The Mother Cabrini Health Foundation has announced 539 grants totaling $208 million in support of nonprofit organizations addressing community health needs and disparities in health outcomes across New York State.

With the latest tranche of grants, the foundation has surpassed $1 billion in grantmaking since its creation in 2018. The grants reflect investments in the foundation’s core program areas of access to health care, basic needs such as food and housing, the healthcare workforce, and mental and behavioral health. The foundation also dedicated more than $17 million to fund areas of focus within each of the core areas.

The foundation awarded $5.4 million to help integrate immigrants in the healthcare workforce and address the state’s healthcare workforce shortage. Recipients include Sunnyside Community Services in support of its Home Health Aide program in Queens, which provides a career ladder into health care for unemployed individuals, primarily immigrant women; and Le Moyne College’s Healthcare Advancement Resource Center in Syracuse, which helps individuals with international medical training obtain the credentials and training needed to work in the local healthcare sector. In addition, the foundation awarded $3.8 million to improve maternal health outcomes. Recipients include Maimonides Medical Center, which provides integrated developmental, mental health, and behavioral health supports for families at its Brooklyn Parenting Center. Another $3.7 million was directed to organizations working to address the mental health of rural older adults, including Lifespan of Greater Rochester, which provides recovery and wellness intervention programs that assist older adults with substance abuse disorders in the Finger Lakes region.

“We are humbled by the wide-ranging impact our grantmaking has made in just six years, and most importantly, by the dedication of our grantee partners to improve the health of the people of New York State,” said Mother Cabrini Health Foundation CEO Gregory Mustaciuolo. “These new grants mark a significant milestone in our work and reaffirm our commitment to be responsive to emerging health challenges facing the most vulnerable children and adults in our communities.”

(Photo credit: Getty Images/Michele Pevide)