Our Grantee Partners
CitizensNYC is proud to support a network of hundreds of grantee partners who are making a difference in their communities. They are the leaders of initiatives like after-school arts programs, community gardens, food pantries, and health workshops for seniors. They are the owners of local restaurants, bookstores, and beauty salons whose businesses also serve as centers of community in their neighborhood. But whatever their focus or mission, what binds them all together is how critical they are to our city.
Our partners bring forth the grassroots vision, passion, and local know-how vital for authentic and sustainable community development. Through their projects and businesses, community residents come together to exchange ideas, strengthen traditions, and improve the quality of life in our neighborhoods.
Below you can meet a small handful of our partners. For a full list, you can explore our 2023 Grantee Partners here. Or, to view where exactly each of our Grantee Partners is based, you can interact with our Grantee Partner Map here.
Libreria Barco De Papel Comunitaria
Elmhurst, Queens
Libreria Barco de Papel, a minority and women-owned Spanish-language bookstore in Elmhurst and Jackson Heights, Queens, is dedicated to bridging the literary and cultural gap in New York City. They offer a diverse selection of new and used books across genres and time periods, catering to readers of all ages and languages.
Paula Ortiz
Love Wins Food Pantry
Jackson Heights, Queens
Love Wins is a queer-centric and volunteer-led effort to address food insecurity in New York City. Initially launched during the pandemic in Jackson Heights, Love Wins now distributes quality fresh and free produce to hundreds of families every month across six sites in four boroughs.
K Woods Foundation
Park Hill, Staten Island
The K Woods Foundation is dedicated to youth development and building community through teamwork and leadership. We create opportunities for children and families to build meaningful connections and grow through a steady commitment to health, educational attainment, and human welfare.
Canvas Institute
New Brighton, Staten Island
The Canvas Institute for Arts and Culture has a powerful mission: to inspire young people to value education, culture, and knowledge of their history. Their goal is to empower youth not only in the classroom but in the community as well. By connecting and collaborating with young people in Staten Island, the Canvas Institute is working towards creating a better future for the entire community.
Through tireless efforts, the Institute is providing young people with the tools and resources they need to succeed.
Bobby Digi
Fit4Dance
Flatbush, Brooklyn
Fit4Dance is dedicated to bringing quality and affordable dance and fitness instruction to communities that need it the most. They offer a comfortable space where women can have fun, learn to dance, improve their fitness and health, meet new people, explore other cultures, and freely express themselves. Fit4Dance inspires and motivates women to take control of their health and have a blast doing it!
Laci Chisholm
The Flossy Organization
Canarsie, Brooklyn
The Flossy Organization is fighting, with urgency and creativity, to address structural inequities by closing the advocacy gap in marginalized communities. They provide organizing and advocacy training for young communities of color, engage in anti-violence work, and advocate for cleaner, safer neighborhoods.
Jibreel Jalloh
Jardin La Roca Community Garden
Melrose, The Bronx
Jardin La Roca is a community garden whose mission is to enhance and increase community pride in the neighborhood while developing interest and providing hands-on learning opportunities. They bring the committee closer to an open space by increasing free events in the garden reaching a diverse audience by partnering with residents and other garden groups.
Lillian Reyes
Belinda African Caribbean Market
Morrisania, The Bronx
Belinda African Caribbean Market is an African and Caribbean grocery store selling products African and Caribbean people would traditionally use in their respective home countries, and provides delivery services, bringing convenience to elderly and disabled customers who struggle to visit the store.
Belinda Agyare
Maya Threading Inc.
Lower East Side, Manhattan
Since 2018, Maya Threading Inc. has served the LES community by providing services like hair removal, and beauty enhancement services. Owned and operated by women of color, Maya Threading offers discounts to teachers and students.
