MEDIA
& PRESS
Community League of the Heights (CLOTH) Receives $1 Million Gift From the Yield Giving Open Call
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CONTACT: Yvonne Stennett, Executive Director, ystennett@cloth159.org
New York City, New York, March 19, 2024
Today, MacKenzie Scott’s Yield Giving announced that Community League of the Heights (CLOTH) is one of the Yield Giving Open Call’s awardees. Awards were given to organizations working with people and in places experiencing the greatest need in the United States. CLOTH received $1 million. CLOTH empowers low-income people of color to break the cycle of poverty in the New York City communities of Washington Heights, Inwood, Harlem, and Hamilton Heights. The organization employs a holistic approach that dismantles the economic and social inequities that prevent our community members from living their best lives. CLOTH’s mission is to provide the knowledge, resources, and opportunities residents need to empower themselves and their community.
In March 2023, Yield Giving launched an Open Call for community-led, community-focused organizations whose explicit purpose is to enable individuals and families to achieve substantive improvement in their well-being through foundational resources. Yvonne Stennett, CLOTH’s Executive Director is grateful and honored to receive such a huge investment in the organization. “The Yield Giving grant will be transformative for our community and organization. Currently we serve more than 100,000 people per year. By 2027, our goal is to double CLOTH’s budget to meet the growing needs within our community. The Yield Giving grant will help CLOTH meet its goal by expanding programs and building the capacity of our organization’s internal operations. I applaud Ms. Scott’s investment in CLOTH and other nonprofits who normally receive restricted funding. Giving us control over how the funds are spent is a game changer.”
The Open Call received 6,353 applications and initially planned for 250 awards of $1 million each. In the Fall of 2023, organizations top-rated by their peers advanced to a second round of review by an external Evaluation Panel recruited for experience relevant to this cause and underwent a final round of due diligence. In light of the incredible work of these organizations, as judged by their peers and external panelists, the donor team decided to expand the awardee pool and the award amount. "We are excited that our partnership with Yield Giving has resonated with so many organizations," said Cecilia Conrad, CEO of Lever for Change. "In a world teeming with potential and talent, the Open Call has given us an opportunity to identify, uplift, and empower transformative organizations that often remain unseen.
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Yield Giving
Established by MacKenzie Scott to share a financial fortune created through the effort of countless people, Yield Giving is named after a belief in adding value by giving up control. To date, Yield’s network of staff and advisors has yielded over $16,500,000,000 to 1,900+ non-profit teams to use as they see fit for the benefit of others.
To learn more, visit www.yieldgiving.com
Lever for Change
Lever for Change connects donors with bold solution to the work’s biggest problems —including issues like racial inequity, gender inequality, lack of access to economic opportunity, and climate change. Using an inclusive, equitable model and due diligence process, Lever for Change creates customized challenges and other tailored funding opportunities. Top-ranked teams and challenge finalists become members of the Bold Solutions Network—a growing global network that helps secure additional funding, amplify member’s impact, and accelerate social change. Founded in 2019, as a nonprofit affiliate of the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, Lever for Change has influenced over $1.7 billion in grants to date and provided support to more than 145 organizations.
To learn more, visit www.leverforchange.org
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Community League of the Heights (CLOTH)
CLOTH is a multi-service, non- profit community development organization dedicated to supporting and empowering the economically disadvantaged residents of Harlem, Washington Heights, and Inwood. CLOTH’s holistic approach to community development provides a comprehensive framework of services to stabilize and strengthen family life.
CLOTH was founded by Lucille Bulger in 1952 as a neighborhood volunteer organization. Ms. Bulger led the organization until 1994 and was succeeded by Yvonne Stennett, the current Executive Director. The organization impacts hundreds of people each day and for many, CLOTH is their last resort for housing, food, or other basic human needs. CLOTH offers programs in four key areas: Affordable Housing, Education, Workforce Development, Health and Wellness.