Common Cents is a national educational, not-for-profit organization, which specializes in creating and managing

service-learning Service-learning is an educational approach that combines learning objectives with community service in order to provide a pragmatic, progressive learning experience while meeting societal needs. Service-learning involves students in service proje ...

programs for young people between the ages of four and 14. Common Cent's most popular and best known program is The Penny Harvest, the largest child

philanthropy Philanthropy is a form of altruism that consists of "private initiatives, for the Public good (economics), public good, focusing on quality of life". Philanthropy contrasts with business initiatives, which are private initiatives for private goo ...

program in the United States. Other Common Cents programs include the Student Community Action Fund (a high school leadership council.)

History

Common Cents grew from the desire of a four-year-old Nora Gross (Co-Founder) to feed a homeless man in 1990. That need led her to ask her father ( Teddy Gross Co-Founder and Executive Director), how she could help. In 1990, Teddy Gross and Nora Gross conducted the first Penny Harvest in an effort to collect money to feed and clothe New York City's homeless.

Awards

Common Cents is the winner of the 2007

NY1 NY1 (also officially known as Spectrum News NY1 and spoken as New York One) is an American cable news television channel founded by Time Warner Cable, which itself is owned by Charter Communications through its acquisition in May 2016. The channe ...

New Yorker of the Year award. Common Cents was also shortlisted for the 2007 Carl Bertelsmann's Award.

Leadership

The organization's co-founder and Executive Director is Teddy Gross.

Funding

Common Cents receives major funding from several major foundations and the government including:

The Ford Foundation The Ford Foundation is an American private foundation with the stated goal of advancing human welfare. Created in 1936 by Edsel Ford and his father Henry Ford, it was originally funded by a US$25,000 gift from Edsel Ford. By 1947, after the death ...

, Foundation for Jewish Community,

JPMorgan Chase JPMorgan Chase & Co. is an American multinational investment bank and financial services holding company headquartered in New York City and incorporated in Delaware. As of 2022, JPMorgan Chase is the largest bank in the United States, the ...

, The New York City Council, The New York City Department of Education.

Board of directors

Judith Shapiro Judith R. Shapiro (born January 24, 1942) is a former President of Barnard College, a liberal arts college for women at Columbia University; as President of Barnard, she was also an academic dean within the university. She was also a professor ...

(Chair), retired president of

Barnard College Barnard College of Columbia University is a private women's liberal arts college in the borough of Manhattan in New York City. It was founded in 1889 by a group of women led by young student activist Annie Nathan Meyer, who petitioned Columbia ...

, New York, NY *Susan Andersen, professor of psychology,

New York University New York University (NYU) is a private research university in New York City. Chartered in 1831 by the New York State Legislature, NYU was founded by a group of New Yorkers led by then-Secretary of the Treasury Albert Gallatin. In 1832, the ...

New York, NY *Margi Booth, president, M. Booth & Associates, Inc., New York, NY *Elizabeth Campbell, Vice President for Programs,

Rockefeller Brothers Fund The Rockefeller Brothers Fund (RBF) is a philanthropic foundation created and run by members of the Rockefeller family. It was founded in New York City in 1940 as the primary philanthropic vehicle for the five third-generation Rockefeller brothe ...

, New York, NY *Jonathan Dorfman, Citi Alternative Investments (CAI) - Global Fixed Income, New York, NY *Gardner Dunnan, New York, NY *Jon Goldman, Chairman & CEO, iContaqt, Venice, CA *Laird Grant, Retired Managing Director and Senior Portfolio Manager, US Trust Company, New York, NY *Nora Gross, Co-Founder Common Cents, New York, NY; Director, Writing & Media Center, North Lawndale College Prep Charter High School, Chicago, IL * Teddy Gross, Co-Founder & Executive Director, Common Cents, New York, NY *Evelyn Lipper, M.D., Associate Professor of Clinical Pediatrics, Weil Medical College of

Cornell University Cornell University is a private statutory land-grant research university based in Ithaca, New York. It is a member of the Ivy League. Founded in 1865 by Ezra Cornell and Andrew Dickson White, Cornell was founded with the intention to teach an ...

, New York, NY *Jeanne Mininall, Retired Managing Director & Associate General Counsel,

, New York, NY *Michael Pohly, Portfolio Manager- Fixed Income, Kingdom Capital, New York, NY *Adam Rich, Senior Government Relations Associate, Law Offices of Claudia Wagner, New York, NY *James Seuss, CEO,

Cole Haan Cole Haan is an American brand of men's and women's footwear and accessories that serves markets worldwide. The company was founded in Chicago, Illinois in 1928. Cole Haan currently has its headquarters in both New York City and Greenland, New Ham ...

, New York, NY *Molly Tschang, Managing Director, International Programs,

Cisco Systems Cisco Systems, Inc., commonly known as Cisco, is an American-based multinational corporation, multinational digital communications technology conglomerate (company), conglomerate corporation headquartered in San Jose, California. Cisco develo ...

, New York, NY

External links

Common Cents Website

References

{{s-end Non-profit organizations based in New York City Youth-led organizations