The Poughkeepsie Children’s Cabinet (PCC) exists to create and coordinate a cradle-to-career continuum of services, supports, and opportunities that ensures every child can thrive in Poughkeepsie regardless of race, ethnicity, poverty, or circumstance. The Cabinet believes that a child’s zip code should not limit their success. The PCC seeks to cultivate a critical mass of…
North East Community Center offers a wide range of educational, recreational, and supportive services to northeastern Dutchess County and surrounding communities. Its service area is largely rural, making it a key provider in this underserved area of the county. Key Programs: Dyson Foundation grant in 2024:
Empire State University is the State University of New York’s leading online institution. SUNY Empire offers a high-quality education that is flexible and affordable and takes into account work and life experiences that can often translate into college credit. Most SUNY Empire students work full-time while pursuing their degrees. This is especially true for students…
Ulster Immigrant Defense Network (UIDN) is a predominantly-volunteer nonprofit formed in 2017 to provide a network of safety and support to immigrants in Ulster County regardless of their immigration status. UIDN provides underserved and disadvantaged immigrants with direct food, rent, and utilities assistance; a bilingual helpline; transportation and accompaniment to court hearings and check-ins with…
Berkshire Taconic Community Foundation (BTCF) works to strengthen the communities of Berkshire County, MA; Columbia County and northeast Dutchess County, NY; and northwest Litchfield, County, CT through grantmaking, promoting philanthropy, and supporting the nonprofit sector. By responding to the region’s highest priority issues, while addressing their root causes, Berkshire Taconic is expanding the role of…
“The past few years have been especially challenging for nonprofits in the Hudson Valley region, New York State and around the country. We are proud to partner with the Dyson Foundation to not only provide the direct services needed to help individual nonprofits adapt and be successful in this ever-changing environment, but also to help assess what the broader issues and trends are in the region.” – Kelly Matthews, Chief Operating Officer
The nonprofit world continued to experience great upheaval in 2021, with changes and challenges in all areas of operation, including human resources and staffing. And while the importance of the sector’s services became more apparent, its critical role in the economy of the Mid-Hudson Valley was less obvious. In 2021, Dyson Foundation grants supported the New York Council of Nonprofits’ (NYCON) work measuring and sharing data related to these key areas.
Plans for a study of salary and benefits in the region’s nonprofit sector began prior to the pandemic in response to a common challenge for nonprofits – offering salaries and benefits that allow organizations to recruit and retain qualified staff. While the survey process was delayed, NYCON persisted in collecting and assembling the data during 2020, and in 2021 released the report, “Compensation & Benefits Profile of Mid-Hudson Valley Nonprofits” (download a free copy here). Funded by the Dyson Foundation in partnership with the Community Foundations of the Hudson Valley, the report gathered data from 77 organizations representing 4,127 employees in six Mid-Hudson Valley counties. Numerous charts and tables illustrate details related to organizational characteristics, employee benefit offerings and employer contribution policies, and position-based wage and salary information.
In 2021, NYCON also began work on a report examining the economic impact of the nonprofit sector in the Hudson Valley. “Mission and More: The Economic Power of the Hudson Valley’s Charitable Nonprofit Sector”, was conceived and supported by several grantmaking organizations in the Hudson Valley Funders Network. Utilizing several data sources, the report demonstrates the economic impact of the 7,700+ active, public-serving nonprofits in a nine-county Hudson Valley region including, for example, that nonprofits as a whole employ nearly 1 in 5 non-governmental workers, making the sector the largest private employer in the region with over 139,000 employees. The report also contains findings about the impact of the pandemic on nonprofits as employers. Using New York State Department of Labor nonprofit-specific employment data for 2019 and 2020, the report is unique in comparing employment in the sector both before and during the pandemic.
NYCON is also working on a regional DEI nonprofit assessment tool which will be provided free of charge to nonprofits in the six-county area. Dyson Foundation grants to NYCON for these reports underscore the importance of information in the sector, and the role of nonprofit organizations in the lives of individuals and communities.
Hudson River Housing (HRH) is dedicated to improving lives and the community through its work on issues of affordable housing and homelessness. HRH tackles basic needs by making available emergency, transitional, and permanent housing for low-income and homeless individuals and families. HRH also offers educational and advocacy programs that empower people to increase their skills…
There is a proven connection between the creation of stable housing and positive impacts on jobs, education, health, the economy, public safety, and other facets of community. The housing organization RUPCO uses this as the basis for its mission of creating homes, supporting people, and improving communities. Based in Kingston (Ulster County), it serves a broader geography…
