Directory of Local Organizations

AccessCNY offers person-centered services that empower individuals of all ages and abilities to reach their full potential as part of our shared community. Services are provided with dedication, compassion, innovation, and commitment.

The agency supports people with developmental disabilities, acquired brain injuries (ABI) and mental health issues.

Alliance for a Green Economy (AGREE) works for safe, affordable energy and the development of a green economy in New York state. Our goal is a prosperous, safe, and healthy New York, fulfilling the promise of conservation, energy efficiency, and safe, clean renewable energy sources to end our state’s reliance on wasteful and environmentally destructive forms of energy. The Alliance works to promote this transition to a carbon-free and nuclear-free future and educates the public about alternatives that can revitalize the economy and safeguard human health and the environment.

As a non-profit, community-based organization we work to ensure that everyone, regardless of disability, has the power to make life choices and achieve their dreams. Navigating the world of disability services can often be confusing and overwhelming for many families. Whether you have a simple question or have no idea where to start, we’re here to help.

For information on ARISE volunteer or employment opportunities: hr@ariseinc.org

We (B.C.P.) are focused on providing a safe and confidential environment to the inner-city LGBTQ community as well as offering networking opportunities, health information and peer support. We are the voice of the LGBTQ inner-city community.

Catholic Charities of Onondaga County helps people in need regardless of their religion, race, ethnicity, or nationality. We assist nearly 19,000 people annually through programs for people of all ages and stages of life. We believe that all people have infinite value and are worthy of our respect and compassion. Above all, we are committed to creating hope and transforming lives.

For immediate assistance after hours, please call: 2-1-1 or visit: 211CNY.com

InterFaith Works’ Center for New Americans provides resettlement and post-resettlement services to help refugee families reestablish their lives and overcome the barriers to successful integration in their new communities. The program typically resettles 500-600 new refugees each year, and annually serves an additional 1,200 families who have been in the U.S. for less than five years.

The Central New York chapter is based In Utica, New York, and we also have other chapters spread out across the state. Our community-based and multicultural organization is committed to living wage jobs, affordable health care and education, educational opportunities, climate justice, and improvement in living conditions for low and moderate income people. Founded in 1997, we advocate for the interests of children, families, seniors, and disabled in Central New York.

We work to eliminate housing discrimination, promote open communities, and ensure equal access to housing opportunities for all people in Central and Northern New York.

Community Folk Art Center, Inc. (CFAC) is a vibrant cultural and artistic hub committed to the promotion and development of artists of the African Diaspora. Our mission is to exalt cultural and artistic pluralism by collecting, exhibiting, teaching and interpreting the visual and expressive arts. Public programming includes exhibitions, film screenings, gallery talks, workshops and courses in the studio arts, including dance and ceramics. A proud unit of the Department of African American Studies, College of Arts & Sciences at Syracuse University, CFAC is a beacon of artistry, creativity, and cultural expression within the Syracuse community, the region and the world.

The core mission of the institution of the Dunbar Association Inc. is to enhance the quality of life, break the cycle of poverty, and develop racial equity in our community by strengthening youth and their families through a comprehensive delivery of services that promote excellence through advocacy and education.

We empower people with disabilities, neurological and chronic health conditions to pursue the life of their choosing.

For more than forty years, EPI has provided personalized care, education, training, advocacy, and support solutions to meet the needs of people with developmental disabilities, epilepsy, and brain injury. We have an enduring legacy of partnering with those we serve and with their families.

EPI was founded by parents who could not find the services they needed for their children.  With dedication, courage, and creativity, these families built a better world for their loved ones.

We share our founders’ indomitable drive to put first the needs and the dreams of the people we support.

What distinguishes EPI is our focus on offering progressive, tailored care solutions to people with developmental disabilities, epilepsy, and brain injury.  We are proud of our agility in adopting innovative service models that better meet the needs of the people we support to improve their health, wellbeing, independence, and social inclusion. We are passionate about doing the right thing. We work hard to earn the trust of the people we support and their families.  And we are committed to empowering people with disabilities to reach their individual goals and aspirations, and to live their lives to the fullest.

