For more than a century, The New York Times Communities Fund has partnered with Children’s Aid to support our work to help NYC children and families living in poverty to succeed and thrive. In 1911, our agency was one of the original partners of what was then called The New York Times Neediest Cases Fund. Although both the Fund and our own work have evolved in the intervening 113 years, our partnership has remained steadfast.

Each year, The Times features compelling stories of our clients who have met extraordinary challenges with resilience, determination, and grace. Times’ readers, in turn, show their generosity through donations, which are used for direct relief. Through the years, the Fund has played an instrumental part in addressing gaps that exist for families living in poverty.

Through the Fund, we have been able to help families get caught up on their rent, stock their pantry shelves, furnish their homes, and buy coats for long New York winters. We have also been able to strengthen existing programs and pilot new ones. We’ve built community gardens, equipped hundreds of families with back-to-school supplies, trained hundreds of adolescents to be advocates and leaders in their community, and supplied more than 1,000 families with culturally appropriate and educationally enriching books in their homes. We have supported scores of our young people as they’ve transitioned to college and into their careers.

This year’s Communities Fund will enable us to provide direct support to our children and families. From rental assistance and school clothing to baby supplies for new parents, this aid ensures that our clients are equipped with the tools they need to thrive. Funding from this year’s campaign will help support our community centers. Children's Aid operates six community centers serving children and youth ages 0-24. Each center acts as a hub for social-emotional development, academics, summer enrichment, and workforce development and also provides access to crucial services like food support and healthcare.

The fund will also help us continue to provide free eye exams and prescription glasses for students in need across 20 community schools.

Together, we’ve been able to have a positive, life-changing impact on the lives of tens of thousands of New Yorkers. This partnership is a vital part of our overarching mission of ensuring that all children and families have the support they need to achieve their dreams.

About Children’s Aid

We help children in poverty to succeed and thrive. We do this by providing comprehensive supports to children, youth, and their families in targeted high-needs New York City neighborhoods.

We believe all kids have limitless potential. But for those growing up surrounded by poverty, family instability, and physical or emotional stress, life is too often about survival, not possibility. It’s unacceptable that in New York, a city of historic opportunity, so many of our children face serious barriers to realizing their own promise.

Children’s Aid is a professional powerhouse of solutions for young people. We are teachers and social workers, coaches and health care providers. We know what it takes to ensure children grow up strong and healthy, and ready to thrive in school and life: excellent education and health care, social-emotional support, and strong, stable families.