The Fund will support Long Island nonprofits to ensure they can continue to serve all Long Islanders with vitally important services.

The Claire Friedlander Family Foundation made a substantial grant to The Long Island Community Foundation to facilitate the launch of the COVID-19 Long Island Philanthropic Response Fund to aid nonprofit service providers struggling with the health and economic effects of the coronavirus.  Also joining the charge are the Greentree Foundation, Horace and Amy Hagedorn Fund, Long Island Community Foundation, Rauch Foundation and many other generous donors who make possible immediate grants to Long Island nonprofits in response to emergent and critical needs affecting our local region. Priority will be given to nonprofits addressing essential health and human services and food insecurity, as well as arts and culture as it is directly tied to our communities’ health and wellness and economic recovery.

“The Claire Friedlander Family Foundation is proud to partner with LICF and other foundations to initiate the Covid-19 Long Island Philanthropic Response Fund.  By banding together, we can direct emergency funds to Long Island’s essential nonprofits to sustain their critical staffing and programmatic endeavors,” said Peter J. Klein, CFA, President, The Claire Friedlander Family Foundation.  “When liked-minded foundations can work together the results can move the needle and are often more impactful,” said Klein.

Grants are limited to 501(c)3 organizations, groups fiscally sponsored by a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization, or other charitable organizations able to receive tax-deductible contributions such as faith-based organizations located in or primarily serving Nassau and Suffolk Counties. The first phase of funding will be used to support the immediate needs of front-line direct service providers to strengthen their capacity to address the impacts of the COVID-19 outbreak, and the emergent needs of vulnerable populations caused by related closures and social distancing guidelines.  Interested organizations can get more information and apply here. To learn more about the COVID-19 Long Island Philanthropic Response Fund and the Long Island Community Foundation, visit their website at www.licf.org.

In addition to supporting the COVID-19 Long Island Philanthropic Response Fund, The Claire Friedlander Family Foundation has made a series of individual grants to a roster of essential Long Island nonprofits in need of immediate relief.

For the past ten years the Claire Friedlander Family Foundation has proudly sponsored the Friedlander Upstander Award in partnership with the Holocaust Memorial and Tolerance Center of Nassau County in honor of our founder Claire Friedlander, a Holocaust survivor. The foundation is pleased to recognized students who exhibit courage and leadership in the face of injustice.

The Holocaust Memorial and Tolerance Center of Nassau County annually honors Middle School and High School students on Long Island who confront intolerance, prejudice or other forms of social injustice with the Friedlander Upstander Award. Winners receive a scholarship. The 10th Annual Friedlander Upstander Awards will be presented at HMTC’s Annual Tolerance Benefit on Monday, May 4, at Westbury Manor, 1100 Jericho Turnpike, Westbury, NY 11590.

Due to the rise of hate speech, hate crimes and bullying on Long Island and nationally, those who make a difference in their schools and communities by acting as Upstanders are more important than ever. HMTC defines an Upstander as a person who stands up for others and does not allow bigotry, hatred or intolerance to happen without intercession. Every year the HMTC honor Middle School and High School students from across Long Island who have demonstrated the actions of an Upstander. The student’s action could be one of intervention or prevention, big or small.

Those who are interested in applying must be enrolled in a Middle School or High School on Long Island, have a brief nomination letter from a teacher, guidance counselor or other adult who isn’t a family member and must write a 500-word essay on what actions they have taken that make them Upstanders. Applications for the Friedlander Upstander Award are due Tuesday, April 7.

For more information, or to apply, contact Helen Turner, Director of Youth Education at HMTC, at 516-571-8040 or helenturner@hmtcli.org or visit http://www.hmtcli.org/friedlanderaward.

Winners to Be Announced on Tuesday, October 20, 2020 at the Edison Ballroom

The Claire Friedlander Family Foundation is pleased to support the expansion of the Imagine Awards into New York City. The success of the Long Island Imagine Awards, now in its 8th year, inspired founder Ken Cerini, CPA, Cerini & Associates LLP, to bring this innovative and inspiring event to NYC to shine a spotlight on the incredible nonprofits in and around the City.

The Inaugural NYC Imagine Awards nonprofit competition will take place on Tuesday, October 20, 2020 at The Edison Ballroom, 6-10pm. This event was created to formally acknowledge some of NYC’s most effective and innovative nonprofit organizations. $5,000 grants will be awarded in the following categories: Cerini & Associates Award for Social Impact, Innovation, The Claire Friedlander Family Foundation Award for Arts & Culture, Rising Star, and Leadership Excellence.

