Dear Friends,

As we reflect on 2024, we are filled with immense pride and gratitude for all that Community Resource Exchange has accomplished in this milestone year. This year marked our 45th anniversary of strengthening nonprofits and communities across New York City—four and a half decades of partnership, innovation, and unwavering commitment to social justice.  Our longevity signals not only the critical nature of our work but also the trust we've built with our partners and communities.

But this was not just a year of celebration. It was a year of momentum.

We launched a new brand that reflects who we are today: a trusted, human-centered partner that is equity-focused, forward-thinking, and grounded in care. We moved into a vibrant new shared office space that supports our hybrid way of working, and we celebrated 45 years of impact with the people who make our work possible — our team, clients, funders, and partners.

We are two years into our three-year strategic plan, and we are proud to be meeting our goals — especially those focused on keeping CRE strong, sustainable, and ready for the future. We continue to center care-pacity building — our belief that real capacity building must be rooted in care, connection, and a deep understanding of the day-to-day realities nonprofit leaders face.

In that spirit, we launched our first AI pilot program to help nonprofit leaders explore how new technologies can support their missions — not distract from them. With generous support from funders, we offered scholarships for small nonprofit organizations to join a bootcamp that explored how emerging tech — especially AI — can be used to help them achieve their missions. This wasn’t about chasing the latest trend. It was about making sure the sector isn’t left behind — and that our partners have the tools and confidence to try new things on their own terms.

We also launched a series of community convenings — monthly webinars and bootcamps designed to build skills and knowledge, and to foster stronger connections among nonprofit leaders. We’ve learned that leadership is more sustainable when it is not done in isolation.

We are proud of what we accomplished in FY2024. And we are also mindful of the growing challenges facing the nonprofit sector — from funding instability to political uncertainty. As we share this annual report, we do so with gratitude for what has been achieved and determination for what is ahead. CRE remains focused, steady, and committed to supporting the leaders and organizations our communities rely on, through whatever comes next.

None of this happens without our dedicated staff, our thoughtful board members, our generous funders, and most importantly, the incredible nonprofit leaders we have the privilege to work with every day. Your passion, your resilience, and your commitment are what keep us going.  Thank you for being part of our journey.

With gratitude,

Tiloma Jayasinghe and Amer S. Ahmed

President & CEO and Board Chair of CRE