Empowering Social Innovation
WellMet seeks to empower communities to take action and a leading role in their welfare and sustainability. We strive to identify and fund organizations that are taking informed and measured risks to innovate, experiment and engage in finding solutions to New York City’s most vexing social issues. Smart, courageous and creative leaders are the hallmark of our grantees and WellMet applauds their tenacity, initiative and commitment.
In today’s world we know that grit and smarts, alone, do not always move the needle. Innovative organizations need funding and the legitimacy that comes with that. This is the role that WellMet seeks to play.
Through a rigorous grantmaking process, WellMet identifies New York City’s rising stars and gives them a chance to realize success with a one-time unrestricted grant. We are proud of the impact we have enabled through our grantmaking and delight in sharing these quotes with you.
"BK ROT is grateful for support from WellMet foundation during these unprecedented times. With support of the WellMet foundation, BK ROT workers will continue our essential work of collecting food waste by bike and transforming it to compost in a changed COVID-19 landscape. Specifically, funding will provide general operating support including supporting the salary of our Administrative Coordinator; a former biker-composter who has navigated adapting BK ROT's services to become contactless."
"Since it was founded in 2006, YUCA has provided arts educational classes for teenagers 15 to 19 years old in hope of addressing issues prevalent in many inner-city neighborhoods. The South Bronx community we serve lacks opportunities for meaningful employment and artistic expression. Our educational program addresses both of these deficits simultaneously by providing technical training for creative industries. I can’t stress enough what WellMet's grant award means in this endeavor. In order to provide these services we rely on the generosity of individuals and businesses for support. Without the assistance of community-minded groups like yours, we wouldn't be able to serve those youth who most need it!"
COVID has had a huge impact on food security, in NYC and beyond which is why this support from WellMet Philanthropy has been so impactful. We're eager to continue building resilient, tech-enabled food security sites to tackle the growing food insecurity we're seeing. Becoming grantees of WellMet Philanthropy has had a very energizing impact among our students and staff as we begin matching alumni to employment this Fall!
“The ESPI: City Smart Scholars program aims to address the under-representation of Black, Latinx and low income students in the best New York City public high schools. Strategically we provide intensive test preparation before high-stakes admissions tests, but our main focus is on supporting strong academic foundations, cultural capital, critical thinking and problem solving skills to give our students the tools and confidence to thrive at any academically intense, college-bound high school. We serve 5th through 8th grade students and run our program on Saturdays throughout the school year and for a month long summer academic camp."
Wellmet’s grant will be used entirely for programming costs. Receiving this grant is a milestone event as ESPI continues in its fifth year. Building relationships with well informed institutional partners is key to the long term development of ESPI as a sustainable organization with high academic standards that is worthy of the students we serve.”
"The WellMet grant is empowering us to be a hub for the legal, social-emotional, and educational needs of our community of young immigrant women in NYC. With the help of this grant we were able to hire a full-time Program Manager to improve our services, innovate new solutions, and ensure that our holistic advocacy is trauma-informed, far-reaching, and impactful. In the past few months, we’ve launched our English School, provided more training for our Youth Leaders, grown our mentorship program, and revived our outdoor community art events. This grant is also enabling us to continue offering relief services as the pandemic persists - from emergency funding, to food assistance, to mental health support, and much more. Thank you WellMet for furthering our mission of spreading love, protecting human rights, and making New York City a place where all are welcome."
"Staten Island Urban Center has used the simple, welcoming, and Afrocentric ancestral technology of drumming together in the drum circle to provide the healing we all need in a post-COVID 19 world. Drums can soothe and Drums can energize. The pace, rhythm, and melody of the drums speak to us all and helps us to be in tune with a variety of feelings we are experiencing in real-time. Thank you Wellmet Foundation for helping us to make this healing possible."