Media Kit

What is CitizensNYC?

CitizensNYC is a nonprofit organization that invests in community leadership and neighborhood businesses, brings New Yorkers together, and gives them the resources and power to create lasting change across all five boroughs.

CitizensNYC recognizes the value in small-scale projects, both for what they bring to the people they serve and in the way they introduce New Yorkers – many for the first time – to the possibility that they, personally, can make a difference. 

CitizensNYC drives community leadership and civic engagement across NYC through a holistic model of support that includes:

  • Funding: Each year we make more than 300 microgrants to New Yorkers who are improving the quality of life in their neighborhoods through two programs - our Community Leaders Grants program support grassroots projects with grants of up to $3,000, and our Neighborhood Business Grants program support local businesses with grants of up to $5,000. 

  • Convening: We bring together our grantee partners to foster opportunities for them to learn from each other, identify additional opportunities for support, and build collaborations that expand impact. Programming includes a quarterly series of network convenings held in person in each of the five boroughs. 

  • Connecting: We raise visibility of community voices and connect our grantee partners with other stakeholders such as elected officials, corporate partners, and nonprofit peers who can provide additional resources to advance the goals of our network of leaders.

CitizensNYC makes invisible leaders visible. We connect grassroots leaders with the people, resources, and platform they need to create the change they envision for their communities.

How Do Our Grants Work?

We award grants in two different categories:

Community Leadership Grants

Awards of up to $3,000 to community-building projects carried out by resident-led groups to improve neighborhood life, strengthen local leadership, and scale community partnerships. Grassroots leaders know and have what it takes to roll up their sleeves and make change to boost civic engagement, neighborhood wealth, and community health.

Neighborhood Business Grants

Awards of up to $5,000 for small businesses who are “doing well by doing good” in their neighborhood. These awards can provide funding to support the wide range of initiatives your business undertakes to positively impact your community, especially those that are custom-tailored to meet the local needs you see.

Find us on social media!

Share information about our grants!

We want our grant applications to be shared far and wide! If you’re an elected official or government agency, you can share with your constituents. If you’re a philanthropic or corporate partner, you can share with your network. Or if you just want to get the word out to your community, you can share with whomever you like!

When our next grant application cycle opens, we will update this page with shareable social media posts, sample newsletter copy, and flyers.