Friends of Dorothy is our initiative to be supportive of people with AIDS. Since October of 1992 we have offered home-based care to people with AIDS in a variety of ways, including recuperative or hospice care, supportive housing, and emergency assistance.

In My Father’s Kitchen, Inc. (IMFK) is a not-for-profit corporation founded by John and Leigh-Ann Tumino. IMFK is a faith-based organization offering non-denominational and non-discriminatory assistance to homeless people through direct street outreach.

The Islamic Society of Central New York (ISCNY) is a religious organization whose purpose is to provide programming and services for the religious, social, community, health and holistic well-being of the community. ISCNY is committed to and actively seeks to foster collaborative partnerships & promote inter-cultural & interfaith dialogue to eliminate misunderstandings about the principles and ideals of the Islamic way of life. ISCNY’s doors are open to anyone. Located in the heart of the City of Syracuse’s University Hill Neighborhood, serves a diverse community of over 15,000 spread throughout Central New York, from Oswego and Watertown to Ithaca, Camillus, and Syracuse.

The Jewish Federation of CNY cares for those in need, rescues those in harm’s way, strengthens Jewish identity and builds vibrant Jewish communities in Syracuse, in Israel and around the world.  We do the good that is in your heart.

The Jewish Federation of CNY is a 501(c)3 not-for-profit corporation established in 1918 to serve the interests and well-being of the Central New York Jewish Community by ensuring that the vision of Jewish identity and continuity is realized.

La Casita Cultural Center's mission is to advance an educational and cultural agenda of civic engagement through research, cultural heritage preservation, media, and the arts, bridging the Hispanic communities of Syracuse University and Central New York.

The Syracuse University Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender (LGBT) Resource Center strives to serve people with marginalized genders and sexualities by offering support, building community, and educating members of the Syracuse University community.

The Matilda Joslyn Gage Foundation is dedicated to educating current and future generations about Gage’s work and its power to drive contemporary social change.

At the heart of our mission is the story of Matilda Joslyn Gage, a progressive visionary of women’s rights and human liberation and an often unacknowledged leader who, with Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Susan B. Anthony wrote the arguments, inspired the passions and organized the political action of the 19th century woman suffrage movement in the United States.

National Action Network is one of the leading civil rights organizations in the Nation with chapters throughout the entire United States. Founded in 1991 by Reverend Al Sharpton, NAN works within the spirit and tradition of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. to promote a modern civil rights agenda that includes the fight for one standard of justice, decency and equal opportunities for all people regardless of race, religion, nationality or gender.

Grassroots organization of Central New Yorkers that recognizes and supports the sovereignty of the traditional government of the Onondaga Nation. A program of the Syracuse Peace Council, NOON supports the right of native peoples to reclaim land, and advocates for fair settlement of any claims which are filed.

The North Side Learning Center (NSLC) was founded in 2009 and exists to aid in adult and youth literacy development, and to be instrumental in teaching self-sufficiency and self-actualization to newcomers in our community. Students come from dozens of countries around the world. Beyond the core of teaching English to adults and providing academic support to their children, additional programs are offered as resources allow.

We are the Central New York office of the New York Civil Liberties Union, a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization that works to protect the civil rights and civil liberties of all New Yorkers. Our regional office covers seven counties.

The New York Civil Liberties Union, the New York affiliate of the American Civil Liberties Union, promotes and defends the fundamental principles and values embodied in the Bill of Rights, U.S. Constitution and New York State Constitution, including freedom of speech and religion, and the right to privacy, equality, and due process of law. We carry out our mission through public education, advocacy and litigation.

The mission of the Onondaga Environmental Institute (OEI) is to advance environmental research, education, planning and restoration in Central New York. OEI seeks responsible stewardship of the local environs as a means to achieving the overall goal of sustainability.

