Grantee: Masa

We’re pleased to announce these latest Grassroots Action grants! Our Grassroots Action grants are our largest category, and they represent our biggest investment in people-powered organizing. These grants reflect our commitment to sustain existing New York City organizations who are building a membership and leadership base of people directly affected by an issue.

These organizations have a track record of visible impact—whether it’s by holding local government and policy leaders accountable or creating local culture change.

Justice movements need consistent and reliable funding to grow, so we often provide these grants for years as grantees take on the long, difficult struggles for justice in our city. These grants range from $10,000 to $15,000 and were awarded in December 2018 along with ten Catalyst Grants.

African Communities Together – $15,000

A powerful multilingual organization of African immigrant New Yorkers fighting for language access, humanitarian immigration reform, and workers’ rights.

Arab American Association of New York (AAANY) – $10,000

A nationally recognized community of Arab New Yorkers and their allies challenging Islamophobia, xenophobia, and discriminatory policing through organizing and advocacy training.

Black Women’s Blueprint -$10,000

A feminist organization engaging survivors of sexual violence to navigate institutional policies and push for changes at work and school that will serve their healing and growth.

Brandworkers – $10,000

A member-led organization based in Queens made up primarily of immigrant workers in the New York City local food production industry, organizing for dignified jobs and a just food system.

Brooklyn Movement Center – $15,000*

A Black-led organization confronting gentrification in Central Brooklyn by organizing around fresh food access, environmental justice, street harassment, police accountability and citizen journalism.

Community Action for Safe Apartments (CASA) / New Settlement Apartments – $15,000

A coalition of Bronx tenant associations building tenant power and winning changes such as Right to Counsel in housing court and rent freezes for tenants across the five boroughs.

Community Food Advocates – $10,000

A broad citywide coalition that ran and won the Lunch 4 Learning (L4L) campaign for universal, free healthy lunches for all public school students and is now focused on implementation.

Future of Tomorrow / Cypress Hills Local Development Corporation – $10,000

A student-led effort pushing public schools to provide a fair, equitable and high quality education by bringing restorative justice programs to East New York. New

Damayan Migrant Workers Association – $15,000*

A Filipina women-led organization educating and engaging domestic workers and survivors of human trafficking to take on employers and systems that perpetuate their exploitation.

Faith in New York – $10,000

A multi-faith network of 70+ religious congregations engaging local clergy and leaders to educate and mobilize their congregants on social justice issues.

Flanbwayan Haitian Literacy Project – $10,000

A Haitian organization supporting English Language Learner youth and their parents to navigate the NYC public school system so that they can fully participate in school programs.

FPA-Foundation – $10,000*

A vocal base of 100 low-income Black and Brown parents standing up for the rights of children and families whose civil rights are being violated in the child welfare system.

Jahajee Sisters – $10,000

A women-led organization in Richmond Hill, Queens, activating Indo-Caribbean leaders to challenge gender-based violence within their local religious congregations and heal generational trauma.

Justice Committee – $15,000*

A powerful force of families who have lost loved ones to police violence winning changes to NYPD policies and holding police accountable in the courts and the streets.

Masa – $10,000

A hybrid service-organizing model that brings together Mexican immigrant youth and families in the South Bronx to end bullying, discrimination and violence toward immigrant students in District 7 schools.

Metropolitan Council on Housing / MCREF – $10,000

A movement of long-time residents of rent-stabilized and rent-controlled apartments to stop the dismantling of rent regulations and the gentrification of Inwood through rezoning.

Movimiento por Justicia del Barrio / Movement for Justice in El Barrio – $10,000

A Latina-led movement of El Barrio residents advocating for dignified housing conditions, an end to landlord harassment and the implementation of a 10-point plan to preserve local rent-regulated housing.

Neighbors Together – $10,000

An emergency food provider and tenants’ rights organization based in Central Brooklyn organizing tenants of “three-quarter” houses to end their unsafe conditions and illegal evictions.

New Immigrant Community Empowerment (NICE) – $15,000*

A Queens-based organizing center protecting the rights—and raising workplace safety standards—of day laborers and domestic workers, connecting them with good jobs  and holding fraudulent employers accountable.

New York State Youth Leadership Council (NYSYLC) – $15,000*

An immigrant youth-led organization in New York in pursuit of increasing access to higher education, gender justice and immigrant rights through organizing, advocacy and community building.

NYC Coalition for Education Justice (CEJ) – $10,000

A parent-led organization focused on bringing racial justice into public schools through culturally responsive education and anti-bias training for school faculty.

New York Teamsters for a Democratic Union – $15,000*

A grassroots union reform movement to transform the Teamsters union into an anti-racist, worker-led body that allies with the community to fight for social and economic justice for all working New Yorkers.

Sylvia Rivera Law Project – $10,000

An organization by and for transgender, gender non-conforming, and intersex people offering legal services, public education, and policy advocacy so their community members can live free of violence and discrimination.

YA-YA Network – $10,000

Youth ages 15-19 and their allies building youth leadership to end punitive disciplinary policies in public schools that disproportionately affect students of color, students with disabilities and LGBTQ students.

Young Women of Color HIV/AIDS Coalition – $10,000

An organization focused on bringing comprehensive sexual health education toNYC schools by supporting the leadership and political education of young women to design and implement programs.

Youth Ministries for Peace and Justice – $10,000

A youth-led movement to transform their Bronx Soundview/Bruckner neighborhoods to include restorative justice in public schools, cleaner air, healthy food and the full participation of immigrant community members. New

Why are some grantees marked with *?

Due to one-time changes to the timing of Grassroots Action grants, some of the grantees in this round received 18-month grants. Their total grant award was pro-rated from the amount listed above to reflect the additional time in the grant period.

  • Brooklyn Movement Center
  • Damayan Migrant Workers Association
  • FPA-Foundation
  • Justice Committee
  • New Immigrant Community Empowerment (NICE)
  • New York State Youth Leadership Council (NYSYLC)
  • NY Teamsters for a Democratic Union

For questions about our New York City grantmaking programs, please get in touch with Catherine Eusebio: catherine@northstarfund.org

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