As part of his ongoing commitment to increasing transparency in the annual New York City budget funding process, Councilman David G. Greenfield is inviting all non-profit organizations that serve his council district to attend his fifth annual budget workshop. This workshop will teach organizations about New York City’s application process for discretionary funding and answer any questions that organizations may have. The meeting will ensure that each group has a fair and equal chance to submit its application to the city, and will help Councilman Greenfield learn more about the work the group performs on behalf of the residents of Boro Park, Midwood and Bensonhurst. In order to apply for discretionary funding, non-profit organizations must send a representative to this meeting, which will be held this Thursday, February 5, 2015 at 7:15 p.m. at Councilman Greenfield’s district office located at 4424 16th Avenue in Boro Park. Only non-profits that have been designated as a 501(c)(3) by the IRS may attend this meeting.

“I am very proud that in less than five years in office, I have brought back over ten million dollars to outstanding community groups. The way we do it is simple – you attend the meeting and get all the information and consideration you need. By doing this, we have opened up the process to many new groups that have never received funding before.” said Councilman Greenfield.

The upcoming budget workshop will provide attendees with all of the tools and information needed to successfully complete the City Council’s online application for government funding. The short presentation will include a sample application to show exactly what information non-profits need to provide and will include a chance for representatives to ask questions about the funding and budget process. Attendance at this meeting does not guarantee that an organization will receive funding, but it will ensure that its application is considered and help Councilman Greenfield understand each group’s specific needs and goals.

When first running for office five years ago, Councilman Greenfield pledged to make the budget process as fair, easy and open as possible. To fulfill that promise, Greenfield has held his annual budget workshop each year since taking office in order to open up the process to the public. Additionally, Greenfield is one of the first Council Members to give residents a say in the city budget by taking part in the ongoing participatory budgeting initiative. Under participatory budgeting, residents have the opportunity to vote on specific capital projects they would like implemented in their neighborhood using $1 million in city funding that Councilman Greenfield has set aside for this initiative. Ballots for those projects will be distributed in April.

In order to ensure fairness, any group that wishes to receive funding MUST attend this meeting and RSVP by calling (718) 853-2704 or e-mailing [email protected].

(YWN Desk – NYC)