(Floating Hospital)
Jan. 10, 2025 By Shane O’Brien
The Floating Hospital, a Long Island City-based non-profit that has provided unrestricted healthcare and relief to New Yorkers for the past 150 years, has received a $200,000 grant from Bank of America after being named a 2024 New York City Neighborhood Builder.
The program, now in its 20th year, provides funding and leadership training to non-profits advancing economic mobility across the U.S. and has invested more than $8 million in philanthropic capital across 42 New York-based non-profits since its inception.
The Floating Hospital has served New Yorkers for more than 150 years and offers medical services regardless of an individual’s ability to pay, is one of two New York City non-profits to receive the award in 2024 alongside the Hot Bread Kitchen, a Chelsea-based organization that creates economic opportunity through career pathways in the food industry.
Both organizations have been awarded $200,000 grants over two years.
Funding provided to the Floating Hospital will help enhance the non-profit’s ability to provide holistic care, improving the quality of life for the city’s most vulnerable populations. It will also fund a new study to better understand the needs of homeless patients and refine its life skills and health education programs.
The results of the study will guide the development of services that improve patient care and connect families to vital resources.
The Floating Hospital, which is the only federally qualified health center in New York City that focuses on healthcare for homeless families, also offers wraparound programs that address social determinants of health and promote economic stability, including health education, free door-to-door transport and access to essential food, clothing, hygiene and school supplies.
José Tavarez, president of Bank of America New York City, praised both the Floating Hospital and Hot Bread Kitchen for making a positive impact on the lives of New Yorkers.
“Nonprofit organizations are on the frontline in local communities addressing pressing needs, creating opportunities and providing stability,” Tavarez said in a statement.
Sean Granahan, president of the Floating Hospital, praised Bank of America for recognizing the value in providing a service to those who have nothing, and making an impact in their lives.
“We are honored and gratified to receive this essential support, which fortifies an already dynamic relationship between Bank of America and The Floating Hospital,” Granahan said in a statement.
Hot Bread Kitchen, meanwhile, offers professional skills training, career programs, job placement, food entrepreneurship, and social services support. The non-profit helps participants succeed in and out of the workplace while creating a more equitable food system.
Funding through the Neighborhood Builders program will allow Hot Bread Kitchen to expand its core programs—workforce development, job placement, human services, and network-building for alumni—and launch new upskilling programs to create new pathways to career advancement beyond entry-level roles.
Hot Bread Kitchen CEO Leslie Abbey said the funding would significantly impact the non-profit’s services and welcomed Bank of America’s support.
“Their transformational support will allow Hot Bread Kitchen to build significant capacity as we scale our culinary workforce and small business development programs over the next two years,” Abbey said.
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