A note from our Executive Director Maximilian Eyle:The Central New York Community Foundation has awarded $55,000 to Central Current to support the hire of a housing and infrastructure reporter in 2025. This gift was made possible by a grant from the John F. Marsellus Fund. Focusing on the I-81 viaduct removal, the community grid construction, and public housing redevelopment, this new staff reporter will help tell the intersecting stories of some of Syracuse’s most significant projects and systems. When the last infrastructure projects of this scale were performed in the 1950s, they decimated Black neighborhoods and caused multi-generational harm. This reporter will investigate the ongoing negotiations around land use, housing affordability, and transportation systems – showing how these policies are unfolding and their impact on the lives of Syracuse residents.About the Central New York Community Foundation:The Central New York Community Foundation is a public charity that turns community dollars into community change. Established in 1927, it receives contributions from donors, manages them to grow over time and then distributes funding to address the region’s greatest needs. The foundation has invested nearly $300 million in community projects that benefit Central New York. It also serves as a civic leader, convener and sponsor of strategic initiatives that foster a thriving and equitable region and address the most critical issues of our time.The Central New York Community Foundation’s award impact will be magnified through Central Current’s partnership with Report for America – a national service program that places journalists in local newsrooms to report on under-covered issues and communities.Report for America has selected Central Current as a host newsroom for 2025, which means that they will provide multi-year funding and support to recruit for and sustain this housing and infrastructure reporter position.The post CNY Community Foundation awards $55,000 to support hiring a new reporter appeared first on Central Current.