Regional Administrator Carrión Convenes First-Ever Meeting between HUD and the Philanthropic Community

From Left to Right: Michelle Knapik, Geraldine R. Dodge Foundation; Ronna Brown, President, Philanthropy New York; Craig Drinkard, Victoria Foundation; Lois Greco, Wells Fargo Regional Foundation; Regional Administrator Adolfo Carrión; Kimberly Allen, Wells Fargo Regional Foundation; Mirza Negron Morales, Deputy Regional Administrator; and, Etta Denk, Bank of America.

In the hope of creating greater collaboration between HUD's New York Regional Office and the philanthropic community, Regional Administrator Adolfo Carrión recently met with a half-dozen philanthropic organizations, including Philanthropy New York, a coordinating, non-profit organization made up of nearly 300 grant making groups that seeks to help its members strengthen their capacity to serve the public good.

"It is no secret that government, whether it's local, state, or federal, lacks the financial resources and manpower to solve the nation's problems on its own," said Carrión. "That is why I am so excited to reach out and create a new partnership with our philanthropic community, whose mission is very much our own: improving people's lives and strengthening communities."

Ronna Brown, President of Philanthropy New York, attended the meeting and invited member foundations of both Philanthropy New York and the Council of New Jersey Grantmakers to join in the discussion. Representatives from the Geraldine R. Dodge Foundation, Victoria Foundation, Wells Fargo Regional Foundation, Deutsche Bank Americas Foundation, and Bank of America attended the meeting which took place at the HUD Region II office in Lower Manhattan.

The meeting explored ways in which HUD and the philanthropic community could strengthen their relationship, most notably by working together to: increase the capacity of local governments to plan, implement programs, and improve the delivery of services; target resources to distressed communities and/or specific projects; create public/private partnerships to foster economic competitiveness; promote inter-agency collaboration to create sustainable communities; and promote the work of faith-based and community-based groups.

The meeting participants from HUD and the philanthropic community discovered that they already shared several common priorities, including the advancement of sustainability initiatives and the promotion of energy-efficient modernization. Moving forward, the participants plan to convene place-based working groups in the defined sub-regions of New York and New Jersey, where local funders and stakeholders will collaborate on existing and future housing and community development initiatives. It is HUD's hope that this will be one step in the direction of furthering President Obama's charge to find new solutions to old problems by working across public, private, and civic sectors.

Content Archived: December 3, 2013