The New York Times Announces Ten Semifinalists For Its Inaugural New York Times Company Nonprofit Excellence Awards

The New York Times Company today announced ten semifinalists for the inaugural New York Times Company Nonprofit Excellence Awards. The organizations, which vary widely in the types of services they offer the community, were chosen by the program’s selection committee from a pool of 144 applicants for their outstanding management. All nonprofit organizations based in and serving the communities of New York City, Long Island or Westchester were eligible to apply.

The Nonprofit Coordinating Committee of New York (NPCC) and the New York Regional Association of Grantmakers (NYRAG) joined The Times Company in the establishment of this program. In addition, the JPMorgan Chase Foundation has lent its support to the Nonprofit Excellence Awards and will underwrite a special section in the newspaper to be published on June 26.

“We congratulate the 10 organizations chosen by our selection committee as semifinalists in this first year of the Nonprofit Excellence Awards,” said Diane McNulty, executive director of community affairs and media relations, The New York Times. “Our hope is to raise awareness of the critical role played by nonprofits in the New York area and to highlight those management practices that define a successful organization and enable it to fulfill its mission.”

The 10 semifinalists are:

Arts Connection – making a profound difference in the lives of the city’s children by providing exceptional programming in the performing, visual, literary and media arts to the New York City public schools.
Asphalt Green – dedicated to assisting individuals of all ages and backgrounds to achieve or improve their health through a lifetime of sports and fitness.
Center for Urban Community Services – dedicated to ending homelessness for as many people as possible and ensuring that low-income individuals can live successfully in communities across the New York region.
Families United for Racial and Economic Equality – organizing low-income families to build powerful coalitions for social change so that everyone’s work is valued and all people have the right and economic means to decide and live out their own destinies.
Fifth Avenue Committee – creating opportunities for residents and workers to participate in the ownership, control or decision-making processes of places where they work.
Food Bank of New York City – coordinating procurement and delivery of food donations from manufacturers, wholesalers, retailers and government agencies to hundreds of organizations providing free food to the city’s hungry.
Good Shepherd Services – a social service and youth development agency that positively affects the lives of more than 18,000 children and families annually by developing effective programs that help New York City’s vulnerable residents gain support, skills and opportunities.
Safe Horizon – providing support to prevent violence and promote justice for victims of crime and abuse, their families and communities.
VIP Community Services – helping people overcome substance abuse and other serious difficulties and move on to productive lives in their communities.
WITNESS – using video and online technologies to open the eyes of the world to human rights violations.
“As a membership and service organization representing more than 1,500 nonprofits throughout the greater New York area, we are very happy to see these semifinalist organizations recognized for their management practices,” said Michael Clark, president, NPCC. “I hope their achievements will serve to remind us all that great service to the community requires exemplary management.”

In the initial round of applications, organizations were asked to explain how they accomplished their goals while addressing multiple challenges. “This program honors excellent management strategies and all that encompasses, from board leadership and governance to accountable financial management, ethical fundraising and effective communications,” said Karen Rosa, chair of NYRAG. “We congratulate the semifinalists on their successful strategies and their recognition by our selection committee.”

Four winners will be chosen from the 10 semifinalists and announced in June. On June 26, the winners will be honored at an awards reception and will conduct “best practices workshops” to share their winning management strategies with an invited audience.