8 Queens Community Groups Get Improvement Grants

Eight Queens-based community groups were among more than 50 citywide to receive New Yorkers for Better Neighborhoods grants to support programs that will improve the quality of life in local communities all across the five boroughs. The grants of $500 to $3,000, awarded by Citizens Committee for New York City, will help fund a wide variety of local grassroots projects ranging from support for tenants' rights, block beautification projects, financial empowerment projects, to nutritional research based upon neighborhoods' access to fast food.

"These community groups are the hearts and souls of the neighborhoods of Queens," Peter Kostmayer, Citizens Committee for NYC president, said. "Their unique perspectives help them keep their fingers on the pulse of their communities and allows them to address problems and conditions in the places where they live, work and play. Citizens Committee is thrilled to support these groups that work to make the city a better place for all of us."

The Citizens Committee New Yorkers for Better Neighborhoods Program grants were created to give small-scale community groups the tools and support they need to improve their neighborhoods. The program works closely with local groups around the city to identify top community concerns, and then it tailors grant making, training and technical assistance accordingly. Since 2004, the New Yorkers for Better Neighborhoods Program has provided almost $250,000 to local community based organizations.

Financial support for the New Yorkers for Better Neighborhoods program is provided by Wachovia, Molly Parnis Livingston Foundation, and the New York Community Trust.

Kostmayer added, "By virtue of financial support from our generous corporate partners, neighborhoods throughout the five boroughs are safer, greener and more livable."

The Queens grantees are:

• Astoria CSA

• Citizens Against Graffiti Everywhere (CAGE)

• Farm Spot Jackson Heights Community Supported Agriculture

• People's Lawyers Collective

• Queens Coalition for Parks & Green Spaces

• Rockaway Waterfront Alliance

•The Nicole Paultre Bell "When it's Real it's Forever"

• S.U.S. Self Defense (system of universal styles).

For more than 30 years, Citizens Committee for New York City has been building stronger neighborhoods in every part of the city. Through strategic grant making and technical assistance, this nonprofit organization funds community supported agriculture groups, city farms, community gardens, tax benefit outreach, financial empowerment, block and tenant organizations, neighborhood beautification and programs for new immigrants. Visit www.citizensnyc.org or call 212-989-0909.