Claire Friedlander Family Foundation President Peter J. Klein states “We’ve enjoyed recognizing the significant cultural contributions the Long Island organizations have made to the community and we are looking forward to the NYC event in October.” “The arts provide substantial richness to society and it’s exciting to recognize and reward this important facet of the nonprofit landscape,” said Klein.

501(c)(3) organizations located in and serving The Bronx, Brooklyn, Manhattan, Queens, and/or Staten Island are eligible to apply. The 20 finalists receive a free promotional video that is debuted at the event and the winner in each category is announced LIVE. The application deadline is Friday, May 8, 2020 and more information can be found here www.NYCImagineawards.com.

The mission at Tesla Science Center at Wardenclyffe (TSCW) is to transform the last remaining laboratory of inventor Nikola Tesla into a museum and global science center that empowers people through education and entrepreneurship and continues Tesla’s legacy of innovation and humanitarianism.

The Claire Friedlander Foundation is pleased to support this mission in ways that are having a real impact. Innovative new education programs are reaching more students and educators, both locally and globally. Teslamania, a day-long event in which teachers presented their most successful science projects, was broadcast around the world and recorded to provide a real-world tool for learning. Funding from the foundation has also enabled TSCW to take STEAM to the next level by funding educational events that focus on experiential, experimental learning for all ages. This includes Tesla Tech Art Camp, a week-long program that explored the inventive and creative process with remarkable results; attendees created draw-bots, electric circuit sculptures, sound and vibration art, and “inventions” that they pitched in an entrepreneurial presentation. Their elementary school programs go beyond traditional rote learning with interactive classes like Fun with Forces, Magic with Magnets, Super Circuits and more. In addition, the foundation also supports year-long events and exhibits at TSCW that inspire and educate thousands of people around the globe; these feature hands-on exhibits, educational talks, arts and history that promote innovation and betterment of humanity as exemplified by Nikola Tesla.

Foundation President Peter J. Klein states “in addition to education programs for students, we are excited to fund the development of resources and support for entrepreneurs, business start-ups and technologists. There is a great need for programs that provide opportunity for STEAM entrepreneurs who are challenged to develop and fund their work.” Klein says, “Together, The Claire Friedlander Family Foundation and TSCW are working to transform lives by giving people the resources and opportunity to achieve their goals and dreams.”

 https://teslasciencecenter.org/

The Claire Friedlander Family Foundation is pleased to have awarded a grant to Temple Beth El, Huntington, NY, to help fund a new, state-of-the-art kitchen that will better meet the growing nutritional needs of the Huntington community.

Throughout the year, Temple Beth El provides sustenance and respite to those in need through various programs such as:
• Project HOPE (Helping Other People Eat)
• H.I.H.I. (Huntington Interfaith Homeless Initiative)
• Thanksgiving Dinner, Spaghetti Dinner and Summer Barbeque
• Community Food Pantry

Rabbi Jeffrey Clopper states, “we believe in the Jewish Tradition of Tikkun Olam, the moral obligation to help make the world a better place.” “We are very thankful to be recognized by The Claire Friedlander Family Foundation for their generous grant so we can continue to ‘feed the hungry’ and help make a positive difference in our community.”

To learn more about Temple Beth El, click here https://www.tbeli.org/

The Claire Friedlander Family Foundation is proud to support Smile Farms, the signature philanthropic partner of 1-800-FLOWERS.COM, Inc. Created by Jim McCann, Founder and Chairman, 1-800-FLOWERS.COM, Inc. and the McCann Family, Smile Farms is a leader in creating solutions for the problem of unemployment among young adults and adults with developmental disabilities. Smile Farms has grown from one campus employing 30 people to 8 campuses employing over 140 people. Plants, flowers and fresh produce from Smile Farms locations are sold in a variety of venues in the communities where campuses are located; are used in partner organizations’ kitchens; and are donated to local nonprofits serving people in need.

Peter J. Klein, President, The Claire Friedlander Family Foundation, says “by engaging young adults and adults with disabilities with an employment opportunity that not only offers them skills and a satisfying job, but ultimately, feeding those in need, Smile Farms has a created a winning formula. The Foundation is pleased to support their important mission.”

