New York Life Foundation - Grief Reach Grants

Request for Proposals Overview

The New York Life Foundation in partnership with the National Alliance for Grieving Children is excited to soon announce the opening of the RFP cycle for Grief Reach, a grant program that will expand capacity and increase access of bereavement services for grieving youth with local organizations. 

The New York Life Foundation Inspired by New York Life’s tradition of service and humanity, the New York Life Foundation has, since its founding in 1979, provided over $300 million in charitable contributions to national and local nonprofit organizations. The Foundation supports programs that benefit young people, particularly in the areas of educational enhancement and childhood bereavement. Childhood bereavement is one of society’s most pervasive issues: one in fourteen Americans will lose a parent or sibling before age 18 and the vast majority of children experience a significant loss by the time they complete high school. Yet bereaved children remain largely unseen and under-served within their communities and schools, with few outlets to express their grief.

Recognizing the critical need to provide greater support to grieving children and their families, the New York Life Foundation established childhood bereavement as a funding focus area in 2008 and has invested nearly $50 million to bereavement organizations across the nation. As our commitment to the bereavement “field” has grown, we’ve been proud to serve not only as a funder but as an active partner to a wide range of nonprofits, helping to raise public awareness about grief’s impact as well as build communication and collaboration among grantees. The issue is at the heart of our company’s mission and day-to-day business, resulting in robust employee engagement across the country in support of grieving children.
The Foundation also encourages and facilitates the community involvement of employees and agents of New York Life through its Volunteers for Good program and Grief-Sensitive Schools Initiative. To learn more, please visit www.newyorklifefoundation.org.

The New York Life Foundation has committed $1.25 million up to thirty-seven grants to be given to organizations serving grieving children across the country. There are two different grant opportunities:

• Cycle 1: Community Expansion Grants: These grant funds may be used to expand services to bereaved children and youth.
• Cycle 2: Capacity Building Grants: Funds to enhance organizational capacity, development and effectiveness.

Applicants can only apply for and receive one of these grants.

About Grief Reach:

This grant program began in 2011 as a partnership between the National Alliance for Grieving Children and the New York Life Foundation. The goal is to provide funding to expand the reach and capacity of organizations that offer local bereavement services for youth focused on unmet needs and diverse populations.

The funds for these grants are provided by New York Life Foundation and the oversight and RFP process is managed by the National Alliance for Grieving Children. Final decisions on grants are made by a review committee consisting of representatives from both the National Alliance for Grieving Children and the New York Life Foundation.

*The funds for these grants are generously provided by the New York Life Foundation.  The oversight and RFP process is managed by the National Alliance for Grieving Children.

Dates to Apply

For More Information: Grief Reach Request for Proposals Information for Download

Eligibility and Priorities

This competitive grant program is open to all nonprofit organizations that serve bereaved children and meet the requirements laid out below. Organizations that have a current grief reach grant from the New York Life Foundation are ineligible to apply until the current grant is completed.

1. 501(c)(3) status
   
   Organizations applying for these competitive grants must be 501(c)(3) organizations and will be required to submit their Employer Identification Number (EIN) to verify their status.

2. Bereaved Children Served
   
   This competitive grant program is limited to those organizations that serve bereaved children and youth. For the purposes of this grant program, bereaved children and youth are defined as children under the age of 25 who have had a loved one die. Applicants for this grant program may serve students outside of these limits but grant funds, if awarded, are for supporting bereaved children under the age of 25

3. High percentage of low-income youth served
   
   Applicants for this grant program must serve at least 50 percent—of low-income youth and/or minority children. For the purposes of this grant program, “low-income” is defined as students who qualify for the Federal Free or Reduced-Price Lunch Program (FRPL). Serving a high-need population is a priority area for this competitive grant program.

4. Organizations Not Eligible to Apply
   
   An organization who is currently receiving a grief reach grant are ineligible to apply. Current grants must be completed, and final reports turned in prior to applying for a new grief reach grant.                                                                                                                                                                                                            
5. Special Consideration will be given to organizations focused on the opioid crisis

        Special consideration will be given to projects that are focused on     providing resources for families affected by the opioid crisis with their grant proposal.

To access our Grief Reach FAQ page click HERE.

Questions?
Please contact Megan Lopez at: