Sunnyside Community Services’ Home Health Aide program is one of the recipients of a Mother Cabrini Health Foundation grant. Photo: SCSNY
Jan. 24, 2025 By Shane O’Brien
The Mother Cabrini Health Foundation, the state’s largest grantmaking nonprofit focused exclusively on advancing the health and well-being of New Yorkers, has announced that it has awarded 209 grants totaling $208 million to nonprofits across the city, including $54 million in grants for 109 programs across Queens and Brooklyn.
The new round of grants has seen the foundation surpass $1 billion in grantmaking since its first year of operation in 2019 and tackle issues including access to healthcare, basic needs like food and housing, healthcare workforce and mental and behavioral health.
The grants include $5.4 million towards integrating immigrants into the healthcare workforce, including a $200,000 grant to Sunnyside Community Services to fund its Home Health Aide (HHA)/Personal Care Aide (PCA) Training Program.
Mother Cabrini said funding the integration of immigrants in healthcare will help foster career pathways for underemployed and underutilized immigrants, promote career mobility, and address the State’s healthcare workforce shortage. They also said the measure will help provide culturally and linguistically appropriate care to the State’s diverse population.
Meanwhile, LaGuardia Community College received a $1.2 million grant from the Foundation to enhance its program for internationally-trained healthcare professionals.
Mother Cabrini also announced a $125,000 grant to the Flushing Hospital Medical Center to establish a centering Group Program for Pregnant Women as part of the organization’s $3.8 million fund to help ensure that the birthing experience is safe for all mothers. The initiative especially focuses on those impacted by health disparities correlated with race, income and other factors.
The nonprofit has also announced $4.1 million in grants to help combat childhood hunger. These grants will support organizations fighting to improve nutrition and reduce hunger through support of interventions that maximize enrollment and participation in Universal Free School Meals, SNAP, and the Women Infants Children (WIC) program.
A further $3.7 million has been allocated to address mental health issues affecting rural adults.
Msgr. Gregory Mustaciuolo, chief executive officer of the Mother Cabrini Health Foundation, said the organization is “humbled” by the impact the grants make and commends its partner organizations for their impact across the state.
“These new grants mark a significant milestone in our work and reaffirm our commitment to be responsive to emerging health challenges facing the most vulnerable children and adults in our communities,” Mustaciuolo said in a statement.
Jennifer Balbach, finance committee chair on the Foundation’s Board, said the nonprofit is celebrating the expansion of vital services and life-changing programs that benefit millions of New Yorkers statewide.
“Our grantees are the drivers of this important work, and the Foundation will continue to play a role in ensuring they have the resources they need to succeed and improve the health of our communities each day,” Balbach said.
The selection process for the newly announced grants began in Spring 2024, when the Foundation invited organizations to apply for funding through an open process, receiving over 1,500 letters of interest from returning grantees and new organizations, resulting in its highest number of multi-year grants to date.
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