New York, NY (December 16, 2025) – The West Side Community Fund (WSCF), a consortium of leading businesses supporting neighborhood initiatives on Manhattan’s West Side, today announced the allocation of $100,000 to 20 organizations through its Fall 2025 grant cycle. This follows the Spring 2025 distribution of $100,000 to 18 organizations earlier this year. Since 2018, the bi-annual grant program, administered by Hudson Guild, has distributed over $1.4 million to strengthen communities in Chelsea, Hell’s Kitchen, and Hudson Yards.

With 38 organizations supported in 2025, including six first-time grantees in the spring and four in the fall, WSCF continues to invest in grassroots leadership across the West Side. The 2025 grantees address vital community priorities such as food security, education, health and wellness, economic empowerment, community improvement, and arts programming. All were honored at WSCF’s annual Grantee Celebration on December 8th, 2025, which brought together elected officials, local community leaders, WSCF Board Members, grantees, donors, and other community partners to recognize the impact of these community-driven initiatives.

The 20 Fall 2025 grant recipients are:

• Adaptive Design Association – a professional development workshop equipping educators with tactile communication tools to better support students with disabilities

• Art Start – the Creative Connections program, which provides underserved youth with paid creative arts internships, training, wellness resources, and college preparation to help them grow artistically and advance their careers

• Artistic Dreams International – an after-school arts and cultural enrichment program, offered through the Police Athletic League, designed for youth from housing-insecure families

• Autistic Adults NYC – a series of free creative classes tailored to the sensory needs of adults with Autism, culminating in a celebratory exhibition showcasing participants’ work

• Cambio Labs – a training program for NYCHA residents providing skills, mentorship, and resources to launch and sustain their own small businesses

• Elliott-Chelsea Residents Association - a program providing holiday meals and fresh, nutritious groceries for residents of Elliott-Chelsea Houses and neighboring communities

• Fulton Houses Tenant Association and Gotham Food Pantry – an initiative that advances food justice by distributing food to residents of Fulton Houses through Gotham Food Pantry

• Hearty Start – a nonprofit that facilitates a daily meal service that supplies 950 sandwiches each week to the unhoused population in the Community Board 4 neighborhood

• Hell’s Kitchen Community Cupboard – for an initiative supporting the purchase, outfitting, and painting of a new cupboard, as well as sustaining daily food distribution operations

• Infirnity Inc. – an initiative creating an online platform for a NYCHA-based community organization to centralize programming access and streamline volunteer sign-ups, enhancing engagement and participation

• Manhattan Neighborhood Network - a program providing workforce development training in media and technology for out-of-school and unemployed young adults, including career preparation, portfolio support, industry networking, and certified instruction

• Neighbor – an initiative offering professional development and peer networking opportunities for five nonprofits led by low-income NYCHA residents

• Neighborhood Housing Services of NYC, Inc. - an initiative providing holistic housing support through workshops, webinars, and individualized resource navigation to help participants secure and maintain stable housing

• PS 33 Chelsea Prep – a Manhattan elementary school that will utilize the funding to provide support for students in need by providing essential winter and mental health programming to ensure students’ physical and emotional well-being during colder months

• QARAVAN – an organization providing targeted, community-driven support for LGBTQ participants in unstable housing through creative workshops in art, writing, and movement, along with small-group sessions on employment, financial literacy, housing navigation, gender-affirming healthcare, legal rights, and English language learning

• Rauschenbusch Metro Ministries – a nonprofit organization that provides direct and educational services that promote individual and community growth, will use the funding to support their programming to support the unhoused

• Translatina Network - an initiative expanding its peer-led English language program using the Ellii curriculum to serve 30 additional clients, providing MetroCards and Android tablets upon graduation to support continued learning

• VISIONS: Services for the Blind and Visually Impaired - an organization that offers intergenerational technology programs, connecting blind older adults with both blind and sighted teenagers

• World Arts East/ Arya Movement Project - a program offering weekly community drum classes that bring together adults from diverse backgrounds, including BIPOC and senior participants, as well as youth at risk of not graduating

• Xavier Mission – a non-profit organization running an eviction prevention program that serves low-income New Yorkers at risk of homelessness

“The West Side Community Fund demonstrates the powerful outcomes that can be achieved when private companies and community partners unite behind a shared vision,” said Michael Phillips, President of Jamestown and President of the WSCF Board. “It has been truly inspiring to see the tangible, lasting impact each grantee has made in their neighborhoods over the past seven years, and we look forward to continue advancing these efforts and driving meaningful progress across the West Side in the year ahead.”

