The New York Foundation Grant Program

The New York Foundation Grant Program is sponsored by The New York Foundation. The New York Foundation Grant Program supports newly formed or emerging organizations, particularly those with limited access to institutional funding, offering unrestricted, general operating support. Beyond funding, they provide access to capacity-building resources like workshops, one-on-one sessions, and pro-bono legal services.

Apply for a Grant — New York Foundation Queer Detainee Empowerment Project New York Foundation Core Grants are $55,000 per year, for 3 to 5 years. In 2026 NYF will have only 1 grant cycle , with applications due March 2. If a deadline falls on a weekend, the due date will be the following Monday.

In addition to funds, grants include access to capacity building resources: Lawyers Alliance for New York: Probono legal services tailored to social change nonprofits Small Grants: Responsive grants up to $10,000 for organizational development goals and unanticipated needs Workshops: Monthly skills-building trainings combined with coaching In order to be eligible for funding from the New York Foundation, your organization must: Be a 501(c)(3) organization or fiscally sponsored by a 501(c)(3) organization Use community organizing & grassroots advocacy as primary strategies to address the root causes of oppression Community organizing: We define community organizing as community-initiated and -led mobilization that builds power for progressive social and systemic change.

Organizing groups are accountable to their community and help to hold public officials accountable. Organizing strives to create the conditions that allow people to choose how to live their lives with dignity and with the support and resources to thrive. ​Grassroots advocacy: We define grassroots advocacy as a strategy carried out by those directly affected that rallies public action to create equitable policies.

Community-initiated and led: community, membership, or base identifies problems and solutions Power building: intentionally build community power through political activation, leadership development, base building, and collective action Systemic change: address the root causes of oppression to ensure the equitable distribution of resources, power, and rights Racial justice: address the harms caused by systemic and historical racism; creates intentional systems to support and sustain racial equity Collaborative: build alignment through coalition work with allies that have similar goals and values Films, publications, documentaries Schools, universities, museums, arts, and religious institutions Conferences, events, galas Requests outside the United States Requests from organizations based outside New York City We prioritize groups that: Black people, Indigenous people, and people of color Trans and gender-nonconforming, and nonbinary people Caribbean Equality Project Proactively center racial, economic, and gender justice Are emerging or newly formed organizations, especially those with limited access to institutional funding Work with overlooked and under resourced constituencies or neighborhoods, or on critical social justice issues that have not yet received public attention Please note that the application process is competitive.

We receive hundreds of requests each cycle and typically are only able to make around 5 new grants each cycle due to our commitment to renewal grants. In 2026 we will have one grant cycle, with applications due on March 2nd. All applicants receive a response within 2 weeks after the deadline.

A limited number of applicants that fit our criteria and priorities will be asked for further information. Program staff schedule site visits and request additional materials to learn more about the work. Those selected for site visits will be notified in April about whether their group has been selected for a grant.

If you are not recommended for a grant, you will receive a small honorarium for the site visit. DIRECTORIO DE ORGANIZACIONES BENEFICIARIAS