CUNY has received a record $25 million in federal funding that will fund 21 projects across the five boroughs — a 66% increase from fiscal year 2024 when CUNY received $15 million.
CCNY will receive $5.1 million: $3.1 million from Senator Schumer and Rep. Espaillat will enable the Dominican Studies Institute to renovate and expand its facility, allowing for more community-based events and workshops. An additional $2 million from Rep. Espaillat will expand skills-based workforce development programs for low-income New Yorkers through increased access to computer labs, instruments, and career opportunities.
The funds come following an August 2024 announcement from Governor Kathy Hochul of a $12.5 million grant to establish a Dominican Center for the Arts and Culture in northern Manhattan. This will be the first cultural center of its kind dedicated to preserving and celebrating the arts and culture of the Dominican Republic as well as New Yorkers of Dominican descent.
About the CUNY Dominican Studies Institute
Founded in 1992 at The City College of New York, the CUNY Dominican Studies Institute (CUNY DSI) is the nation’s first university-based research institute devoted to the study of people of Dominican descent in the United States and around the globe. CUNY DSI’s mission is to advance and share scholarship about Dominicans and the Dominican Republic through cutting-edge research, publications, and public programming.
The Institute is home to the Dominican Archives, the first and only of its kind outside the Dominican Republic, and the Dominican Library, the largest repository of bibliographic resources in the U.S. on Dominican Studies. Together, these unique institutions preserve and provide access to primary and secondary source materials documenting the Dominican experience. CUNY DSI also curates art exhibitions, lectures, and conferences, creating vital spaces for dialogue on culture, history, and identity. Under the leadership of renowned sociologist and public intellectual Dr. Ramona Hernández, CUNY DSI continues to be a national leader in shaping understanding of Dominican and Latino communities.
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