PACCNY seeks to create a platform for the promotion of debate, ideas, and activities that strengthen the historical bonds that have united people of African origin on the continent and in the Diaspora through years of political, cultural, and economic struggles against dehumanization by slavery, imperialism, colonialism and neocolonialism. It seeks to provide space for an agenda that promotes and celebrates the efforts of people of African origin towards self-assertion, human dignity and self-determination. Internationalist in vision, PACCNY also seeks to engage in activities that promote understanding among all global communities, especially those who suffer from oppressive structures and systems

Protects and provides health care and education that empowers individuals and families. Planned Parenthood of Central and Western New York has 10 health centers and one mobile unit. Delivers affordable, nonjudgmental, high quality health care to thousands of people each year. Staff specialize in reproductive and sexual health care.

ACR Health’s network of Q Centers and support groups are safe places for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and questioning youth, their families and allies to gather. Q Center programming seeks to promote equality, celebrate diversity, and create a safer, more accepting and inclusive community for all.Through our programs and services, we provide the guidance and support LGBTQ+ youth, young adults and their families need to thrive, and the foundation from which LGBTQ+ youth can succeed throughout their lives.

The Redhouse is a proud partner of the Positivity Project, an organization that empowers America’s youth to build strong relationships and understand, appreciate and exemplify the character strengths in us all. All Redhouse educational programming, in tandem with these initiatives, strives to arm our students with a deeper understanding of character so that, together, we will create citizens and leaders who will enhance our communities and country.

Offers resettlement services and support for those forced to leave their countries due to unsafe conditions. Provides assistance with applying for jobs and registering for English language classes, locating translators, finding housing, and securing medical care.

The Samaritan Center is a 501c3, interfaith effort of community members committed to serving the hungry and those in need in order to promote their welfare dignity and self sufficiency.

The CYC is a family-oriented youth and fitness facility serving Central New York since 1964. The CYC is a not-for- profit organization aimed at providing a safe environment for kids in the community to become healthier, more productive adults. The CYC is also committed to serving the elderly of the community by adapting its facilities to accommodate and develop programming for senior members of the community. Senior programs enable community members to lead healthy, safe, independent lifestyles.

Sunrise Ithaca is a youth-led (under 35) climate justice organization based in Ithaca, NY. We focus on local policy (in particular the Ithaca Green New Deal, which we championed in 2019) and community engagement with it. We seek to bridge the gap between residents and the City and make sure that local climate policy addresses disadvantaged communities' needs.

SCW is a progressive publisher committed to peace, sustainability, social justice, feminism and multiculturalism. We create and publish visual materials, like calendars, posters, T-shirts, cards and postcards, and distribute them across North America.

Syracuse Grows is a grassroots network that cultivates food justice through advocacy, education, and resources in support of urban food production. We envision a community where everyone has the equal opportunity to produce healthy and culturally appropriate food.

The Syracuse Peace Council (SPC), founded in 1936, is an antiwar/social justice organization. We are community-based, autonomous and funded by the contributions of our supporters. SPC educates, agitates and organizes for a world where war, violence and exploitation in any form will no longer exist. We challenge the existing unjust power relationships among nations, among people and between ourselves and the environment.

Mission to engage the University Community to empower students, enhance equity and provide a platform for innovation and inclusion. We achieve this by mitigating competitive disadvantages and environmental barriers that impact learning; by supporting faculty in the classroom and our colleagues across the university to strive for universal design and full inclusion. We provide individual academic adjustments when environmental barriers cannot be eliminated and assistive technology that fosters independent, self-determined learners.

The Syracuse Urbanism Collective strives to build access to human-centered, walkable, vibrant communities and spaces for all. Our goal is to enhance the urbanism of Syracuse through physical installations and programming in public space, as well as advocacy on policy and design.

We advocate for people locked up by police and locked out of schools to build power and chart a path toward liberation by making racial and economic justice a reality.

Vera House is a comprehensive domestic and sexual violence service agency providing shelter, advocacy, and counseling services for women, children & men, education and prevention programs and community coordination.

One of Syracuse’s longest-surviving community gardens, cultivated primarily by community members living near the garden, the West Newell St. Garden utilizes a shared harvest model and holds regular garden workdays, garden lunches, barbecues, and fishing trips. West Newell Street Community Garden is a social change garden, striving to be inclusive of individuals from diverse backgrounds and ethnic groups.