Since 1998, the New York Building Foundation champions the growth and welfare of NYC's building industry and community through research, education, and philanthropy.
New York Building Foundation
> $2M
Awarded in grants and scholarships to non-profits in New York City related to the building community.
Officers
Chair
Elizabeth Velez
Vice Chairs
Kelly Heuer
Elias Matar, P.E.
David W. Marino
Christopher Shaw
President
Carlo A. Scissura, Esq.
Treasurer
Mark Gregorio
Secretary
Suri Kasirer
General Counsel
Michael K. De Chiara
Past Chairs
Cheryl McKissack Daniel
Milo Riverso, Ph.D, P.E.
Jonathan D. Resnick
John Dionisio, Jr.
Frank J. Sciame
Dominick M. Servedio, P.E.
Richard L. Tomasetti, P.E., NAE, HON. AIA
Governors
Governors
Joseph R. Amato, P.E.
B. Dean Angelakos
Laura Bush
Jeffery R. Capazzi
The Jobin Organization
Lisa Cassone
Kenneth Colao
Patrick A. DiCerbo
John Dionisio, Jr.
Raffaela Dunne
Christian Esteban
John Finamore
Tim Flynn
Louis C. Grassi
Eric Hirani
Lisa Linden
William Mandara
Anthony Mastrolia
Andrea Megnin
Doron Netanel
Jonathan Ninnis
Robert Palumbo
Andrew Pearl
Tricia Quan-Kep
John B. Rice, P.E., LEED AP
Legacy Engineers
Kirsten Sibilia, Assoc. AIA, LEED AP
Andrew Simmons
Michael L. Smithers, CRIS
Thomas R. Spatafora
Chris Terceira
Robert G. Wessels
Palmina M. Whelan
PWSS
Governors Emeriti
Richard T. Anderson, FAICP, FCIOB, NAC, HON AIANY
RTA Advisory Services LLC
Jeffrey M. Levy
J.J. Ryan Associates
J. Robert Mann Jr.
About the Foundation
Mission Statement
Formed in 1998, the New York Building Foundation promotes the long-term growth and well-being of the New York City building industry and the wider community through an active program of research, education, and philanthropy. The Building Foundation is a 501 (c)(3) non-profit organization that leverages the talents and vast resources of all sectors of the building industry to benefit New Yorkers and give back to the community.
History
The New York Building Foundation, the charitable arm of the New York Building Congress, was founded by a group of dedicated professionals to improve and better coordinate the building community’s approach to promoting the New York City construction industry. Over its 26-year history, the Building Foundation’s activities have included grants and scholarships for educational programs aimed at developing an interest in the industry among K-12 and college students; support for training organizations that assist adults from various backgrounds with joining the trades; programs to encourage clean, safe worksites; and research on issues impacting both the building industry and the city’s economic future. And in the times of greatest need, the Foundation has mobilized the building community with the establishment of the World Trade Center Memorial Fund in 2001 and the Hurricane Sandy Recovery Fund in 2012.
The Foundation strives to maximize talents, relationships, and partnerships to broaden its reach and strengthen its influence to bolster New York City’s built environment, encourage the development of the next generation of the industry’s workforce, and enhance the diverse communities that make up the city.
Grants & Philanthropy
The Building Foundation has historically provided grants to non-profit organizations related to the building industry or focused on the economic betterment of New York City.
Past Recipients
The Building Foundation has historically provided grants to non-profit organizations related to the building industry or focused on the economic betterment of New York City. Some past grant recipients include:
ACE Mentor Program of Greater New York
Andromeda Community Initiative
Greater Jamaica Development Corporation
Nontraditional Employment for Women
South Bronx Overall Economic Development Corporation
Staten Island Economic Development Corporation
Additionally, the Building Foundation has harnessed the resources of the building industry during some of the City’s most devastating periods with the establishment of dedicated funds.
Hurricane Sandy Recovery Fund
Established in November 2012 in the aftermath of Superstorm Sandy, the Hurricane Sandy Recovery Fund raised more than $260,000, which was used to assist affected families, support selected recovery programs, and sponsor research on ways to improve infrastructure planning and design.
The Fund first focused on immediate recovery efforts by distributing individual grants of up to $2,500 to employees of Building Congress member organizations within the design, construction, and real estate industry in the New York area who sustained measurable damages directly related to the impacts of Hurricane Sandy. The Fund also contributed to the ACE Mentor Program of Greater New York to provide scholarships for students whose families were affected by the storm; the Mayor’s Fund to Advance New York City, which funded minor-to-moderate non-structural repairs to one- and two-family homes damaged by the storm; and community-focused organizations, such as the Breezy Point Disaster Relief Fund, Rebuilding Together NYC, and the Red Hook Initiative, to help rebuild and repair public facilities and personal property damaged by the storm.
World Trade Center Memorial Fund
In response to the tragic attack on the World Trade Center on September 11, 2001, and the outpouring of offers of support from representatives of the design, construction and real estate industry, the Building Foundation established a World Trade Center Memorial Fund. The Fund raised more than $400,000 from member employees, firms, and other industry colleagues. Most of the donated funds were distributed to surviving family members of building industry workers and uniformed personnel who perished on September 11.
In addition, at the New York Building Congress Remembrance and Recognition Dinner in October of 2001, the Fund awarded checks for $25,000 to the United Firefighters Association’s 911 Fund, the Port Authority Police Department WTC Disaster Fund and the Building Trades Families Relief Fund. Also at the event, a $25,000 check was donated to a fund for the families of fallen New York City Police Officers from Building Foundation Governor Jack Rudin, Co-Chairman of Rudin Management Company, Inc., in memory of his late brother Lewis. A portion of the Fund’s remaining contributions were used for work site memorials given to each of the Building Congress member firms that lost employees in the attack.
Research
The Building Foundation has made research and analysis a central part of its activities in an effort to serve the industry and contribute to public debate on issues concerning design, construction, and New York City’s economic future.
In collaboration with its parent organization, the New York Building Congress, the Building Foundation has sponsored all installments of the New York City Construction Outlook series, an annual forecast and analysis on construction spending and employment. Throughout its history, the Building Foundation has contributed to the research of various special reports produced by the Building Congress. These include Building Innovation, Risk and Resiliency After Sandy, Building a Better NYC Capital Budget, and Building a World Class Tourism & Cultural Sector. The Building Foundation also supported ASCEND to Action, a supplemental report to the ASCEND conference on building innovation and technology which acted as a springboard to shift the culture of this industry and set a course for the next 50 years of innovation.