The Best Kept Secret
Tens of thousands of New Yorkers just dodged a bullet on New Year’s Day.  The danger, however, was only postponed for three months.  This all has to do with changes to New Yorkers’ access to mental health care they know nothing about.  The public-private mental health system that serves everyone and every family that needs help with every kind of mental health problem is in jeopardy—and most New Yorkers have no idea there is even a threat.

WPA Report on Prison Nurseries
As families across the U.S. celebrated Mother’s Day, the Women’s Prison Association (WPA) released the first-ever national report on prison nursery programs.  While the number of prison-based nursery programs is growing, they are still relatively rare.  Only nine states have prison nursery programs in operation or under development.

The Healing Power of Work
Can you imagine being at the prime of your life, age 33, with a successful husband, a comfortable life style, a meaningful teaching career, two precious children and a beautiful co-op with an incredibly giving support system to complete this perfect picture? 

Death by a Thousand Cuts
Was it a bloodbath or a surgical strike? The impact of Governor David Paterson’s Executive Budget for FY2010-11, which proposes to close a $7.4 billion deficit with $5.5 billion in spending cuts and $1.4 billion in taxes and other revenues, varies markedly across the nonprofit human service sector.  Most providers and advocates were expecting something close to Armageddon – or even California.  At the end of the day, some programs had escaped relatively unscathed while others were eliminated entirely.  The most common assessment was “death by a thousand cuts” as another round of significant budget reductions followed multiple prior year cuts, slicing ever deeper into the heart of services....

Leake & Watts Receives $1 Million Donation
Leake & Watts has received a milestone $1,000,000 charitable donation from WIlliamsbridge Professional LLC.  The gift will be used to enhance services to New York children, adults, and families who face a myriad of challenges, including poverty, disabilities, and a lack of access to quality education and other basic services and supports.“We are excited to make a major gift to Leake & Watts and support the vital work that they do educating young people, helping people with disabilities to live full lives and assisting families under stress,” says Anthony Martello. “We are truly grateful to have the support of our friends at Williamsbridge Professional LLC, who have supported us for many years,” says Leake & Watts Executive Director Alan Mucatel.  “A gift of this magnitude is particularly important during these challenging economic times as we expand our services in the community and as we look even harder to increase private support to augment, enhance, and expand our servi...

Partnering with New York City to Provide Human Services
Strengthening nonprofits is at the core of my job as New York City’s Nonprofit Contract Facilitator.  Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg first created the post last April as part of his Nonprofit Assistance initiatives.  Since then, my Capacity Building and Oversight (CBO) team – part of the Mayor’s Office of Contract Services (MOCS) – has worked with hundreds of nonprofits who have had  questions about City funding.

QSAC Losing Weight to Raise Funding
Gary A. Maffei, CEO at QSAC (Quality Services for the Autism Community), is challenging his staff to get fit by loosing weight and pledges $1 for every pound they loose.   And, he is hoping others will join him in making the challenge.  ...

What Does the Governor's Budget Mean for You?
 What does the Governor's Executive Budget proposal mean for you, your programs and the clients you serve? 

Bruce Carmel
Bruce Carmel shares his experiences working at Turning Point, a community-based organization in Brooklyn.  His work as a Deputy Executive Director highlights issues in the areas of adult literacy, disconnected youth and interagency collaboration.

Center for Children’s Initiatives New Name, Ongoing Mission
One part direct services to parents; one part technical assistance for early childhood practitioners; and one part advocacy for systemic change.  That was the recipe that created the Center for Children’s Initiatives (CCI) – known until recently as Child Care, Inc. – almost 30 years ago.

All You Can Eat: How Hungry is America? Charity Can’t Do It. Government Can.
If you doubled the size of the nation’s charitable food distribution systen – those 40,000 food pantries, soup kitchens and food banks with their millions of volunteers and billions in charitable contributions – you would reduce the number of “food insecure” people in the United States by a mere 7%, from 35.5 million to 33 million.