New York City

Overview

Pillars

News & Insights

Recent Grants

Our Team

Improving Health for High-Needs Patients

About

Helmsley invests in approaches that improve health stability for New York City’s populations with the greatest needs. We support efforts that improve healthcare delivery and access for high-needs patients, acknowledging root causes such as homelessness, adverse childhood experiences, the impacts of health and racial inequity, and intergenerational poverty.

We work closely with partners in all five boroughs, from nonprofits, to local government agencies, to community leaders.

Rooted in a commitment to systems change, our grantmaking is geared towards finding and fixing the roadblocks standing between vulnerable people and the path to a healthier life.

Pillars

Building Health Stability

FOCUSING ON THE WHOLE PATIENT

Access to quality healthcare is hindered by issues like housing instability, food insecurity, and mental health conditions. We confront this challenge by supporting efforts focused on patient-centered, holistic, and more consistent care.

ADVOCATING FOR BEHAVIORAL HEALTH SERVICES

We support greater access to behavioral health services in underserved areas, as well as training and education to better integrate mental healthcare into social services and other care settings.

Collaborating to Improve Care Coordination

HELPING HIGH-NEEDS PATIENTS

We advance models that help high-need patients find more dignified and efficient ways of receiving care. Our approach spans from planning and piloting innovative ideas, to scaling those that have shown promise, to improving the systems designed to handle care delivery.

SUPPORTING CONTINUOUS HEALTH

Leaving a hospital is only one step to return to full health, especially for high-need patients. We support efforts to improve transitions in care toward long-term, continuous health and well-being.

BUILDING COLLABORATIVE GROUPS TO HELP NEW YORKERS

We have created and funded two coalitions to bring stakeholders together: the New York City Food Assistance Collaborative to transform the emergency food system, and the Collaborative for Homeless Healthcare to improve access to quality care for New Yorkers experiencing homelessness. Both Collaboratives have supported innovative change in their areas, and have been well-positioned to quickly adapt strategies to respond to urgent needs, such as those presented by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Increasing Access to Green Space for Health

PRIORITIZING NATURE IN OUR HEALTH

We recognize the physical and mental health benefits of green space, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic. We support organizations focused on enhancing and creating more accessible green space in underserved areas across the five boroughs.

News & Insights

May 23, 2023

Helmsley Charitable Trust Awards Mount Sinai $2 Million to Expand Community-Based Doula Program for Women Who Are Homeless or Incarcerated

The Leona M. and Harry B. Helmsley Charitable Trust announced a $2 million, three-year grant for the Arnhold Institute for Global Health at the Icahn...

March 3, 2023

Pioneering a New Specialty for Homeless Healthcare

In the summer of 2020, the Helmsley-funded Collaborative for Homeless Healthcare partnered with Montefiore Medical Center to launch the New York City Homeless Healthcare Fellowship,...

July 26, 2022

Helmsley Grants $3.9 Million to NYC Health + Hospitals to Launch Virtual Behavioral Health Platform

The Helmsley Charitable Trust announced a $3.9 million grant to NYC Health + Hospitals to launch and integrate a new tele-behavioral health service into its...

July 14, 2020

Helmsley Grants $6.5 Million to Support the Health of New Yorkers by Expanding Access to Green Space

The Leona M. and Harry B. Helmsley Charitable Trust today announced more than $6.5 million in grants to help improve the health of New Yorkers by expanding access to green spaces across New York City. Grants to the City Parks Foundation, GrowNYC, the Natural Areas Conservancy, and The Nature Conservancy will support greenway planning, tree health, and enhancements to under-resourced…

May 7, 2020

Helmsley Grants $1.2 Million For COVID-19 Emergency Response in New York City to Support Food Assistance and Homeless Healthcare

NEW YORK, NY — The Leona M. and Harry B. Helmsley Charitable Trust today announced $1.2 million in emergency response grants to support the growing food assistance and homeless healthcare needs in New York City. As the COVID-19 crisis continues to impact the health and safety of New Yorkers – especially those experiencing homelessness and financial insecurity – these grants will provide…

July 12, 2019

Children’s Health Fund Launches New Mobile Clinic to Serve Homeless Children and Families in New York City

The mobile clinic will enable the Children’s Health Fund to provide healthcare to hundreds more children and families each year

July 9, 2019

Crain's New York: Why Helmsley Is Putting Money Behind Care Coordination

Crain’s New York spotlights Tracy Perrizo, who leads Helmsley’s New York City Program. In a Q&A, Tracy discusses Helmsley’s work supporting healthcare for high-need populations and communication among providers. She explains the importance behind trying to connect care and share data so that highly transiet patient populations can receive consistent, top quality healthcare. Tracy also talks about the Helmsley-supported Collaborative…

February 13, 2019

Wall Street Journal: New York City Tries to Link Nexus of Doctors Serving the Homeless

The Wall Street Journal recently announced the Collaborative for Homeless Healthcare, a new coalition of healthcare providers working together to enhance efforts to address the unique health needs of people experiencing homelessness…

January 27, 2019

Collaborative Launches to Address Health Needs of New Yorkers Experiencing Homelessness

Helmsley Charitable Trust supports NYC’s leading providers to improve the homeless healthcare system

Recent Grants

Corporation for Supportive Housing

Amount: $ 3,000,000.00
Term of Grant: 36 Months
Date of Award: 08.23.2023

City Parks Foundation

Amount: $ 1,305,108.00
Term of Grant: 36 Months
Date of Award: 08.09.2023

Institute for Community Living, Inc

Amount: $ 2,249,370.00
Term of Grant: 36 Months
Date of Award: 07.24.2023

Natural Areas Conservancy, Inc

Amount: $ 700,000.00
Term of Grant: 24 Months
Date of Award: 05.22.2023

The Nature Conservancy

Amount: $ 700,000.00
Term of Grant: 24 Months
Date of Award: 05.22.2023

VIEW ALL GRANTS

Recent Grants

Corporation for Supportive Housing

City Parks Foundation

Institute for Community Living, Inc

Natural Areas Conservancy, Inc

The Nature Conservancy

Our Team

Dr. Gina Agiostratidou is the Program Director for the Helmsley Charitable Trust’s Type 1 Diabetes (T1D) Program as well as its New York City (NYC) program. Through Gina’s leadership, the T1 ...

Gina Agiostratidou

Program Director

Tracy Perrizo is the Program Officer for Helmsley’s New York City Program. In this role, she helps to identify and design program grantmaking initiatives, as well as manage existing grants and ...

Tracy Perrizo

Program Officer

Emilie Fidock is an Associate Program Officer for the Helmsley Charitable Trust’s New York City Program. In her role as Associate Program Officer, Emilie helps to manage the growing New York C ...

Emilie Fidock

Associate Program Officer

Marci Gelb is the Administrative Assistant for the Helmsley Charitable Trust’s New York City Program and Information Technology department.

Marci has an extensi ...

Marci Gelb

Administrative Assistant (also Information Technology)