Chelsea Businesses Fund $225K In Grants For Local Groups

CHELSEA, NY — Have an idea to make Chelsea and Hudson Yards better?

A group of businesses are taking applications for grants for community organizations' to fund initiatives in the area.

The West Side Community Fund, which includes major corporations like Google, Related/Oxford Hudson Yards and BlackRock, is working with the Citizens Committee for New York City to provide a series of grants ranging from $2,500 to $5,000+ to local organizations.

"Local grants, like those made by the West Side Community Fund, help empower and support individual residents and the civic institutions that serve them. The West Side Community Fund should be proud that from legal support for tenants to community theater to homeless services to PTAs, these grants cover services and programs for all West Side residents," Rep. Jerrold Nadler, a Democrat who represents Manhattan's west side, said in a statement.

Applications for grants are due September 13.

Eligible groups include tenant associations, churches, schools and non-profits applying for funding for projects that will serve residents from 14th to 38th streets and Seventh to 12th avenues. Some $225,000 in funds are available this round.

Grants are reviewed by the Citizens Committee using a tool designed by Deloitte evaluating the proposals' clarity, quality of life impact, community engagement, neighborhood stewardship, level of impact, among other criteria, according to the Citizens Committee. The West Side Community Fund Grants Committee then reviews the Committee's recommendation and the full board approves them.

The businesses plan to reach out to hundreds of neighborhood leaders to tell them about the grant opportunity, according to the Citizens Committee for New York City, which is administering the grants.

This is the second year of grant applications the businesses are funding.

In the last round, grant recipients received about $226,000 for various projects including a drumming workshop for visually impaired and blind students and LGBT healthcare training, The Villager reported at the time.

"After the success of the first round of grants, I’m excited about this important opportunity for local community groups," City Council Speaker Corey Johnson said in a statement.