Our COVID-19 Response

The Bronx Community Relief Effort invests directly in The Bronx and elevates the voices of local leaders. Through coordinated efforts, the community is now receiving more food, income, and educational and technological resources. We still have a long way to go, and no one can solve the complex needs of the community alone. 

Based on HERE to HERE’s work in The Bronx and our partnerships, The James and Judith K. Dimon Foundation made $3 million in grants to support the launch of The Bronx Community Relief Effort and its initial investments in Food Security; Education, Technology, and Connectivity; Non-profit support; and Microgrants:

Food Insecurity

• HERE to HERE, on behalf of The Bronx Community Relief Effort, worked with World Central Kitchen (WCK), local distributors, and Bronx restaurants to immediately increase preparation and distribution of daily fresh meals. 
• In partnership with Bronx PIC employers, we also developed RAP4Bronx (Relief Access Program for The Bronx). RAP4Bronx collects and donates meals, food, and essential supplies to help frontline workers, families, seniors, and vulnerable residents in The Bronx.
• The team that led HERE to HERE’s food insecurity work on behalf of The Bronx Community Relief Effort transitioned in August to lead The Thinkubator. 

Education, Technology, and Connectivity

• HERE to HERE purchased 600 Chromebooks and hotspots for our network high schools, with financial support from The James and Judith K. Dimon Foundation through The Bronx Community Relief Effort and operational support from DreamYard, to help meet the technology gap as students turned to online learning.
• The technology also allowed more students to take part in high-quality virtual internships, in coordination with network schools and a number of high performing community-based, youth development organizations who designed opportunities based on HERE to HERE’s key distinguishers.

Microgrants

• To quickly and effectively get funds to people who needed it most once Covid hit, HERE to HERE, in partnership with CUNY, The Carroll and Milton Petrie Foundation, The Bronx Community Relief Effort, and the Dimon Foundation, launched the Chancellor’s Emergency Relief Fund for Students. See the below section, “CUNY and its Students” for more information.

Our efforts to date include:

• Outreach: HERE to HERE’s Student Ambassadors conducted outreach in their schools to help us diagnose critical needs, be it food, technology, or other resources. Together with Ambassadors, we raised those needs to our philanthropic partners, the public sector, and employer leaders.
• Technology Donation: Responding to identified gaps in technology for students conducting online learning, HERE to HERE purchased 600 Chromebooks and hotspots for our network high schools, with financial support from The James and Judith K. Dimon Foundation through The Bronx Community Relief Effort and operational support from DreamYard, to help meet the technology gap as students turned to online learning.
• Championing SYEP: Following New York City’s decision to cancel the 2020 Summer Youth Employment Program (SYEP), HERE to HERE and a number of Summer Youth Employment advocates, including Teens Take Charge, DreamYard, ExpandEd, United Neighborhood Houses, Beam Center, Good Shepherd Services, and Children’s Aid Society, fought to restore 35,000 jobs for your people. Read our July letter for more detail on our efforts. 
• Launching CareerWise New York, a youth apprenticeship model focused on growing NYC industries such as IT, financial services, and business operations, and offering employers a direct role in developing work-ready talent and a talent-acquisition strategy. Please visit CareerWise New York for more information.
• Launching The Thinkubator in collaboration with The Bronx PIC employer members, The Do School, and DreamYard. The Thinkubator empowers young people to help address key issues facing Bronx Business and learn the principles of design thinking.
• Supporting our school partners to engage students in virtual work-based learning, including virtual internships.

To support CUNY and its students through the ongoing pandemic, we helped launch the Chancellor’s Emergency Relief Fund for students, which delivers emergency grants to CUNY students facing financial hardship during the COVID-19 crisis. The Fund was launched in partnership with CUNY and received initial support from The Carroll and Milton Petrie Foundation and The James and Judith K. Dimon Foundation. 

Links and Resources 

• Read the press release on CUNY’s website
• Learn about the Fund’s success and reach
• Contribute to the fund here