Citizens Committee for New York City

What Citizens Committee for New York City does

Citizens Committee for New York City (CitizensNYC) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit microgranting organization founded in 1975 by Senator Jacob Javits and Newsweek editor Osborn Elliott. It provides financial and capacity-building support to grassroots community leaders, small nonprofits, small businesses, and public schools across all five boroughs of New York City. Its grant portfolio includes Community Leaders Grants (up to $5,000), Neighborhood Business Grants (up to $5,000), Collaborative Impact Grants (up to $12,000) for multi-group partnerships, and Elliott Fellowships ($15,000) for alumni leaders — making more than $1M in microgrants annually and reaching a network of 500+ grantee partners.

The organization operates as a quasi-governmental intermediary through a unique 5-year $75M master contract with the City of New York, enabling it to disburse public grants on behalf of city agencies (in 2024, $8.3M to 323 community groups). Its revenue is composed of philanthropic grants and donations from foundations and corporations (Wells Fargo, Con Edison, National Grid, M&T Bank, MetLife Foundation, Morgan Stanley, Google, Amazon, among others), pass-through government contracts, and special-event fundraising (the New Yorkers for New York Gala and All In for NYC Fall Cocktail Reception). Operations are run by a lean team of ~20 employees based in Harlem, with no proprietary technology platform beyond the Wizehive online grant application portal. CitizensNYC's model combines small-dollar funding with workshops, 1-on-1 coaching, and introductions to anchor nonprofits and city agencies, creating an alumni network that retains leaders in the system long after a single grant cycle.

Name

Citizens Committee for New York City

Legal name

Citizens Committee for New York City

Website

https://citizensnyc.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1975

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

CitizensNYC is a 50-year-old NYC nonprofit microgranting organization that awards up to $5,000 in grants and capacity-building support to grassroots community leaders, small nonprofits, small businesses, and schools across all five boroughs.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Community Development & Nonprofit Grantmaking

NAICS

Grantmaking and Giving Services (81321), Other Grantmaking and Giving Services (813219), Civic and Social Organizations (813410)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300)

akta.pro primary industry

Public Charities & Grantmaking Intermediaries (BPAGAKAE)

akta.pro secondary industries

Community Foundations (BPAGAKAB), Grantmaking & Philanthropic Funds (Institutional Donors) (BPADAOAB)

Keywords

• Community microgrants
• Nonprofit grantmaking
• Capacity building
• Community development funding
• Small business grants

Headquarters

HQ city

New York, New York

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Philanthropic Grants & Donations: CitizensNYC raises funds from foundations, corporations, and individual donors to support its grantmaking operations. The organization receives multi-year support from partners such as Wells Fargo (over $1M in the last five years), Altman Foundation, Apple Bank, Bessemer Trust, Brooklyn Org, Con Edison, Deutsche Bank, Google, MetLife Foundation, Morgan Stanley, National Grid, The Pinkerton Foundation, Ralph Lauren, Siegel Family Endowment, Sony, The Staten Island Foundation, The Wells Fargo Foundation, and others. Individual donors contribute through the website donation portal.
2. Government Contracts: CitizensNYC holds a unique 5-year $75M master contract with the City of New York, enabling it to deploy public grants on behalf of city agencies. In 2024, it provided $8.3M in public grants to 323 community groups on behalf of NYC. This represents the largest single revenue stream and positions CitizensNYC as a quasi-governmental intermediary for community funding.
3. Special Events: The organization hosts annual fundraising events including the New Yorkers for New York Gala (June) and the All In for NYC Fall Cocktail Reception (November), generating ticket sales, sponsorships, and charitable contributions from the financial and legal communities. The Fall Cocktail Reception specifically targets the restructuring industry.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

CitizensNYC provides microgrants (up to $5,000) and capacity-building support to New York City grassroots community leaders, resident-led volunteer groups, small nonprofits, and small community-minded businesses through four core programs — Community Leaders Grants, Neighborhood Business Grants, Collaborative Impact Grants, and Elliott Fellowships. Beyond funding, it delivers workshops, 1-on-1 coaching, technical assistance, and network convenings, and it also serves as a quasi-governmental intermediary deploying public grants on behalf of NYC city agencies under a 5-year $75M master contract.

Product overview

CitizensNYC operates as a unified micro-granting platform offering four interconnected programs: Community Leaders Grants (up to $5,000 for resident-led community projects), Neighborhood Business Grants (up to $5,000 for small business community initiatives), Collaborative Impact Grants (up to $12,000 for multi-group partnerships), and Elliott Fellowships ($15,000 for alumni leaders). Beyond funding, the organization provides capacity-building workshops, coaching, networking opportunities, and access to resources that help grantees grow their projects and impact. The organization serves as both a grantmaker and a connector between neighborhood leaders and city agencies, anchor nonprofits, cultural institutions, and funders.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Community Leaders Grants Microgrants of up to $5,000 awarded twice a year (Spring and Fall cycles) to resident-led volunteer groups and small nonprofits with budgets under $250,000 across NYC's five boroughs, supporting neighborhood improvement projects in arts and culture, education and youth, environment and climate, health and wellness, economic development, and public safety. Applicants must be nonprofits or informal volunteer groups based in one of NYC's five boroughs with two or more volunteers.
• Neighborhood Business Grants Microgrants of up to $5,000 for community-minded small businesses operating in NYC with 10 or fewer employees and at least 2 years in operation, to fund initiatives that positively impact the community (e.g., community-facing storefront programs, local hiring, neighborhood beautification, youth programs). Applicants must provide proof of operation including bank statements, tax documents, or POS terminal statements.
• Collaborative Impact Grants Grants of up to $12,000 supporting projects involving multiple existing CitizensNYC grantee partners working together. Available exclusively to existing grantee network members, the program encourages deep collaboration across issues and sectors, bringing together grassroots organizers, local business owners, artists, and educators to tackle complex challenges no single group can solve alone.
• Elliott Fellowships One-year fellowships providing $15,000 in support to leaders who have outgrown CitizensNYC's standard grant eligibility threshold but remain deeply rooted in grassroots work. Named for co-founder Osborn Elliott, fellows mentor new grantees, co-lead workshops, and provide strategic input to shape CitizensNYC programming.
• Partners in Preparedness Program (Community Energy Project) Program operated in collaboration with NYC Emergency Management (and corporate partners such as National Grid, Con Edison) that equips local community-based organizations with tools and knowledge to prepare for and respond to emergencies, and supports trusted grassroots leaders in Brooklyn, Queens, and Staten Island to help residents access energy affordability resources and build community climate resilience. Through this work, nearly 700 local organizations have been equipped.

