LeadSafeCNY

After a public vote in May gave a $150K grant to one nonprofit, the Community Foundation picked three more organizations to split $130K in the ongoing battle against lead poisoning.

Syracuse, New York has one of the highest rates of childhood lead poisoning in the country. According to 2021 Onondaga County Health Department data, 10% of children in the city had elevated levels of lead in their blood.

The Syracuse Peacemaking Project’s proposal to curb childhood lead poisoning would in part aim to develop a new generation of community leaders. Their proposal is one of three the public will be able to vote on through the Central New York Community Foundation’s participatory budgeting process.

A total of three non-profit organizations presented their ideas to community members on how to increase screening for lead poisoning in children this week. It’s part of the Central New York Community Foundation’s participatory budgeting process for lead remediation efforts, in which residents discuss and vote on how to best to use funds.

The Community Foundation of Central New York received $125,000 in grant funds to bolster its $2 million pledge to counter the high rates of lead poisoning among children in Syracuse.

Onondaga County, and especially Syracuse, continue to grapple with a serious and stubborn lead problem. The old housing stock combined with high poverty…

The Central New York Community Foundation will be investing more than $2 million to help combat childhood lead poisoning in Syracuse. More than 11 percent…