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Grants
Illumination Grants are "big idea" grants that focus on increasing access and opportunity through leadership and innovation. Illumination Grants seed "big" policy change and "big" programs. In 2010 There are three Illumination Grant Priorities: 1) Food and Nutrition; 2) National and Community Service; 3) Economic Relief and Recovery
Please see select illustrations of our grantmaking below:
NYC Green Carts
Service Nation
NYC Civic Corps
RISE-NYC! Respond, Inspire, Solve, Engage
Citymeals-on-Wheels
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Citymeals-on-Wheels
On Friday, November 21, 2008 Joan H. Tisch, and her three children Steven, Laurie and Jonathan in memory Preston Robert Tisch, their beloved husband and father, (respectively) and founding Board member, long-time president, and generous friend of Citymeals-on-Wheels announced a $100,000 emergency relief matching grant. Moved by recent reports of fiscal hardship at Citymeals, the Tisch family issued the following challenge: starting today, for every dollar donated to Citymeals, they will match the amount, dollar for dollar, up to $100,000.00. The challenge grant raised $1.5 million at the luncheon. The coordination of the grant will be by the Laurie M. Tisch Illumination Fund. The donation will fund over 30,000 home delivered meals. Click here for more information.
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Service Nation
The Laurie M. Tisch Illumination Fund was an early sponsor of Be The Change Inc. and a leading supporter of its ServiceNation campaign. The multi-faceted campaign, launched at the ServiceNation Presidential Forum and ServiceNation Summit on September 11 - 12, 2008, seeks to generate public support and build a national movement to increase funding and opportunities for more Americans to serve as volunteers and in paid service in their communities, and participate in civic life and build a vibrant democracy. Policy objectives include engaging 1 million Americans in full-time service, leveraging an additional 100 million volunteers each year, and create a democratic renewal in the United States. Effective coalition building, advocacy, and policy development lead to the April 21, 2009 passage of The Senator Edward M. Kennedy Serve America Act that triples the size of Americorp over the next eight years and focuses on National challenges including: clean energy, healthcare, education and poverty. Policy and advocacy objectives in 2009 include securing full funding for and state and local implementation of The Serve America Act.
Click here to find out more.
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NYC Civic Corps
The Laurie M. Tisch Illumination Fund and the Lizzie and Jonathan Tisch Foundation are supporting the NYC Civic Corps with one million dollars over a two year period. In April 2009, Mayor Bloomberg launched NYC Service, a comprehensive blueprint to increase service and civic engagement in New York City. Through 40 innovative initiatives, NYC Service seeks to make New York City the easiest place in the world to volunteer, target volunteer efforts to address the most pressing local challenges, and to promote service as a core part of what it means to be a citizen of the greatest city in the world. Through its largest initiative, the NYC Civic Corps, NYC Service will strategically dispatch nearly 200 fulltime AmeriCorps VISTA members to help public and non-profit organizations engage more volunteers and have a measureable impact on communities. In addition to the assistance of the Laurie M. Tisch Illumination Fund and the Lizzie and Jonathan M. Tisch Foundation, NYC Civic Corps benefits from the support of the Corporation for National and Community Service and in-kind support is also being provided by Gap, Inc., Hands on Network and the Association for a Better New York Foundation. Click here for more information about NYC Service.
Click here for information about President Obama's Call to Service
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RISE-NYC! Respond, Inspire, Solve, Engage
On May 14, 2009, over 2000 women and men attended the New York Women’s Foundation (NYWF) 22nd Celebrating Women Breakfast, at the breakfast on behalf of NYWF, Queen Latifah launched RISE–NYC! a three year initiative in response to the harshest economic downturn in decades. The initiative will raise a minimum of $10 million to New York City community–based organizations working with women and families hardest hit by the economic crisis.
The Laurie M. Tisch Illumination Fund was an early partner in support of RISE-NYC! with a grant in the Spring of 2009. The Laurie M. Tisch Illumination Fund believes that more than ever now is the time to be bold and creative and work together to protect our human services and community and arts organizations. RISE-NYC! will mobilize financial and human resources to promote economic security for women and families; create opportunities for New Yorkers to volunteer their skills and talents to assist families dealing with a variety of challenges during this crisis; and build partnership across sectors to maximize investment and accelerate solutions. Click here for more information about RISE-NYC!
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