The New York Community Trust, which has been supporting nonprofits in The Big Apple since 1924, recently announced $4.5 million in grants that support a wide range of important causes. It is one of the largest and oldest community foundations and granted $137 million in 2011. 

In its announcement, the New York Community Trust outlined its support, which went to Hurricane Sandy response and relief work, housing and financial assistance, aid for cancer patients, elderly care, in-school and extracurricular learning and art space creation. It also included efforts to strengthen nonprofits, support smart urban planning, increase sustainability initiatives, help youth workers have brighter futures, stand behind young immigrants and their families and uphold civic affairs. 

The trust made particularly strong efforts to help the city bounce back from the devastation left in Hurricane Sandy's wake. Some of the grants included $120,000 to Pro Bono Net, which allows affected individuals to access online legal services, $50,000 for the Pratt Institute to manage community planning in neighborhoods that suffered damage and $185,000 for the New York Academy of Medicine for elderly disaster preparation and response efforts.