“The West Side Community Fund continues to foster creative and impactful ideas that solve problems and improve life along the West Side,” said Ken Jockers, Executive Director of Hudson Guild. “We are grateful to the employers that created the fund and are proud of our role in helping the fund achieve its goals.”

“The West Side Community Fund has a rich history of investing in local organizations committed to improving the circumstances of our neighbors,” said Congressman Jerrold Nadler. “This year’s recipients address a wide range of West Siders’ lives, including food and housing insecurity, professional development, and the arts. I congratulate the 2025 awardees and the West Side Community Fund for a positive, lasting impact across the West Side. We all benefit from their good works and achievements.”

“The West Side Community Fund chooses the best of the best,” said State Senator Brad Hoylman-Sigal. “These grant recipients show us what is possible through collaborative, localized solutions that address a range of community needs for a stronger and safer West Side. Congratulations to all of the 2025 recipients, and I’m so excited to watch these community service-based organizations continue to support their neighborhoods and improve the lives of those living in Chelsea, Hell’s Kitchen, and Hudson Yards.”

“Congratulations to this year’s grantees of the West Side Community Fund,” said Assemblymember Tony Simone. “I am thankful for the generosity of the Fund’s donors whose contributions help strengthen so many incredible community organizations that boost our West Side neighborhoods.

“The West Side Community Fund has transformed local organizations’ ability to meet community needs and grow their reach,” said Manhattan Borough President Mark Levine. “Exemplifying the strength of collaboration, the Fund and grant administrator Hudson Guild have uplifted and empowered countless Chelsea, Hudson Yards, and Hell’s Kitchen community members. Investing in the West Side is never a bad idea.”

“On behalf of Manhattan Community Board 4, I want to congratulate the 2025 WSCF awardees,” said Community Board 4 Chair Jessica Chait. “Your dedication to uplifting our neighborhoods — exemplifies what it means to build a stronger, kinder Manhattan. Because of your work, neighbors in Chelsea, Hudson Yards, and Hell’s Kitchen will have real support, fresh opportunities, and renewed hope.”

“Every year we are inspired by the dedication and commitment of the nonprofits serving the West Side,” said Angela Pinsky, Head of Community Engagement for Amazon New York and board member of the West Side Community Fund. “Our 2025 grant cycle continues to invest in organizations that strengthen our neighborhoods, support local families, and foster community connections throughout the west side. It is inspiring to be part of a program that supports community leaders who are making a meaningful and lasting impact.”

“As a founding supporter of the West Side Community Fund (WSCF), the Tapestry Foundation is deeply committed to strengthening the neighborhoods we call home,” said Julia Furnari, Executive Director of the Tapestry Foundation. “The WSCF continues to channel resources directly to grassroots organizations that understand the needs of Chelsea, Hudson Yards, and Hell’s Kitchen best. We’re proud to help fuel this work and to stand alongside partners who are expanding opportunity, fostering belonging, and ensuring our communities continue to thrive.”

Donors that supported the 2025 grant cycles include Amazon, Brookfield Properties, Con Edison, Cooley, Douglaston Development, Google, Jamestown, James Beard Foundation, KKR, Promethean, Related Hudson Yards, RXR, SL Green, Tapestry, Turner Construction, and Wells Fargo.

To learn more about the fund’s impact over the past year, please read the 2025 Spring Impact Report. A full 2025 Annual Impact Report will also be released in the coming months.

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About West Side Community Fund 

West Side Community Fund (WSCF) is a consortium of leading businesses and firms that come together to support neighborhood initiatives in the west side of Manhattan. Through a bi-annual grant program, WSCF supports initiatives that deliver improved or expanded services to residents along the West Side, particularly underserved populations. For more information, visit westsidecommunityfund.org.

About Hudson Guild 

Hudson Guild–a multi-service community-based organization serving those who work, live, or go to school in Chelsea and the west side–administers the grant process on behalf of the West Side Community Fund. Hudson Guild’s programming helps support, enrich, and empower community members. For more information, visit hudsonguild.org.