Grand Street Settlement, Inc.
Bold. Grand. Inspired.
Programs and results
What we aim to solve
Grand St. Settlement (GSS) expands opportunities for low-income families and individuals by providing culturally relevant services that support community-building, advocacy, self-determination, and an enriched quality of life. GSS addresses systemic inequities, by providing critical resources and building community resilience in neighborhoods from Lower Manhattan, to East New York and Brownsville, Brooklyn. GSS works in some of the most under-resourced and economically-distressed communities in NYC, where students face enormous barriers to high school and college completion. The Lower East is one of the largest and most densely populated areas in New York City, with 39% of housing units subsidized, and 43.2% of households on incomes less than $25,000 a year. In the Brooklyn neighborhoods we serve, up to 37% of residents and 55% of children are living in poverty.
Our programs
What are the organization's current programs, how do they measure success, and who do the programs serve?
Afterschool programs
Grand Street Settlement offers programs for community members of every age. Our programs include: Early Childhood Services that encompass Early Head Start, Day Care, Universal Day Care, and Head Start. These programs offer a comprehensive continuum of child-centered services for newborn infants to six-year-old children, as well as support services for parents and families. Afterschool programs for school-age children provide community-based academic support. The creative literacy curriculum embraces an interactive approach, and includes academic and cultural enrichment, recreation, and leadership development activities for hundreds of area children. Grand Street's Summer Day Camp, a long-standing tradition, provides approximately 300 children and teens with stimulating educational and recreational activities. Our youth programs help young people succeed in high school and prepare for higher education and jobs/careers. These programs include the Girls' & Young Women's and Boys' & Young Men's Initiatives (GYWI/BYMI), College and Career Discovery Center (CCDC), Beacon Center, Project COOL (educational assistance for the elementary school students at PS 15), Grand Coalition of Seniors, Asian-American Elders Project (AAEP), and the Baruch Elders Services Team (BEST). Grand Street has a long and impressive track record of providing assistance to the area's low-income elderly. We offer free nutritious meals, educational programs, healthcare workshops and services, and social and recreational opportunities. PLEASE REFER TO GRAND STREET SETTLEMENT'S 990 FOR A COMPLETE DESCRIPTION OF THE AGENCY'S PROGRAMS.
Where we work
Awards
Nonprofit Excellence Award for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion 2018
New York Community Trust
External reviews
Our results
How does this organization measure their results? It's a hard question but an important one.
Number of youth receiving services (e.g., groups, skills and job training, etc.) with youths living in their community
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Population(s) Served
Children and youth, People of Latin American descent, People of Asian descent, People of African descent
Type of Metric
Output - describing our activities and reach
Direction of Success
Holding steady
Number of older adults being supported to live at home through home care, assistive technology, and/or personal support plans
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Population(s) Served
Seniors
Type of Metric
Outcome - describing the effects on people or issues
Direction of Success
Holding steady
Number of mentors recruited
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Population(s) Served
Adolescents
Type of Metric
Input - describing resources we use
Direction of Success
Increasing
Number of students receiving homework help
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Population(s) Served
Preteens, Adolescents, People of African descent, People of Asian descent, People of Latin American descent
Type of Metric
Output - describing our activities and reach
Direction of Success
Holding steady
Number of children served
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Population(s) Served
Infants and toddlers, Children
Type of Metric
Output - describing our activities and reach
Direction of Success
Increasing
Our Sustainable Development Goals
Learn more about Sustainable Development Goals.
Goals & Strategy
Learn about the organization's key goals, strategies, capabilities, and progress.
Charting impact
Four powerful questions that require reflection about what really matters - results.
What is the organization aiming to accomplish?
GSS's programs aims to provide a comprehensive set of resources and strategies to assist in the self-sufficiency and achievement of our communities' families. GSS's programs work through a Community Resilience model, which seeks to improve participants' capacity to leverage existing social structures and networks and to adapt to everyday stressors and crises. GSS has refined its programming in direct response to the needs observed and expressed in our communities.
We are committed to a systemic approach to building expanded opportunities and improving outcomes for young children, youth, and adults through our settlement house model.
What are the organization's key strategies for making this happen?
The GSS settlement house model was built around meeting a cross-section of needs. Poverty creates obstacles in a range of areas, from life expectancy to job attainment to housing. The holistic services provided through our array of programs help individuals and families access the resources and opportunities they need to break out of the cycle of poverty. At GSS, families can access a wealth of programs that provide the resources and strategies for success: high-quality early education and child care, safety net support and access to benefits, hands-on afterschool and summer learning, innovative social enterprise job training, and a vibrant and supportive network of services for local seniors.
What are the organization's capabilities for doing this?
