Gerstner Philanthropies Awards $9.1 Million For Helping Hands Emergency Grant Program
As of March 1, 2024, Gerstner Philanthropies has awarded $9.1 million in Helping Hands funds to 24 social service organizations and colleges, a 13% increase from last year’s grantmaking. $8.5 million will expand support to existing emergency grant programs at 21 grantees across the country, including three network organizations who subgrant to and oversee 82 emergency aid programs at their member organizations across 26 states. An additional $0.6 million will support new partnerships with public colleges and social service providers across our primary funding locations (New York, Boston, and Palm Beach, FL).
Each year, Helping Hands reaches over 4,000 households, helping with critical needs, including rent, utilities, medical expenses, and food. By both deepening and widening our grantmaking for 2024, Gerstner Philanthropies aims to provide aid to a larger number of individuals in need and give our partners the tools they need to carry out their work most efficiently and effectively.
Gerstner’s Helping Hands program seeks to help people at a critical moment with a need triggered by an emergency. Gerstner Philanthropies awards grants to organizations that work one-on-one with individuals, whose staff distributes small, one-time grants based on our guidelines combined with holistic case management services to help their clients avoid falling into poverty. The program’s goal is to make a difference in someone’s life with a lasting impact, whether that be enabling families to remain housed, assisting domestic abuse survivors with rebuilding a safe and stable life, or ensuring hard-working college students can persist in school and ultimately graduate.