Presentation for Center for Disaster Philanthropy

January 11, 2013The Staten Island Foundation

Betsy Dubovsky, Executive Directordubovsky@thestatenislandfoundation.org

Agenda

1. Who is The Staten Island Foundation?2. Needs/Issues on Staten Island pre and post

Sandy3. What is the Staten Island Foundation Non-

profit Recovery Fund?4. Why is The Staten Island Foundation the best

vehicle for helping guide philanthropic dollars?

The Staten Island Foundation

• Oldest, largest and only private foundation focused solely on the community of Staten Island, NY

• 15 year old $70 million foundation is a well respected community partner

• Betsy Dubovsky is its first Executive Director• Board of 8 and staff of 3 are all respected long time

community residents with deep local knowledge and connections to a wide range of service providing organizations

The Staten Island Foundation

• Total funding granted for the benefit of the community soon to reach $50 million

• $3 million in grants annually to an average of 150 organizations for results in the areas of education, health, human services and the arts

Staten Island Needs and Issues Pre Sandy

• For decades the fastest growing county in NYS• Lack of planning • Physical (transportation, sewer, telecommunications)

and human service infrastructure have not kept pace with growth particularly growth of vulnerable populations

• Most rapidly increasing new immigrant and senior populations in NYC

• Large undocumented immigrant population

Pre Sandy • No public hospital• Of the 2 private hospitals, 1 is in the flood zone• Insufficient primary health care• Highest all cause mortality rates in NYC usually associated

with high rates of poverty• Highest rates of youth alcohol and substance abuse in NYC• No city homeless shelter• Lack of affordable housing• Difficult to be poor in SI due to lack of city services and under

resourced nonprofit organizations• No city agency headquarters sited on Staten Island• Philanthropic support from off Staten Island trails other

boroughs

Staten Island Post Sandy• Borough President estimates $1 billion needed for recovery and

rebuilding for destroyed and heavily damaged homes, businesses, property and cars to significant damage to the borough’s electrical grid, rail and ferry operations

• 65,000 residents in 25,000 households in storm effected communities of South Beach, Midland Beach and Oakwood Beach

• Estimated 5,000 displaced• Initially 700 shelter occupants down to 400 currently in shelters

set up following the storm• 20,282 applicants for FEMA assistance• FEMA estimated 2,000 of those applicants will have long term

recovery needs• $85 million in FEMA support but extent of unmet needs is

currently undetermined

• Housing repair and mold remediation a priority for “sheltering in place”

As of 1/3/13• 312 homes designated “Red” by NYC Dept. of Buildings—

unsafe to enter or occupy• 102 totally destroyed and 73 designated for demolition• 5,933 with “Yellow” designation—damaged with entry

limitations and repairs neededAs of 1/4/13• 465 households without heat. Several hundred homes

without heat continue to be occupied

** Unmet Community Needs Assessments important for data on the following

unquantified concerns**

Health• Public health impacts (air quality, respiratory ailments, mold, and

asbestos)• Increases in mental health concerns including substance and alcohol

abuse, domestic violence caused by trauma and additional stresses of storm

• Door to door outreach by one health organization reveals longstanding health needs unattended and raises concern about the effects of exposure for those remaining in unheated homes

• Families displaced, may be split up to live with family or friends causing stress for adults and children

• Worker safety – are precautions being taken as they work in homes with possible sewage, mold issues?

• Hospitals – preparedness planning to include increase of emergency room services and infrastructure needs for non flood zone hospital

• Elderly – left isolated, disoriented by loss of power: prescriptions disrupted, med schedule disrupted

Housing & Economic

• Housing Repair & Mold Remediation • Mortgage counseling; rental insurance;

responsible relocation• Employment (loss of jobs/income)• Small business loan assistance

Human Services

• Nonprofit sector responding to increased unbudgeted, unfunded needs some with their own infrastructure challenges (staff out; loss of office equipment; etc)

• Undocumented Mexican immigrant population may have 1,000 displaced individuals ineligible for benefits though working on recovery and rebuilding

• On the ground coordination of resources and difficulty getting information to residents has been a major issue

Additional

Legal Services• Legal advice and support for residents & small

businesses (landlord tenant disputes, consumer affairs, insurance issues)

Environmental and Structural Rebuilding• Raw sewage, oil, debris in water bodies and on land• Corrosive effect of salt water in buildings and homes• Beach erosion• Boardwalk damage

The Staten Island Foundation Nonprofit Recovery Fund

• Established in early November at Philanthropy New York to enable philanthropic giving for Staten Island nonprofit organizations relief and recovery efforts.

• The Staten Island Foundation is now registered in NYS for doing direct fundraising

• The first $500,000 to the nonprofit fund will be matched by Foundation funds.

• To date $365,000 received in the SIFNPR fund • Funders include Newman’s Own Foundation, Clark Foundation,

Rockefeller Brothers Fund, Frank Clark Charitable Trust, Taconic Foundation, Jessie Smith Noyes Foundation

• We have connected Foundations directly to local nonprofits which have received over $200,000. Stavos Niarchos Foundation, NY Community Trust, Helmsley Trust

• Foundation expected to receive $50,000 from NYS Health Foundation for consultant assistance to build our capacity to bring in resources for our local nonprofits as our community moves through the recovery process.

The Staten Island Foundation Nonprofit Recovery Fund will support

• Building organizational capacity for increased disaster related services especially case management for disaster victims

• Unreimbursed repairs to nonprofit facilities and grounds• Supplemental funding for documented decreased

fundraising/cost of business interruption• Coordination of collaborative service efforts to assist Staten

Islanders in need• Efforts to improve nonprofit and community disaster

preparedness

The Staten Island Foundation is the best vehicle for helping guide philanthropic dollars

• Professional, well-managed foundation that has a history of clear expectations for outcomes funding and is an experienced convener of local nonprofits as well as local elected officials around community issues.

• Experienced in community change initiatives including community visioning, and collective impact coalition building

• Closely aligned with public and private education districts through a long term initiative for professional development of teachers

• Member of Philanthropy New York, Council on Foundations, Association of Small Foundations, Grantmakers In Health, Grantmakers for Education

“Staten Island Foundation is a rare philanthropy. Its staff understands the sector deeply, respects the players in the field, and actively listens to grantees and prospective grantees. They work with other nonprofits and actors on the Island and off-Island to engage in analysis, and then to plan and act in ways that have improved policy and service for individuals and organizations on Staten Island. The Foundation takes its civic mission seriously. The old adage, ‘with great privilege comes great responsibility,’ well, you all live this out well. Thanks for the work that you do and the approach that you take.” Holly Delaney Cole, Co-Executive Director, Community Resource Exchange, October 2012

Thank you Center for Disaster Philanthropy!

We encourage your support of The Staten

Island Foundation Nonprofit Recovery Fund and the on the ground long term work of The Staten Island Foundation to identify the local organizations who are most effective in meeting Sandy victim needs and direct funds to them.