NY Funders Alliance

What NY Funders Alliance does

NY Funders Alliance is a New York State nonprofit membership association that serves grantmakers, including community foundations, private and family foundations, corporate giving programs, United Ways, and other philanthropy-serving organizations. Founded in 2015 through the merger of the Grantmakers Forum of New York, the organization is headquartered in Syracuse with a small staff of 1-10 employees led by Executive Director Corinne Ribble (since January 2017). It operates as a neutral convener, delivering programming that connects the philanthropic sector across the state to share knowledge, build capacity, leverage funds, maximize impact, and advocate with regional, state, and federal government officials on issues affecting New York grantmakers.

The organization's core offerings include its Membership Program (annual dues-based access to programming, peer networks, resources, and event discounts); the signature bi-annual NYS Funders Conference (150 grantmakers at the 2024 Buffalo event, with 95% rated Good or Excellent); monthly Conversations for Grantmakers webinar series; quarterly PhilanthroNews publications (Family and Corporate editions); a weekly Friday Rewind newsletter; the RE:Thinking Philanthropy blog; and ongoing Peer Community groups for Community Foundation CEOs, Grants Managers and Program Officers, and Public Policy. Two notable sub-initiatives sit under the NY Funders Alliance umbrella: Liftoff WNY, a strategic alliance of 29 funders supporting early childhood initiatives in Western New York and Monroe County (launched 2018), and the Capacity Building Group, a working group of five member foundations plus two consultants for which NY Funders Alliance serves as fiscal sponsor.

The underlying technology stack is minimal and non-proprietary, consisting of a WordPress-based website (nyfunders.org), email/newsletter delivery systems, and standard webinar and event management platforms. The business model is membership-dues plus event registration and sponsorship revenue, with no disclosed pricing. NY Funders Alliance is a member of the Forum of Regional Associations of Grantmakers, a national network of 33 regional philanthropy associations representing over 7,000 philanthropic organizations, providing reach into national practice knowledge and policy advocacy channels.

Name

NY Funders Alliance

Legal name

NY Funders Alliance

Website

https://nyfunders.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2015

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

NY Funders Alliance is a New York State nonprofit membership association, founded in 2015, that convenes and supports grantmakers across the state through conferences, peer communities, webinars, newsletters, and policy advocacy, with a small staff based in Syracuse.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Syracuse

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

NY Funders Alliance operates a statewide membership association that delivers programming, networking, knowledge resources, and advocacy services to philanthropic grantmakers across New York. Its core offering is an annual membership that bundles access to the bi-annual NYS Funders Conference, monthly webinars, peer community groups, news publications (PhilanthroNews round-ups and Friday Rewind newsletter), public policy resources, and grant seeker guidance. The organization also convenes strategic funder alliances such as Liftoff WNY to advance specific issue areas like early childhood development.

Product overview

NY Funders Alliance is a membership organization serving grantmakers across New York State. The organization offers a unified membership program that includes access to signature events (NYS Funders Conference), knowledge resources (PhilanthroNews publications, Friday Rewind newsletter), peer networking communities (Peer Communities), educational programming (Conversations for Grantmakers webinars), public policy resources, and grant seeker resources. A notable sub-program is Liftoff WNY, a strategic early childhood funders consortium. The organization acts as a neutral convener connecting members to each other and key partners to create a knowledgeable, collaborative, effective, sustainable philanthropic sector.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Quantifiable outcome

• 95% of conference attendees rated the 2024 NYS Funders Conference as 'Good' or 'Excellent'

Named customers15 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Ten partnerships are on record, tiered major and core.

