Invest in Kids Funding Announced

After a significant delay in awarding Invest in Kids funding, the Westchester County government finally announced the grant recipients on January 28, 2015, nearly a month after contracts were due to begin. The WCA-led Campaign for Kids had successfully advocated for a 3% increase in Invest in Kids funding for key programs that help children and youth.

While the announcement came as a welcome relief to the 30 agencies who were awarded funding, many were put in a difficult situation by the delay in the renewal of these contracts (or by the late notice that they would not receive 2015 funding at all). Many nonprofits had to lay off staff or suspend program activities as a result of the delay.

A January 30, 2015 Lohud article details the impact of the late awarding of funds on several nonprofit organizations. In the article, WCA Executive Director Cora Greenberg points out that the county had ample time to review the applications for funding. This “bureaucratic mess” resulted in negative repercussions for the many families who rely on these afterschool, tutoring, and leadership programs to keep their children safely and productively occupied.

In partnership with the Campaign for Kids, WCA hopes to work together with the county government to improve this process so that the critical needs of Westchester’s young people are met.