In the past decade, donors of all sizes have pitched in to help SMART launch and expand programming in ways I never imagined during our early years.
Several large foundations made a huge difference, providing grants at significant times to help us secure office space, keep our doors open, introduce new programs and hire staff members. Individual donors and smaller foundations have been there for us during the rough periods.
Each played a vital role in our success and can feel proud that they’ve had a direct, positive impact on the lives of women living with HIV/AIDS. The staff, board, volunteers and especially the women and youth of SMART are immeasurably grateful for their support.
At first, SMART operated on a shoestring budget. So, in those days, all gifts were major gifts! Then, in 2000, The Ms. Foundation became our first institutional donor, with a desperately needed grant of $10,000, and they were followed by the Union Square Awards with $45,000 in 2001. Ms. paid for food, office supplies and MetroCards so women could get to meetings, while Union Square’s generous gift kept SMART’s programs running. Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS, The H. van Ameringen Foundation and The Ford Foundation Good Neighbor Committee also have offered generous support through the years.
Then one foundation made a transformational donation in 2004. The Friedman Foundation and its Director, Jane Friedman, gave us an unprecedented amount, $120,000, to seek out permanent office space with a working kitchen to launch our nutrition program. It was at this time that we hired our first salaried, full-time employee. The Friedman Foundation repeated this enormous donation in 2005 that laid the groundwork for SMART to grow and expand to new levels.
Also in 2004, The M∙A∙C AIDS Fund (MAF) honored me with the designation as their first Community Spokesperson. Thus began their long-term financial support for SMART with annual grants totaling $410,000. MAF has endowed our organization with much more than financial support: they have been a true partner in many other ways. M∙A∙C’s people really “get” the grassroots nature of our organization, with 
staff members volunteering at special events and providing professional makeup artists for our annual Halloween party for youth living with and affected by HIV/AIDS.
In recent years, the continued annual support of both the New York Foundation for SMART Youth and the New York Women’s Foundation has provided SMART with a vital and consistent source of funding and technical assistance. We also are very appreciative of grants that have been made possible through the New York City Council from Council Speaker Christine Quinn and Councilmember Melissa Mark-Viverito
All these large, generous gifts would mean very little without the individual donors who kept us going throughout the years. Individuals often wrote significant checks when we urgently needed them. These are not wealthy people but they gave because they believed in SMART and for that I’m forever grateful.
So as you review the financial statements and donor lists included in this report, I hope this brief overview will help you appreciate the significance behind the lists of names and tables of numbers.
A final thought, I take great pride in the thriftiness SMART has shown in the way we run our programs. We have set and achieved an ambitious goal: 90% or more of the funding we receive goes directly into programming, an enviable statistic. And in the years to come, we are committed to implementing creative strategies that will maintain this high level of fiscal frugality.
Susan Rodriguez
Founding Director
SMART
