<p>New York City&#8217;s most elite hospital gave more than a million dollars to an &#8220;anti-racist,&#8221; pro-LGBTQ+ theater company as it laid off a thousand workers, records reviewed by The Daily Wire show.</p>
<p>New York-Presbyterian has donated more than 1.3 million to the People’s Theatre Project since 2021, financial <a href="https://projects.propublica.org/nonprofits/organizations/133957095/202543189349306204/full" target="_blank" rel="noopener">records</a><a href="https://projects.propublica.org/nonprofits/organizations/133957095/202413189349304986/full" target="_blank" rel="noopener"> show</a>. In October 2023, Dr. Steven J. Corwin, then president and CEO of the hospital system, pledged to give another million to the theater — an arts program that &#8220;centers immigrants and members of the Latine, Black, and Queer communities&#8221; — to build a state-of-the-art performance center.</p>
<p>As the hospital was bankrolling the &#8220;anti-racist&#8221; organization&#8217;s quest to &#8220;build a world where the oppressed can find Liberation,&#8221; it was struggling financially. In May 2025, it <a href="https://www.beckershospitalreview.com/finance/newyork-presbyterian-to-cut-1000-employees/">announced</a> it was slashing 2% of its workforce, laying off 1,000 people. In 2026 it <a href="https://www.politico.com/news/2026/01/16/nurses-describe-escalating-tension-as-nyc-strike-continues-00734336">came under fire</a> when it offered nurses a lower-than-requested annual raise, a cut the hospital blamed on the Trump administration&#8217;s economic policies.</p>
<p>In October 2025, Corwin <a href="https://www.nyp.org/news/newyork-presbyterian-leadership-transition-announcement">announced</a> he would step down in early 2026.</p>
<p>New York-Presbyterian&#8217;s reputation took a serious hit in the final years of Corwin&#8217;s 14-year tenure. It&#8217;s financial troubles came as it became one of the <a href="https://www.centernyc.org/urban-matters-2/enough-to-make-you-sick-curbing-high-private-hospital-costs#:~:text=New%20York%20City%27s%20private%20hospitals%20are%20some,than%20one%20percent%20of%20private%20hospital%20spending.">most expensive hospitals</a> in the country. In March 2026, the Justice Department <a href="https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/justice-department-sues-new-york-presbyterian-hospital-anticompetitive-contracts-increase">sued the hospital</a> for &#8220;anticompetitive contract restrictions that deny New Yorkers the choice of lower cost healthcare options.&#8221;</p>
<p>All the while, it was supporting the People’s Theatre Project.</p>
<p>In October 2023, Corwin appeared with New York Governor Kathy Hochul and &#8220;Hamilton&#8221; composer Lin-Manuel Miranda to pledge $1 million to the construction of the Centro Cultural Inmigrante, a 19,000-square-foot compound featuring multiple theaters and a gallery, meant to &#8220;amplify the voices of New York City’s diverse immigrant communities.&#8221; The State of New York contributed $4 million.</p>
<p>“NewYork-Presbyterian is proud to support the People’s Theatre Project, and we look forward to the future of the Centro Cultural Inmigrante,” Corwin said. “This will be a space where members of the community can come together to create meaningful social connections, build a sense of belonging, and help enrich the community and New York City through the arts.”</p>
<p>It is unclear if the hospital ever made the $1 million contribution. Neither NewYork-Presbyterian nor the People&#8217;s Theatre Project responded to a request for comment.</p>
<p>The relationship between the hospital and the radical arts organization dates back to 2009, when it was founded by Mino Lora, a leftist who has called for defunding the police and served on New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani&#8217;s transition team. That year, New York-Presbyterian <a href="https://thepeoplestheatre.org/home/about-us/">partnered</a> with the group on &#8220;a health-focused theatre-making program for children ages 5–12.&#8221; New York Presbyterian’s Corporate Director of Community Affairs, Monica Hidalgo, serves on the theater&#8217;s board.</p>
<p>All told, NewYork-Presbyterian has given the People&#8217;s Theatre Project $1,312,500 since 2021. During that time, the theater has produced such plays as “The Diamond,” which “follows a group of detained immigrants who conspire against a dystopian government.” Earlier this month, it hosted a reading of the “Sombraluz,” a play about a marine whose life was “shaped by the trauma of Guantanamo Bay.”</p>
<p>The People&#8217;s Theater Project also hosts outright political events, including a “rapid response” and “safe space” to “share feelings, build resilience, and transform emotions into art&#8221; in the wake of President Donald Trump&#8217;s 2024 election. In January 2026, the theater hosted an “undoing racism” workshop.</p>
<p>&#8220;As an anti-racist organization, we believe in Equity for all,&#8221; the group&#8217;s website reads. &#8220;We see the full humanity and immense power that exists in immigrants, youth, people of color, the LGBTQIA community, and people living with disabilities. We work to build a world where the oppressed can find Liberation.&#8221;</p>
<p>The People&#8217;s Theatre Project<a href="https://thepeoplestheatre.org/education/" target="_blank" rel="noopener"> works</a> with K-5 &#8220;young artists&#8221; to celebrate &#8220;their identities and communities&#8221; through theatre pieces and has a &#8220;social justice leadership program&#8221; for adolescents in grades 6-12. The organization also<a href="https://thepeoplestheatre.org/ptp-partnerships/" target="_blank" rel="noopener"> partners</a> with elementary, middle, and high schools in New York City.</p>
<p>The organization views theatre &#8220;as a catalyst for change,&#8221; and its mission includes advocacy for progressive social causes such as dismantling systemic racism, immigrant rights, and LGBTQIA+ rights.</p>
<p>&#8220;Racial justice is an urgent priority because systemic racism persists in our society, perpetuating inequality at every turn,&#8221; the group&#8217;s <a href="https://thepeoplestheatre.org/advocacy/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">website</a> says. &#8220;Theatre serves as a powerful platform to confront and dismantle these injustices.&#8221;</p>

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Hospital System That Laid Off 1,000 Staff Gave $1.3 Million To ‘Anti-Racist’ Theatre Group

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Hospital System That Laid Off 1,000 Staff Gave $1.3 Million To ‘Anti-Racist’ Theatre Group