A Year in Review

— We would like to acknowledge the passing of Lynn Grossman, long time Board Director and friend to the Elmezzi family. After a long battle with cancer, Lynn withdrew to a new life on January 12, 2024. The work of the Foundation was deeply influenced by Lynn’s passion for uplifting the under resourced and underserved… Read more

A Tribute to Lynn Grossman

On January 12, 2024, the Foundation bid farewell to a beloved Director, Lynn Grossman. Nearly thirty years ago, she played a key role in establishing the Foundation alongside its founder, Thomas Elmezzi, and every year since, served as a devoted advocate for the residents of our shared community. Lynn passionately promoted the Foundation’s mission to… Read more

Elmezzi in the News

This spring, the Elmezzi Foundation initiated a second round of emergency grants to support local and citywide organizations in their continued efforts to address the reverberating impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic. A recipient of one of these grants, the Floating Hospital, recently spoke with our Executive Director, Pooja O’Hanlon, to discuss the Foundation’s grantmaking process… Read more

Reimagine Everything: A Reflection and Response

The pandemic revealed much about the philanthropic sector, namely its ability to quickly adapt to the immediate needs of the communities they serve while also questioning certain operative practices that until now have been considered norms. Jim Rendon reflects on how the shift towards providing direct cash assistance, a relatively uncommon practice prior to the… Read more

Western Queens Nonprofit Programs Receive $150,000 in Emergency Fund Grants from the Thomas and Jeanne Elmezzi Private Foundation (Press Release)

Foundation’s Root and Commitment to Astoria and Long Island City Neighborhoods Deepened in Response to COVID-19 Crisis  New York, NY (May 27, 2020)— The Thomas and Jeanne Elmezzi Private Foundation announced $150,000 in emergency funding to Western Queens nonprofit programs that provide frontline response to the COVID-19 crisis including food access, financial relief and support for… Read more

The Impact of Community Schools

Established in 2014, the New York City Community Schools Initiative (NYC-CS) shifted the focus of the New York Department of Education from conventional reform ideas such as curriculum changes towards providing more holistic community services. From 2015-2018, RAND Education and Labor conducted an in-depth study of more than one hundred schools that participate in the… Read more