Central NY Archives - New York Health Foundation

Nonprofit Support Group (fiscal sponsor: Grantmakers Forum of New York, dba New York Funders Alliance Initiatives Fund)

Federal executive orders and budget cuts are prompting policy changes, confusion, and uncertainty in New York’s health and social service nonprofit landscape.

New York’s more than 3,400 health nonprofits—including NYHealth grantees—are feeling the direct and indirect impacts of these changes in the form of budget cuts, communications requirements, rollbacks in protections for the communities they serve, and the contraction of the federal government’s role in public health. These shifts change how organizations operate, forcing them to navigate an uncertain policy and funding environment and a weakened safety net infrastructure. More than ever, nonprofits struggle to assess risk, forecast financial plans, communicate, adhere to their missions, and support staff and communities to navigate fear and uncertainty. They have been compelled to divert limited resources from serving clients to adopting contingency plans, implementing new compliance and safety measures, and intensifying advocacy efforts to protect their organizations, staff, and communities from discrimination and barriers to care. In 2025, NYHealth awarded the Nonprofit Support Group a grant to deliver free, timely technical assistance and capacity-building support to NYHealth grantees to strengthen their ability to respond and adapt to new, evolving, and unforeseen circumstances.

Under this grant, NSG’s IMPACT HQ program will offer resources to Western, Central New York, and Finger Lakes grantees, focusing on leadership development, fundraising, and advocacy. Grantees will have ongoing access to virtual trainings, resource directories and tools, and periodic in-person convenings where organizations can learn from each other and build relationships.

NYHealth also awarded complementary grants to the New York City Capacity Building Collaborative and Nonprofit Finance Fund.

Syracuse University, Maxwell School Center for Policy Research

People experiencing food insecurity often face poorer diet quality, higher rates of diet-related illnesses, and greater health care costs. Research shows that medically supportive food and nutrition services—known as Food Is Medicine (FIM)—can reduce the severity of these problems. Veterans generally experience worse health outcomes and higher rates of food insecurity compared to civilians. A recent veterans’ needs assessment commissioned by NYHealth found that one-quarter of veterans in New York experienced food insecurity in the past year. Yet, few FIM models have been tailored to meet the specific needs of veterans. In 2022, NYHealth awarded God’s Love We Deliver a grant to develop and launch a FIM pilot to serve veterans, with a focus on veterans with behavioral health diagnoses. God’s Love developed an enhanced menu optimized for mental health, expanded community outreach, and trained staff to deliver trauma-informed, culturally competent care to veterans. In 2024, NYHealth awarded God’s Love We Deliver a grant to expand its Phase 1 pilot to improve the health and food security of veterans.

Under this grant, the Maxwell X Lab will evaluate a new FIM pilot (carried out in partnership with the Syracuse VA Medical Center and Instacart) that provides nutrition counseling and a $100 monthly subsidy for home delivery of medically tailored groceries to veterans with diabetes and hypertension. The project aims to build the case for sustainability at Veterans Affairs (VA) sites across the country, as well as with health plans. It will collect, analyze, and share qualitative and clinical outcome data to make the case for expanded FIM programs for veterans, with the ultimate goal of securing Medicaid, Medicare, and Tricare reimbursement for FIM services

NYHealth is also supporting a complementary initiative with God’s Love We Deliver.

New York State Association for Rural Health

Forty-four of New York State’s sixty-two counties are classified as fully or partially rural.

Rural communities face unique challenges: declining and aging populations; increasing hospital closures; shrinking labor forces and shortages of health care providers; and limited infrastructure. Most recently, stagnant State reimbursement, funding eligibility restrictions, and administrative barriers have inhibited the growth of rural health infrastructure. Rural health networks play an essential role in addressing these challenges by leveraging community assets and tailoring responses to local needs. Despite their critical roles, these institutions are underfunded and are hampered by staff shortages and leadership transitions. In 2024, NYHealth awarded New York State Association for Rural Health (NYSARH) a grant to provide rural health networks with the tools and resources they need to respond to pressing rural health challenges.

Under this grant, NYSARH will organize activities around the pressing issue of mental health access in rural communities. First, NYSARH will compile a rural health needs assessment report,synthesizing mental health information from 44 rural counties to gain an understanding of rural needs, assets, and disparities. It will then collaborate with up to 12 rural health networks and community-based organizations to elicit feedback on the assessment findings and to inform a shared action plan and advocacy activities.

Syracuse-Onondaga Food Systems Alliance (fiscal sponsor: Syracuse Grows)

Food systems planning is a collaborative process among farmers, retailers, consumers, nonprofits, health systems, and government to develop priorities and implement policies and practices that shape how local or regional food systems operate.

