HIGHLIGHTS

Trees—Mother Nature’s Air Conditioners for NYC The glories of spring have just begun, so why think about sweltering summer? As stewards and advocates for NYC parks, you know shade from trees provides refuge from the heat. How to protect the 7+ million trees on public and private land across the city and ensure New Yorkers benefit equitably?

The NYC Urban Forest Agenda is a roadmap to protect, maintain, and grow the NYC urban forest to at least 30% tree canopy cover by 2035, equitably. Driving this is Forest for All NYC, a growing coalition of nearly 140 organizations. Consider joining at https://forestforall.nyc/ and following @ForestforAllNYC on social media.

COMMUNITY EVENTS

Street Tree Care at Our Lady of Mount Carmel Ready to roll up your sleeves and make a difference? Join us for a day of hands-on volunteering and community building. The street trees that line the sidewalks of Our Lady of Mount Carmel School need some tender loving care. Join us on a mission to beautify our streets, enhance our environment, and foster a stronger sense of community. We’ll pick up litter, loosen the topsoil and apply finished compost to the tree beds. Date/Time: Tuesday, April 16 • 10:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Location: Our Lady of Mount Carmel • 2465 Bathgate Ave To register, email compost@nybg.org Compost Café with Special Guest Jesi Taylor Join us for another thought-provoking installment of Compost Café, where we'll be delving into critical issues surrounding waste-related violence, environmental justice, and waste colonialism. This month, we're thrilled to welcome a very special guest: Jesi Taylor, an Anti-Colonial Environmental Scientist, Educator, Writer, Archivist, and Artist. With a wealth of knowledge and a passion for social and environmental justice, Jesi will lead us in an exploration of the challenges faced by communities disproportionately impacted by waste-related injustices. Register at https://www.nybg.org/event/compost-cafe-qa/. Date/Time: Wednesday, April 24 • 12 p.m. Location: Virtual Event Contact compost@nybg.org for more information. Native Plant Share Join us in celebrating the 20th Anniversary Butterfly Project NYC Native Plant Share! These native plants are intended for community, school gardens, and other public spaces. Choose your preferred time slot between 11 a.m. and 2 p.m. for pick-up. This event is held in partnership with Bronx Green-Up/NYBG, City Parks Foundation, Grow NYC Education, and NYC Parks GreenThumb Date/Time: Saturday, May 11 • 11 a.m.–2 p.m. [Registration required by April 8] Location: Grove Hill Community Garden • 786 Eagle Ave. at E. 158th Street Registration link forthcoming. Email bronxgreenup@nybg.org for more information. Community Urban Farm Produce Distribution and Volunteer Workday Join the Karol's Farm crew and Castle Hill Houses community-members for a weekly produce distribution and volunteer workday! Even during the winter, the farm needs care.  Date/Time: Fridays, April 5, 12, 19, & 26 • 11 a.m.–1 p.m. Location: Karol’s Community Farm • Havemeyer & Lacombe Ave No registration required. Email bronxgreenup@nybg.org for more information.

TRAININGS

Introduction to Individual Giving Candid Historically, in the United States, individual giving has been the biggest source of private giving, far outpacing foundation or corporate giving.  According to Giving USA, “American individuals, bequests, foundations, and corporations gave an estimated $449.64 billion to U.S. charities in 2019,” and, of that, individual giving “totaled an estimated $309.66 billion,” representing 69% of total giving.     A successful nonprofit organization has diversified funding streams, and individual donors play an important role. If you or your organization is new to individual giving, this webinar is for you. We’ll provide you with an overview of the fundraising landscape and walk you through the key components of an individual giving program.  Upon completion of this course you should be able to:   Explain the importance of individual giving in a nonprofit’s fundraising strategy   Identify key steps for a successful individual giving program  Draft a plan to start or improve your annual individual giving program Location: Online Cost: Free Date: Tuesday, April 2, 2024 @ 2:00pm - 3:30pm ET Link: Register here! Introduction to Fundraising Planning Candid Does your organization need help directing its fundraising efforts? Planning focuses your organization by setting fundraising priorities and helps give staff and board members a roadmap to success. This introductory class will provide you the basic steps for developing a fundraising plan, including tips on: Making your case for support Diversifying your organization's fundraising base Creating a plan of action The basic components of a project budget including income and expenses How to estimate the realistic cost of a project What other financial documents you may also need to submit with your proposal Location: Online Cost: Free Date: Thursday April 4, 2024 @ 2:00pm - 3:30pm ET Link: Register here! Ask Me Anything: Candid Experts on Finding Grants Candid Are you new to the field of grantseeking, or do you feel you could improve your techniques for finding foundation grants? We're longtime Candid training experts: ask us anything! In this deconstructed answer to our traditional Introduction to Finding Grants class, come with whatever is on your mind related to the world of foundation funding, such as: What are funders looking for? What are they NOT looking for? How do you identify the right foundations to approach, and how do you know when the time is ripe to reach out to them? How do you make a good first impression? This will not be our typical structured presentation; Powerpoint will be kept to a minimum! Instead, bring any and all of your grantseeking questions and we will do our best to answer as many of your questions as we can during this informal conversational session. Location: Online Cost: Free Date: Tuesday April, 9 2024 @ 2:00pm - 3:30pm ET Link: Register here! Is Starting a Nonprofit Right for You? Candid Starting a nonprofit can seem terrifically complicated--is it worth it?  This class can help you decide. In this session you’ll learn the legal and logistical elements necessary to start a successful nonprofit. You’ll also learn about possible alternatives to starting your own nonprofit that you may not have considered. Finally, you’ll be introduced to a tool that will help you assess your own readiness to move forward. Upon completion of this course you should be able to: Outline the steps required to start a nonprofit Assess the alternatives to starting a nonprofit Complete the nonprofit startup assessment tool to determine where you are in the startup process and identify the next steps you should take Access additional resources to help you in your journey A Special Welcome to Dreamers, those thinking about starting or in the process of starting a nonprofit Location: Online Cost: Free Date: Thursday April 11, 2024 @ 2:00pm - 3:30pm ET Link: Register here! ioby Previously Recorded Webinars ioby Check out any of the upcoming or previously recorded informative and engaging webinars ioby offers such as Crowdfunding for Communities, Bringing the Green: Crowdfunding for Community Gardens, Vacant to Vibrant, and Storytelling 101.   Location: Webinar Link: Check them out here! ioby Free Crowdfunding Resources ioby Crowdfunding: Free Resource Guides - Link Review a variety of resources guides ioby has put together to help you with your crowdfunding activities. Crowdfunding Fundraising Tips - Link It’s a great time to be a grassroots fundraiser. The Internet, online social networks, fiscal sponsorship, and an uptick in enthusiasm for DIY projects of all kinds mean that, in many ways, it’s easier for individuals to raise money now than ever before. That said, this is also an age of information deluge, and it can be tricky to weed through all the fundraising ideas out there to find what will work best for you. ioby is all about helping people get their neighborhood projects off the ground, and that includes a lot of fundraising. We’ve compiled our top fundraising ideas into a handy list.

