmacy to Improve Health Outcomes for the Poor (Renewal), $150,000, Albany (Food & Nutrition); Teresian House Nursing Home Co., Inc., It Takes A Village Final Phase Renewal with Enhancements, $400,000, Albany (Long-Term Care); Capital Roots, Inc., Providing Holistic Food Access to Low-Income Residents of the Capital Region, $265,000, Troy (Food & Nutrition); Cerebral Palsy Associations of New York State, Inc., Community Health Outreach Project, $500,000, Cohoes (Social Services); City Mission of Schenectady, Bridges to Wellness, $400,000, Schenectady (Mental & Behavioral Health). 

Ellis Hospital Foundation, Inc., Ellis Promise, $425,000, Schenectady (Workforce Development); Immigrant Advocates Response Collaborative Inc., Immigrant Resilience Network ,$75,000, Albany (Legal Services); Iroquois Healthcare Association, Inc., Acute Care Training for Entry Level Essential Hospital Workers Extension Program, $400,000, Clifton Park (Workforce Development); 

Mental Health Association in New York State, Inc., MHANYS School Mental Health Resource and Training Center's Family Education Project-Year 4, $125,000, Albany (Youth Development); Russell Sage College, ICAN Program (I Can Achieve a Nursing Degree), $150,000, Troy (Youth Development).

The Food Pantries for the Capital District, Food as Medicine, $150,000, Albany (Food & Nutrition); Trinity Alliance of the Capital Region, Inc., Wellness Advocates Linking Communities, $260,000, Albany (Social Services); YWCA of Schenectady, Bridging Childhood Development and the Natural World, $75,000 ,Schenectady (Education-General); HCA Education and Research, Addressing Health Disparities Through Home Care, $225,000, Albany (Workforce Development); HCA Education and Research, Collaborative Models of Community Medicine and Paramedicine, $1,000,000, Albany (Access to Healthcare); Hospice & Palliative Care Association of New York State, Using Advance Care Planning To Decrease Health Disparities in Hospice and Palliative Care, $170,000, Albany (Hospice and Palliative Care).

“In our fourth year of grantmaking, the foundation continues to support nonprofits with whom we have established long-term partnerships while also uplifting new, innovative programs,” said Kathryn Ruscitto, chair of the Mother Cabrini Health Foundation’s Regional Grants Committee. “In every corner of the state, our grantees tirelessly serve their communities while mitigating impediments around social determinants of health and breaking barriers to improve health outcomes.” 

For a complete list of awardees, head to cabrinihealth.org/announcing-our-2023-grantees.