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Struggling Downtown Nonprofits Will Receive $17 Million in Grants

By Julie Shapiro | September 21, 2010 6:18pm | Updated on September 24, 2010 6:04pm
Students from Dance New Amsterdam rallied and danced at City Hall in July to stop the studio from being evicted. Dance New Amsterdam hopes to receive a grant from the LMDC.
Students from Dance New Amsterdam rallied and danced at City Hall in July to stop the studio from being evicted. Dance New Amsterdam hopes to receive a grant from the LMDC.
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DNAinfo/Yepoka Yeebo

By Julie Shapiro

DNAinfo Reporter/Producer

LOWER MANHATTAN — Downtown arts and community groups could soon receive a much-needed cash infusion, thanks to a new $17 million grant program.

The Lower Manhattan Development Corp. announced Monday that local nonprofits could start applying for the grants, which are dedicated to projects that benefit lower Manhattan's residents and workers. Applications are due Nov. 5, and the LMDC hopes to start writing checks by the end of the year.

"I’m thrilled," said Jonathan Hollander, artistic and executive director of Battery Dance Company. "We’ve waited so long for this."

Battery Dance received $250,000 in a previous round of LMDC grants five years ago. Hollander used the money to run a program for students at Millennium High School and to begin renovations on Battery Dance’s TriBeCa studios.

Jonathan Hollander, right, executive director of Battery Dance Company, hopes to use LMDC money to restart a program at Millennium High School.
Jonathan Hollander, right, executive director of Battery Dance Company, hopes to use LMDC money to restart a program at Millennium High School.
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DNAinfo/Julie Shapiro

The Millennium program lasted for four years but is now over, as the LMDC money ran out and corporate sponsorships dried up. Hollander hopes to receive enough money to restart the program and to finish his studio renovations.

This grant money is separate from the $200 million in LMDC funds that the community and Con Edison are competing over. That money will take longer to trickle down to the community.

The current grants are open to nonprofit and government organizations south of Houston Street. Groups can apply for either programming needs or capital projects, and winners will generally receive between $100,000 and $1 million.

"This couldn’t come at a better time," said Julie Bose, executive director of the New York City Police Museum. "People are struggling."

Bose said many nonprofits have seen their endowments drop because of the economic downturn. She said the Police Museum may apply for a grant to renovate its Hall of Heroes.

Another group seeking money is Dance New Amsterdam, which is struggling to avoid eviction and is about $750,000 in debt. While the LMDC money cannot be used to pay debt, Dance New Amsterdam Executive Director Kate Peila hopes to receive a grant to support the studio’s programs while the organization stabilizes.

Julie Menin, an LMDC board member and chairwoman of Community Board 1, predicted that the LMDC would receive far more applications than the fund can satisfy. She hopes the money will go to capital projects that create construction jobs and leave a permanent mark on the neighborhood.

"I’m very glad [the grant application] was finally released," Menin said. "I hope it will make an enormous impact on downtown."