We seek to help people at a critical moment with a need triggered by an emergency. Our hope is that this assistance will make a difference in someone’s life with lasting impact.
The primary way that we offer assistance is by making grants to social service and other organizations (including colleges), whose staff then applies strict criteria and distributes grants averaging approximately $1,000. It is important that the organizations that receive our grant offer additional support services.
We focus on programs that work directly with individuals one-on-one. The majority of our Helping Hands grants go toward rent, particularly needed in the primary areas where we fund – New York City, Boston, and Palm Beach County – where there is not enough affordable housing. We also help with expenses such as utilities, transportation, moving, furniture, or clothing that an individual is temporarily unable to pay for because of an unexpected hardship.
We may make a limited number of grants to programs that connect individuals to additional community resources.
Reflections on Helping Hands
Lou Gerstner shares the origin of and his vision for the emergency grants program, lessons learned over the past decade, and his belief in the critical importance of the work.
Watch the videoFeatured Grantee
United Neighborhood Houses
United Neighborhood Houses (UNH) provides programs and support for its 44 member settlement houses (neighborhood-based social services organizations), such as professional development, advocacy, and peer learning. UNH members are located across all five boroughs of New York City, offering case management and comprehensive services to diverse communities. In 2019, Gerstner Philanthropies partnered with UNH to pilot a new leveraged model for the Helping Hands program in which funds are granted to UNH to subgrant to selected member organizations and manage the administration. Due to the initial success of the model with five organizations, Gerstner Philanthropies and UNH expanded the program to provide grants to 16 organizations in 2020 and provided additional funding to them in 2021. The program has enabled Helping Hands to reach new communities with support totaling over $2 million. To learn more, please visit unhny.org and view the list of organizations funded through the UNH model here.
Our Grantees
Major Helping Hands Grants
Grants listed below may be from the Gerstner Family Foundation or another Gerstner family philanthropic vehicle. Amounts may reflect cumulative annual grants or multi-year grants. To see annual amounts, please see listings of grants paid each year.
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Adopt-A-Family
Lake Worth, FL | Visit Website
To support the Housing Stabilization Program.
$1,962,500
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The Bridge Fund of New York
New York and Westchester, NY | Visit Website
To support the emergency cash grant/loan program to prevent homelessness in New York, NY.
$1,962,500
To support the emergency cash grant/loan program to prevent homelessness in Westchester County, NY.
$632,500
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Coalition for the Homeless
New York, NY | Visit Website
To support the emergency cash grant program.
$970,000
To support the First Step Job Training Program.
$225,000
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FamilyAid Boston
Boston, MA | Visit Website
To support the emergency cash grant program.
$1,200,000
To support the holiday meals program.
$12,240
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The Havens Relief Fund Society
New York, NY | Visit Website
To support the emergency cash grant program.
$2,050,000
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Safe Horizon
New York, NY | Visit Website
To fund the Emergency Client Assistance Program.
$2,308,750
To support the Child Advocacy Centers.
$10,000
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Sanctuary for Families
New York, NY | Visit Website
To support the emergency cash grant program.
$955,000
To support the Economic Empowerment Program.
$225,000
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SUNY Student Emergency Funds
New York State
To support student emergency funds at several colleges and universities across New York State.
$934,732
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United Neighborhood Houses
New York, NY | Visit Website
To support the eviction prevention program across sixteen settlement houses. For a list of participating settlement houses and their websites, please click 'View Website' above.
$2,040,625
Stories
Mira is a disabled mother of one. She received disability payments while her partner worked two jobs. When her partner was laid off at his primary job, the family was unable to make their rent payments. They were on the verge of being evicted before they received a Gerstner Helping Hands grant for $1,200 in December 2019. Thanks to this grant, they were able to stay in their home and have not fallen behind on rent payments again. One year later, Mira reports that her partner started a new job and has been able to stay employed throughout the pandemic
Helping Hands News
