Yesterday, we posted the list of community-based projects City Councilmember Margaret Chin has decided to fund this year. Today, we’ll take a look at Councilmember Rosie Mendez’s funding choices. Last week, the city’s $63 billion budget was approved, including about $50 million in “discretionary spending” controlled by individual Council members.
Mendez represents most of the East Side below 34th Street and above Houston. This year, she’s giving organizations throughout New York City $414,664, almost the same amount she dolled out in 2009. Only six Council members (including Chin) are awarding less than Mendez. The king of “discretionary spending” (or “pork,” depending on your perspective) is Domenic Recchia, finance committee chair.
The following list does not include projects Mendez funded with other Council members. The descriptions of each project are taken directly from the City Council’s online database. You can search the database for yourself here.
ROSIE MENDEZ 2011 DISCRETIONARY SPENDING
7 Loaves, Inc.; Puppetry, Literacy and Dance for Youth.; $3000
A Gathering of the Tribes; To provide funding support for the Annual Charlie Parker Festival Block Party; $3000
Advocates for Children of New York, Inc.; For the Jill Chaifetz Education Helpline; $3500
All Out Arts, Inc.; To fund the Fresh Fruit Festival – theater and graphic arts festival; $3000
Andrew Glover Youth Program, Inc.; Alternatives to incarceration and crime prevention programs to youthful offenders; $3500
Anne Frank Center USA, Inc.; Writing / performance workshops and production by students; $3500
Art Loisaida Foundation; Art and cultural programs for Loisaida residents; $3500
Arts Connection, Inc.; Prorgams in dance, theater and visual arts for public school students grades K-12; $3500
Barrier Free Living, Inc.; Services to the formerly homeless at transitional housing / shelter facility on E. 2nd St; $3500
Bella Abzug Leadership Institute, Inc.; To support youth programs and services.; $3500
Bellevue Day Care Center, Inc.; Child care services to children ages 6 months to 4 years old; $3500
Big Apple Seeds; Soccer classes for youth; $3500
Boys’ Club of New York, Inc.; Media and Arts Center at Harriman Clubhouse; $3500
Campo Misionero Sarepta, Inc.; To provide funding for a Soup Kitchen; $5200
Caring Community, Inc.; Senior center support including LGBT seniors; $3500
Carter Burden Center for the Aging, Inc.; Arts and Crafts classes offered at Senior Centers; $3500
Center for Traditional Music and Dance; Ukrainian Wave Community Cultural Initiative (CCI), at the Self Reliance Association of American Ukrainians; $3500
Church of Our Lady Of Sorrows; OLS Kids Sparkle; $3500
Church of Our Lady Of Sorrows; Kids after-school program- KAP; $3500
City Lore, Inc.; To develop an on-line tour of Loisaida; $3500
City Parks Foundation; For the Charlie Parker Jazz Festival, CityParks Concerts, and CityParks Theater; $3000
Community Access, Inc.; Food service training program for the mentally disabled; $3500
Community Service Society of New York; Reimbursement of transportation expenses for older adult volunteers; $3500
Connecting to Advantages, Inc.; Promoting benefits to low income and unemployed people; $3500
Cooper Square Community Development Committee and Businessmen’s Association, Inc.; Tenant counseling, eviction prevention, and housing preservation; $10,000
Dance Ring, Inc., The d / b / a New York Theatre Ballet; Tickets for Council District 2 children kids to attend ballet performances in NYTB studio; $3500
Danspace Project, Inc.; To provide funding for dance performances; $3000
Downtown Art Company, Inc.; NYC Street Festival of Teen Artists and Leaders; $3500
Downtown Music Productions, Inc.; To bring Introduction to the Orchestra to schools in Council District 2; $3714
Dynamic Forms, Inc.; Dance and literacy skills after-school program at Public School 15M; $3500
East Side Community Group for Senior Services, Inc.; To provide senior services; $3500
East Village Community Coalition, Inc.; For the Lower East Side Kids Art Bike Parade; $3500
Educational Alliance, Inc.; Programs at Sirovich Senior Center; $10,500
Father’s Heart Ministries, Inc.; Soup kitchen, arts crafts and nutrition programs; $4000
Father’s Heart Ministries, Inc.; Soup kitchen and food pantry for seniors; $5250
Federation of Protestant Welfare Agencies, Inc.; To provide ongoing capacity-building, direct and advocacy services to local agencies and their clients; $7500
Felix Millan Little League; Baseball league for children ages 5-18; $7000
Fourth Arts Block, Inc.; Annual FAB! Festival and FAB Tix; $3000
Friends Quarters Housing Development Fund Corporation; Residents with HIV / AIDS in formerly homeless housing learn vocational cooking and nutrional skills; $3500
Fund for the City of New York, Inc.; Day One youth programs regarding anti-date violence in Council District 2; $3500
Gilda’s Club New York, Inc.; Support services for people with cancer; $3500
Good Old Lower East Side, Inc.; For tenant and community organizing; $10,000
Good Shepherd Services; Mental health counseling for children at foster care residence on 17th Street in Manhattan; $3500
Grand Street Settlement, Inc.; Grand Coalition of Seniors program; $10,500
Greenwich Village Society for Historic Preservation; History and Historic Preservation program for studenst grades 1-8; $3000
Gustavus Adolphus Lutheran Church; For the community lounge senior center; $4000
Henry Street Settlement; Vladeck Cares / NORC: $3500
Henry Street Settlement; Dinner program at Vladeck; $3500
Henry Street Settlement; Good companions senior center; $6500
