Much has occurred since our last annual report. As Caren aptly said, and in
the words of Bob Dylan, "The times they are a changing."
Most importantly, notwithstanding the Covid-19 crisis which paralyzed many
gift givers, we continued to support our long-term grantees as well as
adding some new organizations to our roster. During the pandemic, I marched
at the 50th Anniversary of the Stonewall riots, an event which I am sure
Phil would have participated in, and likely filmed and written about. This
event affected me deeply as it made clear that while we have come a long
way with regard to civil rights, the progress is fragile and can be
reversed in the blink of an eye.
We need look no further than the Supreme Court decision overturning Roe vs.
Wade to understand how hard-fought rights may be ephemeral. Phil lived this
reality and was consumed by a deep sense of social justice and a concern
for the vulnerable among us. He would be enraged by the disinformation,
lies, bias and fear mongering we are experiencing today.
For the past 30 years, the foundation has been directed by the question,
"What would Phil do?" While we feel that we have done Phil proud, we have
recently began to examine how we might direct our focus to current issues.
To that end, our two newest grantees are:
1. The Art Therapy Project, the only nonprofit in NYC dedicated to
providing art therapy to the growing marginalized population who suffer
trauma;
2. "This is Probably a Really Weird Question"- a podcast started
by a historian and a physician, to help recognize the tough questions about
sexuality and how to ask, and answer some of those questions.
We remain committed to certain of our long-term grantees. We continue to
support the Alliance for Positive Change (formerly known as ASCNYC), operated
by the impactful Sharen Duke. The Alliance not only survived during Covid,
but managed to grow and develop new programs that take the population
serviced from survival mode to gainful employment opportunities.
We urge you to visit our grantees on our site, read their stories, and
support them. Some of these organization fall below the radar, but have an
outsized impact. However, as Phil taught us, it's emerging and thought
leaders, organizers, and screamers that make a difference. We strive to
identify such and lend a helping hand.
In the coming months, we will be updating our web site. Please visit and if
you have any questions, contact us.
My very best,
Allen
