Open New York

What Open New York does

Open New York is a 501(c)(4) grassroots nonprofit founded in 2017 to advocate for pro-housing policies, zoning reforms, and abundant housing supply across New York City and New York State. Its core work consists of policy advocacy, grassroots member organizing (canvassing, phone banking, door knocking), political candidate endorsements, and direct project-level support for housing developments that align with its pro-housing criteria. The organization operates a three-entity structure: the 501(c)(4) advocacy arm (Open New York), an affiliated 501(c)(3) called the Open New York Education Fund that accepts tax-deductible donations for public education, and Abundant New York, an independent expenditure committee launched in 2024 to support pro-housing candidates in state and city elections.

The organization's revenue model is member contributions and donations, supplemented by Abundant New York's political fundraising. Contributions to the 501(c)(4) are not tax-deductible; donations routed to the Education Fund are. Open New York expanded statewide in 2022, scaled staff approximately fivefold under Executive Director Annemarie Gray, and secured a series of high-profile policy wins including the SoHo/NoHo and Gowanus rezonings (2021), the Bruckner Boulevard rezoning (2022), the Arrow Linen project in Windsor Terrace (2025), and the City of Yes for Housing Opportunity zoning overhaul in 2024 — projected to unlock over 80,000 new homes citywide. In November 2025, Open New York supported the passage of four NYC housing ballot proposals, and Executive Director Annemarie Gray was appointed to Mayor Zohran Mamdani's Housing Transition Committee.

Open New York does not sell products or services and operates with a small staff (1-10 employees per firmographic data). Its technology footprint is minimal — the organization uses Squarespace for web publishing, a Google Calendar for event distribution, and a membership portal at onyeducation.org, but has no proprietary platform, app, or API. Its competitive position rests on grassroots member mobilization, brand recognition in NYC housing politics, and a policy-wins track record rather than on technology differentiation.

Name

Open New York

Legal name

Open New York

Website

https://opennewyork.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2017

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Open New York is a 501(c)(4) grassroots nonprofit, founded in 2017, that advocates for pro-housing zoning reform and abundant housing across New York City and New York State through policy advocacy, member organizing, and electoral campaigns via its Abundant New York PAC.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Housing Policy Advocacy

NAICS

Social Advocacy Organizations (8133), Civic and Social Organizations (81341)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600)

akta.pro primary industry

Public & Affordable Housing Programs (Subsidies, Vouchers, Public Housing) (BPAIANAA)

akta.pro secondary industry

Community Development & Neighborhood Revitalization Housing Programs (FSALAKAO)

Keywords

• Housing policy advocacy
• Zoning reform advocacy
• Grassroots organizing
• Pro-housing campaigns
• Community mobilization

Headquarters

HQ city

New York

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Member Contributions and Donations: Open New York relies on financial contributions from members and supporters to fund pro-housing organizing activities including fliers, advocacy training sessions, legislative drafting, and member mobilization efforts. Contributions are not tax deductible as they are a 501(c)4 organization.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Open New York is a grassroots 501(c)(4) nonprofit organization that advocates for pro-housing policies and zoning reforms across New York City and State. It mobilizes members through advocacy, organizing, canvassing, phone banking, and electoral campaign support to advance housing policy changes, rezonings, and pro-housing political candidates. The organization operates an affiliated 501(c)(3) Education Fund for public education and an independent expenditure committee (Abundant New York) for electoral advocacy.

Product overview

Open New York is a grassroots 501(c)(4) non-profit advocacy organization, not a product or technology company. The organization does not offer products, software, or services in the traditional SaaS sense. Its work consists of housing policy advocacy, grassroots organizing, political campaign support, candidate endorsements, community education, and membership programs aimed at solving New York's housing crisis through policy changes and electoral engagement.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Abundant New York: The independent expenditure arm (PAC/super PAC) of Open New York, supporting pro-housing and pro-tenant candidates in state and city elections. Launched in 2024 with spending of approximately $250,000 in state legislative races and plans to spend at least $500,000 in City Council races.

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 80,000 new homes unlocked through City of Yes initiative
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers2 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Abundant New YorkcoreGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 January 2024Abundant New York is the independent expenditure arm of Open New York, established as a political action committee to support pro-housing and pro-tenant candidates in state and city elections. Open New York's advocacy arm is among the funders of this committee which has spent over $200,000 influencing Council races and at least $500,000 in 2025 City Council races.
• Regional Plan Association (RPA)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerOpen New York and RPA formed the 'Unlock NY' coalition to circulate research briefs to officials on housing policy solutions. Both organizations are pushing for State Environmental Quality Review Act (SEQRA) modernization to accelerate housing development.
• Transportation AlternativesminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerOpen New York co-hosts community board and workshop events with Transportation Alternatives, building power and community for sustainable and supported community board action around transportation and housing advocacy.
• Open New York Education FundcoreOthersThe Open New York Education Fund is the affiliated 501(c)(3) organization of Open New York (501(c)(4)), created to support public education, awareness, and engagement around housing issues. It accepts tax-deductible donations and manages membership through onyeducation.org.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Regional players

• California YIMBY: California-focused YIMBY advocacy nonprofit pushing state legislation (SB 9, SB 423) for more housing. Comparable mission and legislative-advocacy playbook to Open New York, but operating at California state scale rather than New York.
• Abundant Housing LA: Los Angeles-based pro-housing grassroots organization advocating for zoning reform and abundant housing. Shares Open New York's grassroots YIMBY model and member-mobilization tactics but is geographically concentrated in LA.
• Greater Greater Washington: DC-region urbanist advocacy and journalism organization promoting pro-housing, pro-transit policies. Comparable grassroots-advocacy-plus-research model to Open New York's coalition work with the Regional Plan Association.

Direct peers

• YIMBY Action: National grassroots YIMBY advocacy organization that organizes members for pro-housing zoning reform and pro-housing candidates. Directly comparable to Open New York in mission, member-mobilization model, and focus on housing abundance policy.
• Transportation Alternatives: NYC advocacy nonprofit pushing for walkable, bikeable, transit-rich streets and co-host of community board events with Open New York. Comparable NYC grassroots advocacy model with overlapping pro-density, pro-transit agenda and explicit organizational partnership.
• Community Service Society of New York: New York-based antipoverty and housing advocacy nonprofit pushing state and city policy reforms on housing affordability. Comparable in being a NYC-focused policy advocacy nonprofit, though with a broader antipoverty mission beyond YIMBY zoning reform.
• Regional Plan Association (RPA): Tri-state regional planning and policy think tank and explicit coalition partner in the Unlock NY coalition. Pushes housing, transit, and land-use reform in the New York region, complementing Open New York's grassroots arm with research and policy depth.
• Association for Neighborhood & Housing Development (ANHD): NYC coalition of community housing and development nonprofits advocating for affordable housing preservation and production. Comparable New York housing-policy advocacy mission, but more tenant- and preservation-focused than Open New York's pro-supply YIMBY orientation.

Broad incumbents

• Enterprise Community Partners: National affordable housing and community development nonprofit that invests in and advocates for affordable housing policy. Comparable mission around affordable housing production but operates as a much larger, broader incumbent with capital deployment capabilities Open New York lacks.
• Local Initiatives Support Corporation (LISC): National community development financial institution supporting affordable housing and neighborhood revitalization across the U.S. Comparable in community development focus but operates at significantly larger scale with direct lending and program management rather than advocacy.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/OpenNYForAll
• Facebookfacebook.com/OpenNYForAll
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/open-new-york

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 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 Open New York