In collaboration with Northwell Health, Cornell Cooperative Extension of Suffolk County, Skills Unlimited, and FREE, a Mobile Farmers Market also serves underserved populations across Long Island with Smile Farms produce. It is the only Mobile Market on Long Island enrolled in the NYS Farmers’ Market Nutrition Program (FMNP). For more information about Smile Farms, visit www.smilefarms.org

The Claire Friedlander Family Foundation and The Holocaust Memorial and Tolerance Center of Nassau County (HMTC) annually honor middle school, high school and college students on Long Island who confront intolerance, prejudice or other forms of social injustice. The 9th Annual Friedlander Upstander Award, presented by HMTC and the Claire Friedlander Family Foundation, in conjunction with the Nassau and Suffolk County Police Departments, is awarded to Nassau and Suffolk middle and high school students who have acted as Upstanders against bullying or intolerance in any of its forms. This year 115 applications were received from high school and middle school students from across Long Island – an all-time record. The winners of the $2,500 scholarships are featured in the photo below.

For more information, call (516) 571-8040, visit HMTC’s website, http://www.hmtcli.org, or find them on social media at Facebook.com/HMTCNY and Twitter.com/HolocaustTolCtr

One of the most exciting parts of the Long Island Imagine Awards nonprofit awards competition are the finalist videos that are debuted live at the event. Foundation President Peter J. Klein introduces the finalists in The Claire Friedlander Family Foundation Arts & Culture Award category. Congratulations to Bay Street Theater who was awarded the $5,000 grant at the ceremony on April 30, 2019. Over 450 of Long Island’s top nonprofit and corporate leaders were in attendance.

The Claire Friedlander Family Foundation Arts & Culture Finalists

• Bay Street Theater – WINNER
• Gold Coast Arts Center
• Hofstra University Museum of Art
• Nassau County Museum of Art

Click here to view The Claire Friedlander Family Foundation Arts & Culture finalist videos

Click here to view the winner’s videos for social impact, innovation, rising star and leadership excellence

The Claire Friedlander Family Foundation is proud to continue to support the 7th Annual Long Island Imagine Awards held on Tuesday, April 30, 2019, 6-9:30pm at the Crest Hollow Country Club, Woodbury, NY.  Over 450 of the region’s top nonprofit executives, volunteers and corporate sponsors attended this gala event which was created to offer formal acknowledgement to some of Long Island’s most effective and innovative nonprofit organizations.

Over 170 nonprofit applications were submitted to win $5,000 grants in each of five categories: Innovation, Leadership Excellence, Rising Star, Social Impact and Arts and Culture. Of this pool of worthy applicants, 20 were selected as finalists and one in each category as well as a Fan Favorite was awarded the grant LIVE at the awards ceremony. The winners are:

Cerini & Associates Social Impact Award

• Island Harvest Food Bank

The Claire Friedlander Family Foundation Arts & Culture Award

• Bay Street Theater

Certilman Balin Leadership Excellence Award

• Dr. Ellenmorris Tiegerman, Executive Director & CEO, Tiegerman

Empire National Bank Innovation Award

• Paws of War

Vanguard Insurance Agency Rising Star Award

• Helping Makes U Happy, Inc.

Nerds That Care Fan Favorite Award

• Helping Makes U Happy, Inc.

Applications for the April 28, 2020 gala will open early September 2019. For more information on the winners visit https://ceriniandassociates.com/long-island-imagine-awards/

The W Connection was created by widows to equip other widows with the knowledge and skills they will need to rebuild their lives so they become and/or remain financially independent and lead fulfilling and productive lives after the loss of their spouses. The W Connection’s programs and services are based in the fact that widows can best help other widows navigate the many challenges they face while dealing with their grief by getting them Connected, Encouraged, Educated and Empowered to adapt to the new realities created by their loss.

The Claire Friedlander Family Foundation is proud to support The W Connection with a grant that has made possible the build out of their ONLINE PORTAL which offers informational resources to widows across the United States. There are over 11 million widows in the United States and the portal is a step to supporting every widow that needs our help. The ONLINE PORTAL allows widows to GET ENCOURAGED from other widows via shared stories of hope and coping strategies. It also allows widows to GET EDUCATED via sharing of resources important to widows like financial, legal, health and wellness and family support information. For more information visit https://widowsconnection.org/