Henry Street Settlement; For Henry Street Settlement’s youth programs: including the Boys and Girls Republic ($4,000) and Sol Lain Little League ($3,500)
Heritage of Pride, Inc.; To fund LGBT Pride week events; $3500
Historic Districts Council; For advocacy and education on historic districts and support of annual conference; $3500
Indochina Sino-American Senior Citizen Center, Inc.; To provide funding for senior services; $3500
Institute for the Puerto Rican / Hispanic Elderly, Inc.; Bilingual case assistance program for seniors; $3500
International Center for the Disabled (ICD), Inc.; Youth Employment Services (YES) program to develop STEPP, an emotional literacy curriculum for youth with mental health disorders; $3500
Las Buenas Amigas, Inc.; Programs on breast cancer, HIV / AIDS and other topics of concern to latino lesbians; $3500
Latino International Theater Festival of New York, Inc.; To fund TeatroStageFest activities in Council District 2; $3000
Literacy Partners, Inc.; Adult Basic Education for those reading below the 12th grade level; $3500
Loisaida, Inc.; Youth program – outreach activities in public housing developments; $3500
Lower East Side Girls Club; Job training, entrepreneurial and technology skills building program; $3500
Lower East Side Hispanic Committee; Summer street fair on the Lower East Side; $3500
Making Opportunities for Upgrading Schools and Education (MOUSE), Inc.; The MOUSE Squad youth technology support program in Council District 2 schools; $3500
Medicare Rights Center, Inc.; Education on entitlement benefits eligibility in Council District 2; $3500
Metropolitan Community Church of New York; MCCNY’s LGBTQ youth shelter @ Sylvia’s Place; $3500
National Dance Institute, Inc.; Public School 40M dance and visual arts program; $3500
Nazareth Housing, Inc.; Children’s educational enhancement programs; $3500
New York Historical Society; Classes in Council District 2 public schools on the role of Latinos in New York over the last four centuries; $3500
New York Junior Tennis League, Inc.; Recreational tennis and educational programs in Council District 2; $3500
Notes in Motion, Inc.; Arts program in Public School 63M; $3500
Oasis Community Corporation; For after-school programs at the Earth School and East Village Community School; $3500
Older Adults Technology Services (OATS), Inc.; Computer basic training, workforce skills, health IT, etc.; $3500
Phipps Community Development Corporation; For an after-school youth program; $3500
Phipps Community Development Corporation; NORC program at Henry Phipps Plazas; $4500
Queens Lesbian and Gay Pride Committee, Inc.; Four presentations of Pride not Prejudice awareness in Council District 2 junior high schools; $3500
Reach Out and Read of Greater New York, Inc.; To purchase books for eight sites in Council District 2; $3500
Real World Foundation, Inc.; General support for the Asthma Free School Zone; $3500
Rod Rodgers Dance Company, Inc.; Community outreach and dance program – classes and workshops; $3500
Rosie’s Broadway Kids, Inc.; Live musicians and teaching artist visiting Public School 34M, 188M, 15M, 64M and East Village and Children’s Workshop Schools; $3500
Samaritans of New York, Inc.; For suicide prevention education and training in schools in Council District 2; $3500
Self Reliance Association of American Ukrainians, Inc.; Social services, advocacy, translation (Ukrainian to English), counseling, on a walk-in basis to the frail, elderly of Council District 2; $4500
Services and Advocacy for GLBT Elders, Inc. (SAGE); Direct and supportive social services, social and recreational activities to LGBT older adults; $6000
Society of the Educational Arts, Inc. (SEA); Bi-lingual children’s puppet theater in new partnerships with libararies, schools, etc in Council District 2; $3000
Society of the Third Street Music School Settlement, Inc.; The MILES program for low to moderate income children, including music and dance instruction; $4000
Spanish Theatre Repertory Company, Ltd.; Ticket subsidies for NYC public school students and seniors; $3000
Sports and Arts in Schools Foundation, Inc.; City Council Sports and Arts Summer Camp and CHAMPS middle schools sports and fitness league; $3500
StoryCorps, Inc.; Recordings of personal stories – outreach to african americans, people with memory loss and 911 survivors; $3000
Teatro Circulo, Ltd.; Summer Theater Institute which trains Latino youth in theater; $3500
Theater for The New City Foundation, Inc.; After-School Theater Arts Program for middle school students; $3500
Transportation Alternatives; Biking Rules campaign and the handbook; $3500
Trinity’s Services and Food for the Homeless, Inc.; Trinity’s Services and Food for the Homeless soup kitchen and food pantry; $18,500
United Jewish Council of the East Side; Lillian Wald Senior Center support; $9500
University of the Streets (U.O.T.S), Inc.; To fund a Sunday Jazz Brunch series; $3500
University Settlement Society of New York; Project Home Eviction Prevention Services; $3500
Village Temple Soup Kitchen; To provide funds for a soup kitchen; $3500
VISIONS / Services for the Blind and Visually Impaired; Multi-lingual Community Education and Outreach Program in Council District 2; $3500
Visiting Neighbors, Inc.; Supportive services to frail seniors living alone; $5500
Vocal Ease, Inc.; Vocal Ease programs – live on site cabaret performances at senior centers; $3500
William F. Ryan Community Health Center, Inc.; Subscription for up-to-date, an online clinical resource for Doctors; $3500
Youth Service Opportunities Project, Inc.; Provide learing experiences to young people while helping the homeless and hungry; $3500
