Strengthen Communities Across NYC

Across New York City, residents are stepping up to address the challenges facing their own neighborhoods, from food insecurity and environmental justice to public safety and academic opportunity. But too many grassroots initiatives lack the funding, resources, and networks they need to grow. Without that support, community-led efforts struggle to get off the ground, and neighborhoods miss out on the creativity, care, and leadership already within them.

CitizensNYC believes the people best equipped to solve neighborhood problems are the people who live there. That’s who we fund. Each year we award more than $1 million in microgrants to hundreds of volunteer-led initiatives, nonprofits, small businesses, and public schools across the five boroughs. And we do more than write checks. By pairing funding with training, resources, and connections to fellow organizers, elected officials, and philanthropic partners, we help turn community-led ideas into long-term solutions.

our support powers grassroots initiatives in education and youth development, climate resilience and hyperlocal agriculture, public spaces and beautification, small businesses across New York City, and much more. Every dollar goes directly toward strengthening the civic infrastructure neighborhoods need to thrive, putting resources in the hands of local leaders who know their communities best. Together, we invest in the people expanding opportunity, deepening connection, and building a more resilient New York.