Kornfeld Foundation Significantly Expands FY25 Grantmaking and Deepens Commitment to Civic Engagement and the Social Drivers of Health
The Kornfeld Foundation significantly expanded its grantmaking in FY 2025, underscoring its commitment to building more equitable and resilient communities. Total grantmaking for FY25 is $1.965 million, a substantial increase from $1.425 million in FY24, reflecting the urgency of the moment for our neighbors and for community-based organizations in New York City.
A feature of this expansion is a sharpened focus within the Foundation’s civic engagement portfolio, where health and well-being – particularly for mothers, families, caregivers, and young children from pre-natal through age three – has emerged as a priority. This life stage is foundational yet families navigating pregnancy, early parenthood, housing instability, and systemic inequities often face fragmented and insufficient care and support.
Our approach in this area is intentionally multi-issue and holistic, grounded in our belief that equitable communities are built not through isolated interventions, but through coordinated strategies that combine direct service, advocacy, and organizing. Rather than privileging one pathway over another, the Foundation is supporting partners that integrate immediate material support with longer-term systems change - recognizing that families’ needs are complex, interconnected, and shaped by broader social and political conditions.
New partnerships in FY25 exemplify this integrated strategy. The Bridge Project brings unconditional cash assistance to pregnant women experiencing housing insecurity, offering flexible resources during a critical period for maternal and infant health while simultaneously generating evidence and policy momentum. Ancient Song, a long-standing birth justice organization, combines culturally grounded doula care, workforce development, and civic engagement to address maternal health inequities among Black, Indigenous, immigrant, and low-income families across New York City.
The Foundation is also partnering with The Reconciliation Center, formerly Black Women’s Blueprint, whose survivor-led model integrates food access, trauma-informed care, maternal health, and community healing for families facing intersecting crises, including gender-based violence and chronic hardship. In Northern Manhattan, support for Upper Manhattan Early Childhood Connect and the Early Childhood and Family Hub of Washington Heights reflects a place-based investment in coordinated early childhood, caregiver, and health services – bringing early learning, benefits access, mental health supports, and community-building into a trusted, accessible setting.
Together, these investments signal a responsive, community-rooted approach to advancing health, dignity, and civic participation.