CSB's Invest NYC SDG Initiative was awarded a $2 million grant by the Mother Cabrini Health Foundation (MCHF) on December 9, 2021. The funding is for a two year period, beginning January 2022, will support continued work on food and health in NYC, and will allow Invest NYC SDG to expand its work to upstate New York to collaborate with state government, upstate academic institutions, community organizations, and private businesses. 

The NYU Stern CSB team, in partnership with the FIG (or Figueroa) Lab in the Division of Nutritional Sciences at Cornell University, will focus on ways in which private engagement and investment can provide long term, market-based solutions to food insecurity. Such solutions include: 

• increasing local production of fresh, nutritional food, through urban and indoor farming; 
• expanding the availability of healthy, affordable food in underserved NYC neighborhoods and rural NYS communities, and addressing diet-related disease in these communities; and 
• launching and building businesses that increase food production and equitable food distribution, while also creating quality jobs for the most vulnerable New Yorkers.

The Mother Cabrini Health Foundation is a private, nonprofit organization with the mission to improve the health and well-being of vulnerable New Yorkers, bolster the health outcomes of targeted communities, eliminate barriers to care, and bridge gaps in health services. Named in memory of a tireless advocate for immigrants, children, and the poor, the Mother Cabrini Health Foundation provides flexible support for new and innovative approaches that enhance health and wellness across New York State. For more information, visit https://www.cabrinihealth.org/

Photo credit: R.J. Anderson