What New York Foundation does

New York Foundation (NYF) is a 501(c)(3) private foundation established in 1909 with an initial $1 million gift from Alfred M. Heinsheimer, headquartered in New York City. It is one of the oldest foundations in the United States and today functions as a dedicated grantmaker for community organizing and grassroots advocacy in New York City, supporting work on racial, economic, gender, and climate justice. Its core product is multi-year unrestricted general operating support: Core Grants of $55,000 per year for 3 years (established groups) or 5 years (emerging groups), supplemented by Strategic Opportunities Grants, Community Organizing Field Support Grants, Nonpartisan c4 Civic Engagement Grants, and Small Grants of up to $10,000. Distribution is conducted through an open annual application cycle (March deadline) via the Grant Interface online portal, with program staff review, site visits, and final Board approval in June, plus capacity building partnerships with Community Resource Exchange and Lawyers Alliance for New York and a Summer Intern in Community Organizing program.

NYF does not generate commercial revenue; its "revenue" is annual investment returns on an endowment that it deploys as grants. The foundation is committed to 100% mission-aligned investing, screening the endowment against the same justice values it funds and partnering since August 2023 with Bivium Capital and Westfuller — two Black-led investment firms with $4.96 billion in combined AUM — to manage the portfolio and execute shareholder engagement. The foundation has pledged to grow its annual payout to 12% of the endowment by 2026, up from 8% in 2025, well above the 5% federal minimum required of private foundations. In 2022, NYF leveraged almost $7.5 million across 45 grassroots organizations; in 2023, it allocated nearly $6.5 million across the same number of organizations.

NYF is led by President Rickke Mananzala (promoted from Executive Director) and operates with approximately 28 staff, governed by a board of trustees that was refreshed with six new trustees in 2023, new executive leadership elected in June 2024 (George Suttles as Board Chair and Investment Committee Chair), and another six trustees added in 2025. Its customer base — the 45 multi-year grantees — is deliberately diversified across issues and constituencies (BIPOC-led, trans-led, and emerging organizations in NYC), and it functions as both a direct funder and a fiscal sponsor/member of several NYC funder collaboratives, including Engage NY, the NYC Capacity Building Collaborative, the Neighborhoods First Fund, and the Youth Organizing and Culture Change Fund.

Name

New York Foundation

Legal name

New York Foundation

Website

https://nyf.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1909

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

The New York Foundation is a 1909-established NYC private foundation that provides multi-year unrestricted general operating grants, small grants, and capacity building support to grassroots community organizing groups advancing racial, economic, gender, and climate justice in New York City.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Philanthropic Grantmaking / Foundation Services

NAICS

Grantmaking Foundations (813211), Grantmaking and Giving Services (81321), Social Advocacy Organizations (8133)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300)

akta.pro primary industry

Private Foundations (BPAGAKAA)

akta.pro secondary industry

Social Justice & Human Rights Grantmaking Foundations (BPAGAKAN)

Keywords

• Community organizing grants
• Philanthropic grantmaking
• Social justice funding
• Multi-year unrestricted grants
• Capacity building support

Headquarters

HQ city

New York City

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Others, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Endowment Investment Returns: NYF is an endowed foundation that generates revenue through investment returns on its endowment. The foundation deploys these returns as grants to support community organizing and grassroots advocacy in NYC, with a commitment to exceed the 5% minimum required payout.
2. Mission-Aligned Investing: The foundation has committed to 100% mission-aligned investing, screening its investments to align with its values around racial, economic, gender, and climate justice. This includes local catalytic investments supporting cooperative economy efforts and shareholder engagement for corporate responsibility.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

New York Foundation is a private endowed foundation that deploys investment returns from its endowment as grants and capacity-building support to grassroots community organizing groups in New York City. Its core product is multi-year unrestricted general operating support grants of $55,000 per year for 3 to 5 years, supplemented by Small Grants up to $10,000, strategic and field-support grants, a Summer Intern in Community Organizing program, and access to technical assistance partners, all aimed at advancing racial, economic, gender, and climate justice.

