New York Community Trust

OVERVIEW: The New York Community Trust is one of the country’s largest community foundations and an important source of funding for nonprofits in New York City, Long Island and Westchester County. Its competitive grantmaking spans education, health, human services, civic engagement, workforce development, the arts, environmental issues and other fields. The Trust also manages donor-advised funds, permanent field-of-interest funds and numerous funder collaboratives. Some environmental and donor-directed grants extend nationally and internationally.

IP TAKE: More than a century after its founding, the New York Community Trust remains one of the country’s most influential community foundations. It supports work across New York City, Long Island and Westchester, manages thousands of charitable funds, and has long served as a hub for donor collaboratives. It also created the nation’s first donor-advised fund in 1931.

Despite its size and complexity, the Trust is relatively accessible. Eligible nonprofits may submit unsolicited proposals through its competitive grantmaking program, which distributes about $50 million annually. But access varies by geography and program: New York City applications are accepted on a rolling basis, Long Island and Westchester use regional cycles, national environmental funding runs through an annual RFP, and several Westchester, international and collaborative programs are invitation-only.

Grantseekers should start with fit, not networking. The Trust’s site is detailed for a reason: Each program has its own strategy, geography and eligibility rules. A strong proposal usually supports a defined project that changes a system, strengthens a field, tests or expands an effective model, or improves direct services. Clear outcomes, relevant expertise and meaningful community involvement matter.

The Trust funds organizations of many sizes, from universities and major institutions to neighborhood-based groups. Still, breadth should not be mistaken for flexibility. General operating requests and routine expenses are usually weak fits, and donor-advised funds do not accept proposals.

PROFILE: The New York Community Trust was formed in 1924 by 11 trust banks. In 1931, it created what it identifies as the country’s first donor-advised fund. Over the following century, New Yorkers established thousands of permanent, donor-advised and field-of-interest funds at the community foundation.

With over $3 billion in assets, the New York Community Trust currently oversees more than 2,000 individual funds of varying degrees of specificity and runs donor-advised funds and competitive grantmaking programs for New York City, Long Island and Westchester County. It also makes national and international environmental grants, administers specialized donor-created funds and houses pooled funds that bring foundations, corporations, government agencies and individual donors together around common priorities.

In 2025, the Trust reported awarding $233 million through 11,204 grants. It managed 2,382 charitable funds and opened 108 new funds during the year. These figures include more than the open competitive program, including grants recommended by donor-advised fundholders.

Funding interests vary by geographic region and generally include animal welfare, arts and culture, health and medical research, civic affairs and community development, gender equity and social justice, education and workforce development, the environment, programs for older adults, LGBTQ+ rights, disability rights, and capacity building for nonprofits.

Grants for Education: Early Childhood, K-12, and Youth Development

The Trust maintains distinct education and youth strategies in each of its three core regions:

• The New York City Education program focuses on systemic improvements in public education, equitable instructional practices and efforts to close opportunity gaps. Early-childhood funding emphasizes advocacy, organizing and policy work to make care more affordable, accessible and effective. The Trust generally favors work that can influence multiple schools, a school district or a broader education system rather than a program serving only one school or a small number of students.
• The Long Island Education program supports academic enrichment, including STEAM learning, college and career readiness, social-emotional learning, educator training, education equity and efforts to improve lower-performing schools.
• The Westchester Educationprogram concentrates on early-childhood education. It supports stronger child care providers, evidence-based models for parents and caregivers, and advocacy for policies benefiting families and early-childhood providers.

Youth development priorities also vary by location.

• In New York City, grants support education and employment skills, career and technical education, stronger youth-serving organizations and policy reforms affecting low-income young people. Standalone college-access programs are generally not a priority.
• On Long Island, the Trust supports workforce readiness, job training and placement, career pathways, youth leadership and efforts to reduce school suspensions and incarceration among disadvantaged young people through age 26.
• Westchester’s current youth strategy centers on civic engagement for people through age 24. It prioritizes youth-informed or youth-led work that promotes democracy, advances social equity and gives young people opportunities to influence policies and systems.
• The Trust also administers specialized youth opportunities, including the Heisman Trophy Youth Development Fund and the Van Lier Fellowship Program. Van Lier grants go to arts organizations that support historically underrepresented artists at the pre-professional and early-career stages. Separate RFPs are issued for artists ages 6 to 18 and young professionals ages 18 to 30.