GSS has 37 sites which provide high-quality programs, serving over 15,000 community members annually throughout the Lower East Side of Manhattan, and North/Central Brooklyn. Our annual operating budget is approximately $39 million. In fiscal year 2020, the agency managed 40 different government-funded contracts, worth approximately $24 million. GSS is also proud to note that the agency officially meets all Better Business Bureau Standards for Charity Accountability, and is rated 4 out of 4 stars with Charity Navigator. In 2018, GSS was awarded the prestigious Non Profit Coordinating Committee’s Non-profit Excellence Award for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion.
What have they accomplished so far and what's next?
GSS has celebrated significant accomplishments over the past year:
Early Childhood
Grand Street Settlement opened three new Head Start sites in Brooklyn in FY22—at a time when many centers are struggling to keep their doors open. Two of our newest sites, in Sunset Park, achieved full enrollment with a waitlist by October 2021, and maintained over 100% enrollment all year.
Overall, GSS early childhood programs are now serving over 800 children with high quality early education, and vital child care for working families.
Youth
• GSS served over 5,300 young people in grades K through 12, in 29 community centers and schools across Brooklyn and Lower Manhattan
• STEM education access continued to grow, reaching over 3,000 youth living in public housing
• 79% of STEM students showed increased problem solving skills
• 86% of STEM participants increased their interest in STEM subjects, and 81% gained an increased interest in a STEM career
• 80% of participants increased their technology proficiency
Benefits Assistance
1,305 households have been connected to benefits and services including SNAP, health insurance, emergency cash assistance, housing assistance, and more.
Seniors
32,057 congregate and grab-and-go meals distributed to seniors
Our Baruch Elder Services Team (BEST) provided over 1,040 hours of case management and healthcare management, and over 1,400 mental health counseling sessions, to seniors living in NYCHA’s Baruch Houses—many of whom are homebound.
Food Security
19,380 packages of fresh food and supplies distributed
Our food pantry at 72 Columbia served an average of 471 people each week.
How we listen
Seeking feedback from people served makes programs more responsive and effective. Here’s how this organization is listening.
-
How is your organization using feedback from the people you serve?
To make fundamental changes to our programs and/or operations, To inform the development of new programs/projects, To strengthen relationships with the people we serve
-
Which of the following feedback practices does your organization routinely carry out?
-
What challenges does the organization face when collecting feedback?
We don’t have the right technology to collect and aggregate feedback efficiently, It is difficult to find the ongoing funding to support feedback collection, Staff find it hard to prioritize feedback collection and review due to lack of time
Financials
Unlock nonprofit financial insights that will help you make more informed decisions. Try our monthly plan today.
- Analyze a variety of pre-calculated financial metrics
- Access beautifully interactive analysis and comparison tools
- Compare nonprofit financials to similar organizations
Want to see how you can enhance your nonprofit research and unlock more insights?
Learn more
about GuideStar Pro.
Operations
The people, governance practices, and partners that make the organization tick.
Connect with nonprofit leaders
SubscribeBuild relationships with key people who manage and lead nonprofit organizations with GuideStar Pro. Try a low commitment monthly plan today.
- Analyze a variety of pre-calculated financial metrics
- Access beautifully interactive analysis and comparison tools
- Compare nonprofit financials to similar organizations
Want to see how you can enhance your nonprofit research and unlock more insights? Learn More about GuideStar Pro.
Connect with nonprofit leaders
SubscribeBuild relationships with key people who manage and lead nonprofit organizations with GuideStar Pro. Try a low commitment monthly plan today.
- Analyze a variety of pre-calculated financial metrics
- Access beautifully interactive analysis and comparison tools
- Compare nonprofit financials to similar organizations
Want to see how you can enhance your nonprofit research and unlock more insights? Learn More about GuideStar Pro.
Grand Street Settlement, Inc.
Board of directorsas of 06/08/2023
Ms. Sylvia Montero
No Affiliation
Ralph W. Rose
Sylvia M. Montero
Alexander H. Gardner
Kenneth W. Liebman
Alan Jay Brazil
Andrew G. Celli, Jr.
Tracie F. Golding-Gerson
Tracie F. Golding-Gerson
Board leadership practices
GuideStar worked with BoardSource, the national leader in nonprofit board leadership and governance, to create this section.
-
Board orientation and education
Does the board conduct a formal orientation for new board members and require all board members to sign a written agreement regarding their roles, responsibilities, and expectations? Yes -
CEO oversight
Has the board conducted a formal, written assessment of the chief executive within the past year ? Yes -
Ethics and transparency
Have the board and senior staff reviewed the conflict-of-interest policy and completed and signed disclosure statements in the past year? Yes -
Board composition
Does the board ensure an inclusive board member recruitment process that results in diversity of thought and leadership? Yes -
Board performance
Has the board conducted a formal, written self-assessment of its performance within the past three years? Yes
Organizational demographics
Who works and leads organizations that serve our diverse communities? Candid partnered with CHANGE Philanthropy on this demographic section.
Leadership
The organization's leader identifies as:
Race & ethnicity
Gender identity
Transgender Identity
Sexual orientation
No data
Disability
No data