New Yorkers voted to direct $3 million in grants to nonprofits supporting affordable housing, mental and behavioral health, and nonprofit resilience in 2025.
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Lauren Stewart, Turn Two
lauren@turn-two.co | (804) 690-9966
Courtney Biggs, Senior Manager, Public Relations
cbiggs@thenytrust.org | (212) 889-3963
NEW YORK, NY (Feb 11, 2025) The New York Community Trust, New York’s largest community foundation, today announced the results of its community-driven grantmaking initiative, Our Votes, Our Vision, Our Community.
As part of its centennial celebration, The Trust invited all New Yorkers to vote for three issue areas to which the foundation would dedicate $1 million dollars in grants in 2025, for a total of $3 million.
New Yorkers across all five boroughs, Long Island, and Westchester cast their votes and selected affordable housing, mental and behavioral health, and nonprofit resilience as the issues that mattered most to them for the year ahead.
The Trust will make grants of at least $1 million for each issue this year, supporting nonprofits in New York City, Long Island, and Westchester.
Voters selected their top three issues out of seven—affordable housing, nonprofit resilience, workforce development, mental and behavioral health, decarceration, democracy, and immigration, via a survey on The Trust’s website.
The foundation selected these seven areas because, unlike many of its other areas of work, it has very little permanent funding dedicated specifically to them. Instead, it relies on unrestricted funding from generous donors who established funds to meet New York’s most pressing needs as they emerge.
“This initiative honors one of our core values as New York’s community foundation, which is to be guided by the knowledge and experience of our local communities about the issues affecting them,” said Amy Freitag, The Trust’s president. “We have this privilege thanks to donors who created unrestricted funds at The Trust to address needs that might not always make headlines or that we might not be able to predict—or even imagine—today.”
The Trust made the survey available in each of New York City’s 10 designated citywide languages and publicized it widely, including in media appearances, at public events, and with the help of local public library branches, community groups, and nonprofits.
“Nonprofits are the lifeblood of our region, and they are currently facing a slew of operational challenges–from late payments and inflation to falling donations and legislative threats. Meanwhile, New York is facing homelessness and mental health crises that require bold and creative solutions,” said Shawn Morehead, The Trust’s executive vice president & chief program officer. “We’re grateful for the input of our local communities, which is helping us direct resources to these urgent causes.”
The grants will be made as part of the Trust’s competitive grantmaking program, which is open to all nonprofits and has five grantmaking cycles a year to be responsive to community needs.
About The New York Community Trust
The New York Community Trust is New York’s largest community foundation, serving New York City, Long Island, and Westchester. For more than 100 years, The Trust has brought together the local knowledge and diverse expertise of its team and nonprofit and philanthropic partners to support thriving and equitable communities and help donors champion the causes they love. The Trust makes approximately $200 million in grants each year from its charitable funds set up by individuals, families, foundations, and corporations.
