FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: June 04, 2024
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The New Identity Marks The Trust’s First Brand Refresh in Decades
The New York Community Trust, New York’s largest community foundation, today debuted a new visual identity to mark its centennial celebration. The brand refresh honors 100 years of uniting the most generous New Yorkers with the most high-impact nonprofits by visualizing a throughline from the organization’s pioneering past to the bright future. A first look into the new brand identity can be seen at The Trust’s official website here.
The design revamp was overseen by Hyperakt, a New York-based studio blending strategy and design to advance nonprofits’ impact for a more just and joyous society. Led by Deroy Peraza and Julia Zeltser, the design studio worked in close collaboration with The Trust to distill the organization’s core values into a visually compelling identity. The refresh comes with a new logo and overall brand feel, including linear elements intended to convey a throughline embodying The Trust’s enduring commitment to connecting the past, present, and future. Together, The Trust and Hyperakt aimed to marry the visual identity with the organization’s mission to foster and engage in enduring and innovative philanthropy.
“We are thrilled to share this refreshed brand look that infuses new energy into the organization and reintroduces The Trust to the next generation of generous donors,” said Amy Freitag, president of The New York Community Trust. “This new identity aims to reflect our inclusive and innovative approach to democratizing philanthropy, bringing us closer to donors, from a wide array of cultural backgrounds, who see themselves as agents of change. Looking ahead, The Trust will continue to do what we have always done: create opportunities for New Yorkers to build stronger, more inclusive communities today, tomorrow, and forever.”
For a century, The Trust has been at the forefront of critical causes, including environmental justice, economic inequality, education and healthcare reform, equitable access to the arts, and LGBTQ+ rights. In the 1930s, The Trust created the first-ever donor-advised fund, forever changing the landscape of philanthropic giving. An invaluable agent for change, The Trust has catalyzed important projects in the region through its grantmaking. A look into how The Trust has shaped New York over the past 100 years can be found here.
“At its core, the design process is meant to bring to the fore what makes The Trust a quintessentially New York institution,” said Deroy Peraza, partner and creative and marketing director at Hyperakt. “We are honored to be part of the reimagining of this storied organization, leveraging the power of design to tell a richer story of a brand’s DNA.”
Since its founding in 1924, The New York Community Trust has always been a philanthropic innovator. After the first community foundation took root in Cleveland, Ohio, in 1914, The New York Community Trust followed suit–with 11 local banks creating a philanthropic institution that could advance grantmaking on behalf of the charitable trusts they held. Driven by the belief that the best grantmaking is done locally, The Trust then created the Westchester and Long Island community foundations in the 1970s to expand its service to the region. A look into how The Trust has shaped New York over the past 100 years can be found here.
The launch of the new brand identity includes the full overhaul of The Trust’s digital channels coupled with a large-scale campaign that will be seen in print and digital displays across the region. For more information about the New York Community Trust and its centennial celebration, please visit: www.thenytrust.org
About The New York Community Trust
As New York’s largest community foundation, The New York Community Trust fosters and engages in enduring and innovative philanthropy, making grants that bring together the diverse, local knowledge and expertise of its team, nonprofits, and partners to help donors fulfill their vision for the causes they love. From education and the arts to health care and the environment, The New York Community Trust seeks to improve every aspect of the cultural and civic life of New York City, Long Island, and Westchester. The New York Community Trust celebrates 100 years of impact and looks forward to the next 100 years of improving life for New Yorkers. This is philanthropy for New Yorkers, by New Yorkers. To learn more, visit www.thenytrust.org