• 2024 NYS Funders Conference Sponsors and ExhibitorsmajorGTM or Marketing Partner · 17 October 2024The annual NYS Funders Conference relies on generous sponsorship and exhibition partnerships from member organizations and external partners to fund high-quality programming, keynote speakers, and networking opportunities.
• Liftoff (Strategic Alliance of Early Childhood Funders)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 23 October 2019Liftoff is a strategic alliance of 29 funders supporting early childhood initiatives across Western New York and Monroe County. Launched in 2017 (as WNY Early Childhood Funders for Change), it has a mission to promote and enhance high quality early childhood development for children up to age five. NY Funders Alliance provides administrative support and connection to the broader network.
• Capacity Building Group (Western New York)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 21 June 2019A collaborative working group of five foundations (all NY Funders Alliance members) and two consultants dedicated to supporting area nonprofits in Western New York and Monroe County. The group aims to strengthen communities by increasing nonprofit capacities. NY Funders Alliance serves as the fiscal sponsor for the Director and related activities.
• Forum of Regional Associations of GrantmakerscoreOthersNY Funders Alliance is a member of the Forum of Regional Associations of Grantmakers, a national network of 33 regional philanthropy associations representing over 7,000 primarily philanthropic organizations. The Forum disseminates practice knowledge between regional and national PSOs and serves as a key resource for peer-to-peer knowledge sharing among foundations.
• Western New York FoundationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMember of the Capacity Building Group working to better understand nonprofit community assets and fill gaps in existing supports in Western New York.
• The Ralph C. Wilson, Jr. FoundationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMember of the Capacity Building Group dedicated to supporting nonprofits in Western New York and Monroe County.
• The John R. Oishei FoundationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMember of the Capacity Building Group and fiscal sponsor for working group activities. Provides leadership in nonprofit capacity building efforts in Western New York.
• Health Foundation for Western and Central New YorkcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMember of the Capacity Building Group focused on strengthening nonprofits in Western and Central New York.
• The Peter and Elizabeth C. Tower FoundationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMember of the Capacity Building Group dedicated to supporting nonprofits in Western New York.
• 2024 NYS Funders Conference Planning CommitteecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPlanning committee comprised of member organization representatives including Kathy Andriaccio (Peter and Elizabeth Tower Foundation), Colby Cyrus (Central New York Community Foundation), Krista Ehasz (Highmark Health), Diane Hannum (Northern Chautauqua Community Foundation), Colin Perry (Community Foundation for Greater Buffalo), Megan Sommerfeldt (Community Foundation for Greater Buffalo), and Tania Yannarilli (Park Foundation).

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Forum of Regional Associations of Grantmakers: National network of 33 regional philanthropy-serving organizations representing 7,000+ funders; NYFA is itself a member. Comparable as the umbrella counterpart for regional PSOs, providing national convening and policy advocacy that complements state-level work.
• Council on Foundations: National membership association for grantmaking foundations and corporate giving programs. Comparable as a direct competitor for foundation member engagement, offering conferences, policy advocacy, and peer learning at a national scale.
• Independent Sector: National membership organization for nonprofits, foundations, and corporate giving programs focused on policy advocacy and sector research. Comparable as a national peer that NYFA members may also join, providing cross-cutting advocacy infrastructure.

Direct peers

• Philanthropy Ohio: Regional association serving Ohio funders with peer networks, advocacy, and programming. Closest analog to NYFA in another state, replicating the regional PSO model with similar member types (community, family, corporate, private foundations).
• Minnesota Council on Foundations: Regional PSO serving Minnesota and Upper Midwest funders with convening, research, and policy advocacy. Comparable model and member base to NYFA, often cited as a high-functioning regional association peer.
• Illinois Philanthropy: Regional PSO serving Illinois-based foundations, corporate giving programs, and United Ways. Direct peer in the regional PSO space, offering peer communities, advocacy, and convening comparable to NYFA.
• Pennsylvania Philanthropy Network: Statewide association serving Pennsylvania grantmakers through networking, advocacy, and educational programming. Directly comparable as another Forum-affiliated regional PSO serving a multi-region state.
• Florida Philanthropic Network: Statewide PSO serving Florida funders through advocacy, networking, and educational programming. Directly comparable as a regional PSO with analogous member services including conferences and policy work.

Regional players

• National Council of Nonprofits: Network of state and regional nonprofit associations providing advocacy and capacity building. Adjacent peer — NYFA's Capacity Building Group and Liftoff fiscal sponsor work overlaps with state nonprofit association missions, and members interact across both ecosystems.

Emerging players

• Center for Effective Philanthropy: Philanthropy research and advisory firm providing data, benchmarking, and feedback tools to grantmakers. Adjacent rather than direct — competes for foundation staff attention but focuses on research rather than convening/advocacy.

Market position

Strengths2 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/nyfunders

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about NY Funders Alliance