Local Unitarians Give More Than $70K to Social Justice Causes

The Community Church of New York (CCNY), based on East 35th Street, this year awarded more than $70,000 through the Ethelwyn Doolittle Justice and Outreach Fund to twelve social justice organizations across the New York City metropolitan area, including Hunger Free America and the New York Civil Liberties Union.

Grants are allocated annually to 501(c)(3) organizations whose goals align with CCNY’s mission to grow as a caring, justice-making, anti-racist, diverse, spiritual community. Each recipient champions a mission related to human rights, civil rights, racial justice and/or environmental justice.

During the 2020-2021 grant-giving program, CCNY’s Doolittle Committee approved new grants to the following:

Hunger Free America: based in New York City and working to end domestic hunger nationwide through a combination of advocacy and direct service ($7,000).

First Friends of New York and New Jersey: supporting some 750 immigrants and asylum seekers detained in the four U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) facilities in northern New Jersey ($8,000).

Ujima Pan African Media Archives: a project launched in in 2019 by a group of New York City Black organizers, activists and media professionals to preserve and make available more than four decades of vital, locally produced historical audio/visual recordings ($5,000).

The Woman's Opportunity & Rehabilitation Center: a community program that offers an alternative to incarceration programs for female offenders in and around Nassau County, New York ($9,000).

New York Civil Liberties Union: the New York state affiliate of the ACLU, and one of the nation’s foremost defenders of civil liberties and civil rights ($5,000).

The Committee also renewed grants to the seven previous grant recipients (Doolittle grants may be renewed for up to three years):

Bailey’s Café, a Brooklyn-based Black community center ($6,000); the Brooklyn Society for Ethical Culture ($2,000); Climate Crisis Policy Center ($3,500); Maa Sa Akhi Performing Arts Academy ($8,000); the New Amsterdam Boys & Girls Choir ($4,000); PEN America ($6,000); Riverside Senior Life Center ($7,500).

“We at Community Church are fortunate and privileged to be able to use the Doolittle Fund to help these great organizations, who do incredible work in issues ranging from racial justice to the protection of our basic civil rights,” said Rose Crayton, outgoing Doolittle Committee Chair and longtime Community Church of New York member. “Once again, we were deeply moved and impressed by the range of groups nominated by our members.”

“This year’s list of grantees reflects the commitment of our members to Community Church of New York’s mission of cultivating justice in our communities,” said Reverend Peggy Clarke, Senior Minister of the Community Church of New York. “We’re deeply grateful to our members for all the work they have done to select this year’s recipients.”

The Ethelwyn Doolittle Fund was established from a number of legacy gifts to Community, the largest given by Ethelwyn Doolittle, a school teacher and church member who lived from 1872 to 1966. Since 2004, the funding has been used to give small grants of up to $10K to groups working on human rights, civil rights, racial justice, and environmental issues.

Grants are proposed by CCNY members for consideration by the fund’s oversight committee.

About Community Church of New York

Community Church of New York is a Unitarian Universalist congregation located on East 35th Street in Manhattan. Founded in 1828, Community is one of Manhattan’s longest established progressive churches, with a deep commitment to both social justice and spiritual growth.