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When the eviction notice came, I thought we were finished. Eleimosyne didn't send a form letter. They sent a person. And then they sent a door key.
Maya R. · Hearth Program, year 14
From the Greek eleimosyne — the ancient word for mercy that was never meant to stay an abstraction. We turn compassion into shelter, food, schooling, care.
In ancient Greek, eleos meant pity — the inward stir of the heart. But the Greeks knew pity that stayed inward could curdle. So they coined a word for what happens when mercy moves outward, into hands, into the world: eleimosyne.
It's the root, by way of Latin, of the English word alms — and of eleemosynary, the legal term for "of, relating to, or supported by charity." We took the older word back because we like its insistence: feeling alone is not enough.
Every program we run answers a single question: where is suffering tangible, and how do we meet it with something equally tangible? We don't fund abstractions. We fund roofs, meals, classrooms, and clinics.
Transitional housing, rapid rehousing, and long-term residency for families exiting homelessness. We partner with local builders and case-management teams in 18 cities.
Community kitchens, school lunch backstops, and grocery dignity programs that let recipients shop rather than receive. Run in collaboration with 230 local pantries.
Tuition assistance, supply funds, after-school tutoring, and full-ride scholarships for students whose talent has outpaced their means. K through doctoral.
Mobile clinics, specialty-care navigation, and prescription assistance for the underinsured and uninsured. We pair every patient with a human, not a portal.
When the eviction notice came, I thought we were finished. Eleimosyne didn't send a form letter. They sent a person. And then they sent a door key.
Mercy in action requires more than money — though money helps. Whatever you have to give (an hour, a skill, a connection, a dollar), there is a way to put it to use here.
Recurring gifts let us plan beyond the next emergency. One-time gifts let us respond to it. Both matter; both go almost entirely to programs.
Make a giftFrom kitchen shifts to legal pro bono to mentorship, we match volunteers to programs by skill and proximity. As little as two hours a month makes a difference.
Find a roleFoundations, employers, faith communities, and small businesses can co-fund programs, host drives, or sponsor a cohort. We tailor partnerships to your scale and values.
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