Product overview

The New York Foundation offers a portfolio of grant programs and capacity building services to support community organizing and grassroots advocacy in New York City. Core Grants ($55,000/year for 3-5 years) provide multi-year general operating support. Additional grant programs include Strategic Opportunities for new campaigns, Community Organizing Field Support for capacity building, and Nonpartisan c4 Civic Engagement grants for electoral and legislative advocacy. The Foundation also provides supplementary services including Small Grants up to $10,000, the Summer Intern in Community Organizing program, and access to capacity building resources through Community Resource Exchange and Lawyers Alliance for New York.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Core Grants
• Nonpartisan c4 Civic Engagement Grants
• Strategic Opportunities Grants
• Community Organizing Field Support Grants
• Funder Collaborative Initiatives
• Capacity Building Resources
• Summer Intern in Community Organizing

Quantifiable outcome

• Supported 45 organizations with multi-year general operating support grants in 2022 and 2023
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers14 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles1 record

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 and minor.

• Engage New YorkcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMember and fiscal sponsor of this funder collaborative that builds philanthropic infrastructure across the state by connecting like-minded funders with shared values.
• New York City Capacity Building CollaborativecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMember and fiscal sponsor of this collaborative of social justice foundations that collectively pool resources to build the capacity of grassroots community-based organizations.
• Neighborhoods First FundcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMember and fiscal sponsor of this donor collaborative founded in 2015 to promote equitable, inclusive, and accountable development in New York City.
• YOCCF (Youth Organizing and Culture Change Fund)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFiscal sponsor of this collaborative that partners with young community and cultural leaders, artists, funders, and narrative changemakers to advance their vision for change.
• Community Resource ExchangeminorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerProvides one-on-one support to help NYF grantees build sustainable, mission-driven organizations.
• Lawyers Alliance for New YorkminorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerProvides pro bono legal services tailored to social change nonprofits applying for NYF grants.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• New World Foundation: A progressive private foundation supporting grassroots organizing and movement-building for racial and economic justice. NYF Program Officer Edna Iriarte previously worked at New World Foundation.
• Jessie Smith Noyes Foundation: A private foundation focused on racial justice, economic justice, and environmental sustainability. Several current NYF staff previously worked at Noyes, evidencing deep operational and philosophical overlap.
• North Star Fund: A NYC-based public foundation that funds grassroots community organizing and social justice groups, directly comparable to NYF's mission, geography, and grantee profile.
• Brooklyn Community Foundation: A NYC-based place-based foundation supporting racial and social justice, resident-led organizing, and community power-building, overlapping closely with NYF's strategic focus.
• Borealis Philanthropy: A philanthropic intermediary advancing racial justice and movement-building through pooled and re-granted funds. NYF President Rickke Mananzala previously served as VP of Programs at Borealis, indicating close alignment.
• Norman Foundation: A small private foundation supporting economic and social justice through community organizing, with similar multi-year unrestricted general operating support grants. NYF staff have prior experience at Norman Foundation.
• Scherman Foundation: A New York-based family foundation that provides multi-year general operating support to social justice and environmental advocacy groups, similar in approach to NYF's grantmaking philosophy.

Broad incumbents

• Open Society Foundations: A global private foundation supporting social justice, equity, and human rights, with significant NYC presence. NYF operates on a similar values-aligned model but at a much smaller scale.
• Ford Foundation: One of the largest and oldest US foundations, with substantial grantmaking in racial justice, civic engagement, and mission-aligned investing. While far larger and global, its progressive grantmaking philosophy overlaps with NYF's approach.

Regional players

• Foundation for the City of New York: A NYC-focused foundation supporting civic engagement, equity, and community improvement programs. Operates in the same geographic market as NYF but with a broader civic-policy mandate rather than grassroots organizing focus.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/new-york-foundation

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles7 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 New York Foundation