Quantifiable outcome

• 334 grants awarded in 2025
• +6 more outcomes

Named customers10 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• National GridcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2026National Grid powers the Community Energy Project, supporting trusted grassroots leaders in Brooklyn, Queens, and Staten Island to help residents access energy affordability resources, deepen understanding of energy efficiency, and build community resilience.
• M&T BankcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2026M&T Bank partnership is strengthening Bronx communities by investing in neighborhood business leaders driving local change. Their leadership support meets urgent needs to sustain local businesses that deepen connections and create opportunities across the borough.
• Con EdisoncoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCon Edison shares CitizensNYC's commitment to climate action, prioritizing locally led climate mitigation and adaptation. Their support enables dozens of climate-focused projects including urban forests, hyperlocal green infrastructure, and community gardens.
• Siegel Family EndowmentcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with Siegel Family Endowment has been instrumental in providing microgrants to NYC's neighborhood leaders. Their inquiry-focused approach has helped CitizensNYC continuously learn and improve its support for the grantee partner network. Siegel Family Endowment published a case study of CitizensNYC's work.
• NYC Emergency Management (NYCEM)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCitizensNYC collaborates with NYCEM to enhance community resilience through the Partners in Preparedness Program, equipping nearly 700 local organizations with tools and knowledge to effectively prepare for and respond to emergencies.
• City of New York (Multiple Agencies)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCitizensNYC holds a unique 5-year $75M master contract with the City of New York. In 2024, it provided $8.3M in public grants to 323 community groups on behalf of the city. Partner agencies include DYCD, Small Business Services, NYC Emergency Management, and the Mayor's Office.

Scale indicators10 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Ford Foundation: Major international foundation with significant NYC grantmaking and an office in NYC. Comparable only at the broadest level as a large-scale grantmaker; fundamentally different in scale (billions in assets) and global geographic scope.
• Enterprise Community Partners: National nonprofit focused on affordable housing and community resilience with significant NYC operations. Adjacent peer: comparable as a major nonprofit funder of community-based initiatives, but its primary focus is housing/real estate development rather than broad grassroots microgranting.
• Local Initiatives Support Corporation (LISC): National community development financial institution supporting neighborhood revitalization. Comparable as a funder of community-based organizations, though its model emphasizes CDFI lending and real estate development alongside grantmaking, and operates at far greater scale.

Direct peers

• The New York Community Trust: One of the largest community foundations in the U.S., serving NYC and surrounding counties with permanent funds and competitive grantmaking. Directly comparable as a NYC-focused grantmaking entity supporting community-based social services, though at substantially greater scale (billions in assets).
• Brooklyn Community Foundation: Brooklyn-focused community foundation that makes grants to local nonprofits and grassroots groups. Highly comparable as a NYC borough-level grantmaker serving community-based organizations, though it operates with a larger endowment model rather than the city-contract intermediary model.
• Robin Hood Foundation: NYC's largest poverty-fighting charity, funding programs and nonprofit partners addressing poverty. Comparable as a major NYC-based grantmaker to community organizations, with similar donor-cultivation events (galas) and corporate ties to NYC's financial sector.
• Asian American Federation: NYC-based umbrella nonprofit that makes grants to and builds capacity among pan-Asian community-based organizations. Comparable as a NYC-focused grantmaker and capacity-builder for community organizations, serving a specific demographic constituency.
• Staten Island Foundation: Borough-focused community foundation making grants to Staten Island nonprofits. Already an active funder of CitizensNYC; comparable as a NYC community grantmaker with overlapping grantee networks.
• Hispanic Federation: NYC-based Latino-focused nonprofit that distributes grants and provides capacity-building support to community-based organizations. Directly comparable as a NYC grantmaking intermediary with similar grassroots grant cycles and capacity-building programming.

Others

• NYC Department of Youth and Community Development (DYCD): City agency that funds community-based youth and neighborhood programs. Not a competitor but a key counterpart: DYCD is one of the city agencies whose funding CitizensNYC administers through its master contract, making it the closest functional analog and most important institutional relationship.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xtwitter.com/CitizensNYC
• Facebookfacebook.com/citizensnyc
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/citizens-committee-for-new-york-city
• Instagraminstagram.com/citizenscommittee/?hl=en

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles19 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Citizens Committee for New York City