GRANTS AND RESOURCES

Daily Grants  The Pollination Project The Pollination Project offers seed funding of up to US$1 thousand to compassion-driven individuals, informally organized groups and organizations, and formally registered or incorporated non-profit organizations based anywhere in the world. Topics for projects include education, clean water, afforestation, animal advocacy, and many others.  Deadline: Applications accepted on a rolling basis. Link: Learn more The Resiliency and Recovery Fund The Pollination Project The Resilience & Recovery Fund (RRF) will provide fast, small one-time grants of $1,000 to support grassroots volunteer responses to natural disasters, pandemic, humanitarian crises, or similar emergent events. Applications are accepted on a rolling basis, and existing TPP grantees in good standing who have not previously received RRF funding are eligible to apply. Deadline: Applications accepted on a rolling basis. Link: Learn more ioby Match Funding Opportunities 2022-2023 NYC Clean Bay Match Program When you crowdfund with the ioby NYC Clean Bay Match Program for your project, up to $3,000 of your donations will be doubled!  We know that neighbors and volunteers are planting rain gardens, installing rain barrels, remediating shoreline pollution, and restoring riparian habitat to improve water quality. Donations are matched up to $500 per donor, and participants access up to $3,000 until the match program ends. Deadline: Applications accepted on a rolling basis. Link: Learn more Gardens for the City Program New York Restoration Project Is there a community space in your neighborhood you’d like to see transformed? If so, apply for NYRP’s help. NYRP provides support for projects of various scales — from building a few vegetable beds to large-scale restoration work. NYRP helps provide materials, horticultural knowledge, environmental education, and construction expertise in order to help create community gardens and accessible landscapes in under-resourced neighborhoods.  Date/Time: Applications accepted on a rolling basis. Link: Learn more Good Sports Equipment Donations Good Sports All interested programs must submit an application in order to be considered for an equipment donation. All applicants must directly serve youth between the ages of 3-18, serve youth in an economically disadvantaged area, and provide access to play for kids. Good Sports is not able to donate to short term events such as sports camps, running/walking events or tournaments. Please review the eligibility guidelines before applying. Date/Time: Applications accepted on a rolling basis. Link: Learn more  The Awesome Foundation  The Awesome Foundation The Awesome Foundation is a global community advancing the interest of awesome in the universe, $1000 at a time. Each fully autonomous chapter supports awesome projects through micro-grants, usually given out monthly.  Deadline: Reviewed monthly Link: Learn more here! Additional Opportunities NYC DOT’s Open Streets Application NYC DOT NYC's Open Streets program allows communities to embrace new public space and support small businesses. Open Streets prioritize pedestrians and cyclists by transforming streets into public space. New York City Department of Transportation (NYC DOT) works with community-based organizations, educational institutions, and groups of businesses to execute Open Streets citywide.  Link: Learn more

For questions or concerns, contact your borough community engagement coordinator: Ismael Guzman Moran | Bronx Community Engagement Coordinator Community Districts: 3, 4, 5, 10, 11, 12 718.430.4667 | Ismael.Guzman@parks.nyc.gov Robert Madera | Bronx Community Engagement Coordinator Community Districts: 1, 2, 6, 7, 8, 9 718.430.1815 | Robert.Madera@parks.nyc.gov

Partnerships for Parks A joint program of City Parks Foundation and NYC Parks Facebook | Instagram | Twitter www.partnershipsforparks.org