The New York Times
November 22, 2010
Islamic Center Seeks 9/11 Recovery Grants for Lower Manhattan
By KAREEM FAHIM
The directors of the planned Islamic community center and mosque near ground zero have applied for grants from an agency tasked with helping Lower Manhattan recover from the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001. The request was for about $5 million, said a person with knowledge of the grant application.
In a statement, the developer, Sharif el-Gamal, said that the board of Park51, as the center is known, asked for the financing from the Lower Manhattan Development Corporation about two weeks ago. The money, which would come from a pool of $2 billion in federal financing administered by the corporation, would be used for domestic violence prevention programs, language classes, art exhibitions and other social services at the center.
“Park51 remains committed to exploring all sources of revenue and funding to build the community center in Lower Manhattan,” Mr. Gamal said. “It is important to note that this community center will provide hundreds of construction jobs over the next few years and when opened will provide 150 permanent jobs.”
The plans for the center created a national furor this summer after opponents complained that its location, two blocks from the northern edge of ground zero, was inappropriate. Since then, the evolving plans for the center — and especially its financing— have come under scrutiny.
Mr. Gamal has said he plans to raise the $140 million required to build the center by tapping small donors, enlisting paying members and courting corporations and philanthropists. Nothing has been raised yet, but the developers insist that their fund-raising efforts are going according to plan and that they have found interested donors.
The center would include a Muslim prayer space, a swimming pool, a preschool and a 9/11 memorial.
The competition for the latest rounds of financing from the development corporation, totaling about $17 million, is expected to be intense. Julie Menin, who sits on the corporation’s board, said that 255 groups had requested a total of $170 million.
Applicants have to show a “nexus to revitalizing the World Trade Center site and its surroundings,” Ms. Menin said, adding that the applications panel would favor proposals focused on job creation and partnerships with other Lower Manhattan organizations.
“Because the economy is in the state it’s in, we’ve had more applications than ever,” Ms. Menin said. “There are going to be very tough choices.”
Park51 applied for financing for six separate programs, including money to buy equipment, lease or purchase the building, and bring art exhibitions to the space. Money was also requested for counselors for victims of domestic abuse, programs that would help new immigrants and services for small-business owners. Another application seeks money for a program to help homeless veterans with job training and drug counseling.
Ms. Menin, who said that she had not seen Park51’s application, said it was not unusual for one organization to apply for more than one grant.
If Park51 receives money from the development corporation, it will be subjected to rigorous federal reporting requirements. Kevin Cunningham, the executive artistic director of 3 Legged Dog Media and Theater Group, which received $1.5 million from the corporation several years ago, said he was required to submit regular reports outlining demographic data on employees and patrons alike.
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/11/23/nyregion/23mosque.html?_r=1&hpw
