08.02.16

Jericho Project Named Semifinalist in 2016 New York Community Trust Nonprofit Excellence Awards

This press release was originally published on www.npccny.org.

New York, NY
August 2, 2016

The New York Community Trust Nonprofit Excellence Awards Program, in its 10th year, announced today 11 nonprofit organizations in the city and Westchester that have been chosen as semifinalists for $60,000 in prizes and prestigious scholarships.

The New York Community Trust Nonprofit Excellence Awards, a program created and run by the Nonprofit Coordinating Committee of New York, is the only Award of its kind recognizing excellence in nonprofit management. The total of $60,000 will be awarded to three organizations, with $30,000 going to the Gold Prize winner for Overall Management Excellence, $20,000 to the Silver Prize winner and $10,000 to the Bronze Prize winner for outstanding performance in nonprofit management.

The semifinalists are also in the running to win tuition scholarships for the Columbia Business School Executive Education Programs in Social Enterprise. This is the first time in the Awards history that 11 semifinalists have been chosen; in prior years, only 10 organizations have made it to this level.

“We are delighted to announce the 11 semifinalists for the 2016 New York Community Trust Nonprofit Excellence Awards,” said Sharon Stapel, President of the Nonprofit Coordinating Committee of New York (NPCC). “We created this program 10 years ago to both celebrate management excellence and create an opportunity for nonprofits to learn from each other while improving their management performance. It is fitting that, as our program grows, so does the talent of the nonprofit applicants. This year we couldn’t limit our semifinalist list to 10 because all 11 organizations chosen represent excellent practices and others stand to learn much from them.”

An expert 33-member selection committee chose the 11 semifinalists from a pool of 58 qualified applicants following an intensive application, readiness assessment and vetting process that identifies excellent and replicable management practices among nonprofits in the five boroughs, Long Island and Westchester.

“The New York Community Trust is proud to support a program that showcases best management, which are vital to sustain,” said Lorie Slutsky, President of the New York Community Trust, one of the region’s leading funders of nonprofits. “It’s crucial to strengthen New York’s nonprofit community.”

The Awards program has attracted 750 applications from across New York City, Long Island and Westchester over its first ten years. The Awards recognize outstanding management practices in NPCC’s Eight Key Areas of Nonprofit Excellence. The eight areas are: results and impact, governance, financial management, diversity and inclusion, human resources, information technology, communications, and fundraising.

The semifinalists are: 

  • Jericho Project: Jericho Project’s mission is to end homelessness at its roots by creating a community that inspires individual change, fosters sustainable independence, and motivates people to reach their greatest potential.
  • Jewish Board of Family and Children’s Services: The Jewish Board of Family and Children’s Services strengthens families and communities throughout New York City by helping individuals of all background realize their potential and live as independently as possible.
  • Mental Health Association of Westchester: Mental Health Association of Westchester promotes mental health through advocacy, community education and direct services.
  • Neighbors Link: Neighbors Link strengthens the whole community through healthy integrate of immigrants.
  • New York Peace Institute: New York Peace Institute empowers people to find creative and durable solutions to their disputes by teaching vital conflict resolution skills to communities and organization and training and certifying professional mediators.
  • NYC Outward Bound Schools: NYC Outward Bound Schools effects positive and lasting change in the lives of New York City’s young people and in their public schools using the principles and practices of Outward Bound.
  • Part of the Solution (POTS): Part of the Solution’s strives to be a loving community in the Bronx that nourishes the basic needs and hungers of all who come to its door.
  • Per Scholas: Per Scholas aims to break the cycle of poverty by providing technology access and education in underserved communities.
  • Restore NYC: Restore NYC works to end sex trafficking in New York and restore the well-being and independence of foreign national survivors.
  • The Children’s Aid Society: The Children’s Aid Society aims to help children living in poverty succeed and thrive by providing comprehensive supports to children and their families in targeted high-needs New York City neighborhoods.
  • The HOPE Program: The HOPE Program empowers New Yorkers to overcome poverty through skills training, jobs and career advancement.

“This year’s semifinalists are an impressive group,” said Ronna Brown, President of Philanthropy New York, the regional association of grantmakers. “This Awards program helps us identify nonprofits engaging in exemplary and essential management practices and share their model with both the nonprofit and grantmaking communities.”

The 11 semifinalists will compete for six finalist spots, which will be announced on October 11, 2016. The three winning organizations will be announced and honored at the Awards presentation in November 2016.

NPCC created the Nonprofit Excellence Awards in 2007 and produces the program in collaboration with The New York Community Trust and Philanthropy New York. WNYC sponsors the program, which is also supported by The Clark Foundation, Ford Foundation, RSM US LLP, and Columbia Business School Executive Education Programs in Social Enterprise.

Learn more about the Nonprofit Excellence Awards, NPCC’s guiding Eight Key Areas of Nonprofit Excellence, past winners, and selection process.

The Nonprofit Coordinating Committee of New York (NPCC) serves as the voice and information source for the New York City area nonprofit community. NPCC’s mission is to create a sector that is better informed, managed, governed, and represented at all levels of government. With a membership representing 1,400+ organizations, NPCC helps member nonprofits to improve their organizational management so they become more effective in meeting their missions and saves nonprofits money through cost-savings programs. NPCC also serves as a watchdog for nonprofit regulation on the city, state and federal levels, assuring that the nonprofit regulatory environment is fair and efficient. Established in 1984, NPCC is the largest such organization in the New York City area.

Since 1924, The New York Community Trust has been the home of charitable New Yorkers who share a passion for the City and the suburbs—and who are committed to improving them. The Trust supports an array of effective nonprofits that help make the City a vital and secure place to live, learn, work and play, while building permanent resources for the future. The New York Community Trust ended 2015 with assets of $2.5 billion in more than 2,000 charitable funds, and made grants totaling $165 million. The Trust welcomes new donors.

Philanthropy New York is the primary membership organization for private, family, corporate, and public foundations based in the tri-state New York area. Its 285 member organizations— including some of the leading grantmaking foundations in the world—recognize that a vibrant and well-managed nonprofit sector is fundamental to healthy communities. Collaborating in the Awards provides Philanthropy New York an important opportunity to celebrate management excellence among their members’ nonprofit partners, learn from their experience, and help build greater capacity in the sector. Philanthropy New York is the principal professional community of philanthropic foundations based in the New York City region with a mission of enhancing the ability of philanthropists to serve the public good. Philanthropy New York members recognize that without extraordinary grantees, there would be no effective grant-making programs.

From its state-of-the-art studios in New York City, WNYC is reshaping audio for a new generation of listeners, with groundbreaking, innovative radio programs and podcasts that include Radiolab; Freakonomics Radio; On the Media; Here’s the Thing with Alec Baldwin; Death, Sex & Money; and New Tech City, among others. With an urban vibrancy and a global perspective, WNYC is America’s most listened-to public radio station and the home to an award-winning newsroom of 70 journalists.

Columbia Business School Executive Education Programs in Social Enterprise are designed to address the specific needs of nonprofit professionals at various stages of their executive development. The Senior Leaders Program for Nonprofit Professionals and the Developing Leaders Program help professionals develop the necessary skills to help their organizations today and in the years to come.

Additional financial and in-kind support is provided by Clark Foundation, Ford Foundation, and RSM US LLP.