Citizens Committee for New York City

See schedule ocitizensnyc 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.for nearly 50 years, we have been working to improve New York City. Our origin story is rooted in the spirit of building unity across racial, class, and neighborhood divides. We were founded in 1975 during the fiscal crisis, which was a time when many City services were shut down. Our co-founders put out calls for New yorkers to sign up to help patrol the streets and clean up the blocks. We have been continuously supporting community leaders stepping up and standing on the front lines of change in their neighborhood through a wide range of grant programs, convenings and technical support, to bring about positive impact. Today, our commitment to diversity and city-wide impact continues with the initiatives we support led by and benefiting diverse New York City community leaders effecting change in under-resourced communities.community leaders in low-income communities often face barriers in getting the funding, resources, and visibility they need to bring tangible change to their neighborhoods and put their innovative ideas into action. Citizensnyc addresses this challenge by connecting grassroots leaders with the people, resources, and platforms they need to create the impact they envision for their communities. Through our community leaders program and support, these leaders are able to design, develop, implement, and sustain community-centered initiatives that bring people together and improve the quality of life in their neighborhoods. Our work is intentionally grantee-led, initiated, implemented, and sustained, and we prioritize New yorkers who identify as black, indigenous, and people of color (bipoc). Among 2022 grantee partners, 78% identify as bipoc, 68% identify as women or non-binary, 21% identify as being latinx, hispanic, or spanish, and 70% are in communities whose members are struggling with access to quality education, safe community spaces, healthy foods, green spaces, and economic opportunities. We make invisible leaders visible. We connect grassroots leaders with the people, resources, and platform they need to create the change they envision for their communities. Through citizensnyc support, these leaders are able to design, develop, implement, and sustain community-centered initiatives that bring people together and improve the quality of life in their neighborhoods. 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.our programs improve the quality of life in nyc communities through support for both neighborhood businesses and community projects: community leaders grant programcitizensnyc awards micro-grants 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. In 2022, we supported 328 unique and innovative projects across 119 nyc neighborhoods. Neighborhood business grant programwe support small businesses who are "doing well by doing good" in their neighborhood by making annual grant awards of up to $5,000. These awards provide funding to support the initiatives that businesses undertake to positively impact their community. Since its inception in 2020, the neighborhood business grant program has made more than $1m in grants to over 200 small businesses across the city.accomplishments & achievements:in 2022, our community leaders grant program supported 328 unique and innovative projects across 119 nyc neighborhoods in all five boroughs.since its inception in 2020, the neighborhood business grant program has made more than $1m in grants to over 200 small businesses across the City.