Benefits of food planning include improving food procurement at public institutions, supporting local retail food businesses, and strengthening outreach and enrollment in benefits programs. NYHealth is supporting eight food planning groups in New York State that are developing tailored food system plans. With a 2023 NYHealth grant, the Syracuse-Onondaga Food Systems Alliance (SOFSA) created a five-year strategic plan to define the next chapter of its work. In 2024, NYHealth awarded SOFSA a grant to operationalize its strategic plan to make healthy, local food more available in Syracuse, surrounding Onondaga County and Onondaga Nation.

Under this grant, SOFSA improved transportation to food access points regionally; expanded farm-to-institution purchasing; collaborated on efforts to increase lead testing and developed multilingual testing resources for home gardeners; supported community-identified solutions to food access issues with mini-grants; and pursued an advocacy and civic engagement strategy.

Food Access Healthy Neighborhoods Now

Food security exists when all people, at all times, have physical, social, and economic access to sufficient, safe, and nutritious food that meets their dietary needs and food preferences for an active and healthy life.

Food security exists when all people, at all times, have physical, social, and economic access to sufficient, safe, and nutritious food that meets their dietary needs and food preferences for an active and healthy life. However, stark disparities persist by race and ethnicity, and communities of color experience disproportionately high rates of food insecurity and diet-related disease. The communities most affected by these disparities often have the best solutions to improving food equity. However, systemic barriers often exist, and historically, organizations led by people of color have not had equal access to or benefited from traditional philanthropy funds and resources. In 2024, NYHealth issued an inaugural Request for Proposals (RFP), “Healthy Food, Healthy Lives: Supporting a More Equitable Food System,” to advance racial health equity in the food system. NYHealth awarded Food Access Healthy Neighborhoods Now (FAHNN) a grant to participate in this initiative.

Under this grant, FAHNN will advocate for the return of a full-service grocery store and continue its weekly, year-round farmers market to provide necessary food access in the absence of a full-service grocery store on the southside of Syracuse. FAHNN will produce and distribute marketing and outreach materials to advertise farmers market hours and products; offer customers nutrition incentives; and provide stipends to market supervisors.

See a full list of grantees working to advance racial health equity in the food system.

Black Women’s Blueprint

Food security exists when all people, at all times, have physical, social, and economic access to sufficient, safe, and nutritious food that meets their dietary needs and food preferences for an active and healthy life.

Food security exists when all people, at all times, have physical, social, and economic access to sufficient, safe, and nutritious food that meets their dietary needs and food preferences for an active and healthy life. However, stark disparities persist by race and ethnicity, and communities of color experience disproportionately high rates of food insecurity and diet-related disease. The communities most affected by these disparities often have the best solutions to improving food equity. However, systemic barriers often exist, and historically, organizations led by people of color have not had equal access to or benefited from traditional philanthropy funds and resources. In 2024, NYHealth issued an inaugural Request for Proposals (RFP), “Healthy Food, Healthy Lives: Supporting a More Equitable Food System,” to advance racial health equity in the food system. NYHealth awarded Black Women’s Blueprint (BWB) a grant to participate in this initiative.

Under this grant, BWB will expand and formalize its Food Is Medicine program to support maternal physical and mental health through nutritional, farm-fresh foods. BWB will partner with Brooklyn Packers, a food hub cooperative, to distribute farm-fresh foods and expand its reach into New York City. It will use its Sistas Mobile Van to expand community outreach methods and distribute fresh bags of produce and other food items that support maternal and post-partum health. BWB will also coordinate registered dietitians, integrative nutrition coaches, and in-house educators to provide workshops, cooking demonstrations, and educational community events focused on improving maternal and reproductive health outcomes.

See a full list of grantees working to advance racial health equity in the food system.

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Region: Central NY

Nonprofit Support Group (fiscal sponsor: Grantmakers Forum of New York, dba New York Funders Alliance Initiatives Fund)

Federal executive orders and budget cuts are prompting policy changes, confusion, and uncertainty in New York’s health and social service nonprofit landscape.

Syracuse University, Maxwell School Center for Policy Research

New York State Association for Rural Health

Forty-four of New York State’s sixty-two counties are classified as fully or partially rural.

Syracuse-Onondaga Food Systems Alliance (fiscal sponsor: Syracuse Grows)

Food systems planning is a collaborative process among farmers, retailers, consumers, nonprofits, health systems, and government to develop priorities and implement policies and practices that shape how local or regional food systems operate.

Food Access Healthy Neighborhoods Now

Food security exists when all people, at all times, have physical, social, and economic access to sufficient, safe, and nutritious food that meets their dietary needs and food preferences for an active and healthy life.

Black Women’s Blueprint

Food security exists when all people, at all times, have physical, social, and economic access to sufficient, safe, and nutritious food that meets their dietary needs and food preferences for an active and healthy life.