JAMAICA, NY – New York State Senator James Sanders Jr. successfully hosted the Faith, Funding & Community Development Summit on October 14, bringing together clergy, faith leaders, houses of worship, financial institutions, nonprofit professionals, and community development experts for an afternoon focused on expanding access to funding, building organizational capacity, and strengthening communities throughout Southeast Queens and the Rockaways.
The summit provided attendees with practical tools and resources to help faith-based organizations secure funding, develop affordable housing initiatives, expand community programming, and sustain long-term growth.
Presenters included Michelle McClymont of BOC Capital and Erin Sweeney of ConnectOne Bank, who discussed financing and lending opportunities; Rashida Tyler, Executive Director of the New York State Council of Churches and Project Manager for the Interfaith Affordable Housing Collaborative, who addressed faith-based housing development; and Miguel Bonilla of the Mayor's Office for Nonprofit Services. Rachel Galton of Partners for Sacred Places and Daniel Cruz of the National Fund for Sacred Places discussed funding opportunities, preparing effective grant applications, and the responsible use of artificial intelligence (AI) in the grant writing process. Ted Geier of Support Center, led a fundraising training and planning session focused on strengthening organizational capacity, developing compelling cases for giving, and improving direct solicitation skills. He also highlighted key fundraising principles, including matching the right solicitor with the right prospect, and shared resources on donor motivations, overcoming barriers to asking for contributions, and assessing grant readiness.
