The Robin Hood Foundation and the New York Community Trust – two of New York City’s most prominent charitable organizations – are spearheading an effort to help raise money from wealthy donors to aid the ongoing migrant crisis, Gothamist has learned.
The initiative, which is in its early stages, came after City Comptroller Brad Lander reached out to the mayor’s office to discuss the possibilities of a more coordinated effort to involve philanthropies and nonprofits helping navigate the migrant crisis. It comes at a moment when private donors have been reluctant to direct their resources into one of the city’s most pressing emergencies that has brought roughly 180,000 migrants to the city.
In what could be an important distinction for donors, money raised by Robin Hood and the New York Community Trust will not be managed by the Adams administration, although members of both groups said they planned to consult with the city on migrant needs.
“Immigration has been and remains a critical part of our lifeblood and critical part of our identity,” Richard Buery Jr., the chief executive of Robin Hood said in an interview with Gothamist. “We think this is really where philanthropy is and has been well positioned to be partners with the city by helping to provide support to the organizations that are on the front line.”
The New York Community Trust, which is celebrating its centennial this year, has a long track record of raising money to aid new immigrants.
“It’s sort of tailor made for our community philanthropy to play this role,” said Amy Freitag, the group’s president.
On Monday morning, the group met with around 50 members of the city’s philanthropic and business class, including the Ford Foundation and Wall Street corporations, according to one of the attendees. First Deputy Sheena Wright and Lander were in attendance, along with Deputy Mayor for Health and Human Services Anne Williams-Isom.
The meeting was held at the Lower Manhattan…
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