The increased funding of Helping Hands is a response to potential challenges faced by students in the post-COVID-19 era and a demonstration of Gerstner Philanthropies' commitment to CCNY.
Gerstner Philanthropies increased its commitment to supporting the Helping Hands Student Emergency Fund at The City College of New York with a two-year grant of $600,000.
Helping Hands provides one-time cash grants to college students facing one-time unforeseen emergencies to allow them to continue their studies. Gerstner Philanthropies previously gave $166,667 to start CCNY’s Helping Hands in 2023, and donated an additional $100,000 in 2024. This increased funding is a response to potential challenges faced by students in the post-COVID-19 era and a demonstration of the organization’s commitment to CCNY.
“We are tremendously grateful for this continued support, as many of our students qualify as coming from low-income households, they are the first in their families to enroll at college, and are first-generation Americans,” said CCNY Senior Vice President Dee Dee Mozeleski, the executive director of The Foundation for City College. “Gerstner Philanthropies’ generous gifts to date have proved to be a lifeline for many our students. Some may experience precarious financial circumstances at any time for any reason, and this additional funding is sure to prove beneficial. It allows many of them to stay enrolled, complete their studies, and go on to make their respective marks on the world.”
To qualify for Helping Hands assistance, the emergency must be acute, not chronic, and can be solved with a one-time grant when no other sources of funds are readily available. Emergencies that qualify for a Helping Hands grant include: a loss of job or income; medical, dental and safety emergencies; imminent homelessness or threat of eviction; overdue utility bills or a turn-off notice; lost clothes, personal items or furniture because of theft, a fire in living quarters, or a natural disaster; or victimization by domestic violence.
Helping Hands grants can be used for rent, utilities, moving expenses, essential furniture, clothing, or personal items (if no other funding sources are available), and medical expenses. It can also be used for food and transportation under certain circumstances, emergency childcare, or cleanup after a natural disaster.
Applicants are required to submit a statement describing the emergency, accompanied by supporting documentation. The maximum award is $3,000.
Grants from Helping Hands reached 3,440 students and households in greater New York City in 2024. Helping Hands distributed nearly $7.7 million in emergency cash via 6,135 grants last year, a 16 percent increase in funding from 2023.
Gerstner Philanthropies also support programs centered on biomedical research, educational opportunities for underserved communities, and environmental sustainability.
About The City College of New York
Since 1847, The City College of New York has provided a high-quality and affordable education to generations of New Yorkers in a wide variety of disciplines. CCNY embraces its position at the forefront of social change. It is ranked #1 by the Harvard-based Opportunity Insights out of 369 selective public colleges in the United States on the overall mobility index. This measure reflects both access and outcomes, representing the likelihood that a student at CCNY can move up two or more income quintiles. Education research organization Degree Choices ranks CCNY #1 nationally among universities for economic return on investment. In addition, the Center for World University Rankings places CCNY in the top 1.8% of universities worldwide in terms of academic excellence. Labor analytics firm Lightcast puts at $3.2 billion CCNY’s annual economic impact on the regional economy (5 boroughs and 5 adjacent counties) and quantifies the “for dollar” return on investment to students, taxpayers and society. At City College, more than 15,000 students pursue undergraduate and graduate degrees in eight schools and divisions, driven by significant funded research, creativity and scholarship. In 2023, CCNY launched its most expansive fundraising campaign, ever. The campaign, titled “Doing Remarkable Things Together” seeks to bring the College’s Foundation to more than $1 billion in total assets in support of the College mission. CCNY is as diverse, dynamic and visionary as New York City itself. View CCNY Media Kit.
Syd Steinhardt
212-650-7875
ssteinhardt1@ccny.cuny.edu