Grants for Workforce and Economic Development

The New York City Jobs and Workforce Development program supports employer-informed training and placement, career advancement, sector partnerships and the removal of employment barriers. It also funds efforts to improve wages, working conditions and the broader workforce-development system.

• Economic mobility is embedded in several regional programs.
  • Long Island’s Community Development and Youth Development programs support employment, community wealth, underserved small businesses and higher-wage career pathways.
  • Westchester’s Community Development program supports affordable housing, financial stability and economic mobility for low-income and working families, but proposals to that program are currently invitation-only.
• The Trust also houses the New York City Workforce Funders Collaborative, formerly known as the New York City Workforce Development Fund.
  • The collaborative makes grants intended to strengthen workforce systems and connect New Yorkers to high-quality employment.
  • Its opportunities may support coalitions, sector partnerships, advocacy and systems-level projects rather than routine workforce programming at a single organization.

Grants for Public Health, Behavioral Health and Disabilities

The Trust’s health grantmaking differs significantly by region:

• The New York City Health and Behavioral Health program supports a strong healthcare safety net, access for uninsured and underinsured residents, workforce and technology improvements, reduced health disparities, and services for people with mental illness or substance-use histories. The Trust gives preference to sector-wide, systemic and multiagency approaches.
• The Older Adults and People with Disabilities program supports independence, inclusive communities, employment and education opportunities, caregiver assistance and stronger service systems, particularly for people with low incomes.
• The Long Island Health program supports healthcare access, coordinated care, screening, early intervention and maternal and child health for marginalized and underserved communities.
• The Long Island Mental Health program supports culturally responsive prevention and treatment for young people through age 26, including work addressing addiction and helping young people manage adversity and risky behaviors.
• The Westchester Health and Behavioral Health program supports work addressing health disparities among marginalized and underserved populations, with a preference for innovative programs capable of countywide impact.

Long Island also operates a separate Hunger program. It supports access to nutritious food, connections to public benefits and social services, school meal participation and work addressing the root causes of food insecurity.

Grants for Disease Research

The Biomedical Research program helps promising early- and mid-career researchers launch projects and generate preliminary data needed to pursue larger government or private grants.

• Current interests include cancer, heart disease and other serious or incurable diseases.
• Organizations that primarily raise and regrant biomedical research funds are not eligible.
• Recent grants listed on the program page have supported researchers at Columbia University, the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, Hospital for Special Surgery and Albert Einstein College of Medicine.
• The Trust also periodically issues specialized biomedical RFPs, including the Heiser Program for Research in Leprosy.

Grants for Criminal Justice Reform

The New York City Human Justice program supports research, monitoring, policy advocacy, civil-rights litigation and improvements to the delivery of legal services.

• Its goal is a fairer and more effective civil and criminal legal system.
• The Trust does not fund legal representation in individual criminal cases.

Justice-related work may also fit through other programs:

• Long Island Youth Development supports efforts to reduce school suspensions and incarceration, while the Long Island Unitarian Universalist Fund has supported criminal-justice advocacy and leadership development among people directly affected by the justice system.
• Westchester’s Social Justice program supports grassroots and community organizing for policy reform, with an emphasis on organizations led by or involving people directly affected by injustice. Current grantees work on housing, employment, economic opportunity and environmental law. This program is invitation-only.

Grants for Civic Engagement, Democracy and Journalism

• The New York City Civic Affairs program supports voting and civic participation, government accountability, civic literacy and engagement among immigrants, young people and communities with historically low levels of participation.
• Westchester also has a Civic Affairs program that supports civic engagement, social cohesion, civic health and nonprofit journalism. This program is invitation-only. Recent grants have supported the Peekskill Herald and The Recorder, as well as other organizations working on civic participation and local information.
• The Trust houses GoVoteNYC, a funder collaborative supporting nonpartisan efforts to increase voter participation and strengthen democracy in New York City.
• The Long Island Unitarian Universalist Fund (LIUUF) also supports civic participation, power building and advocacy, particularly among immigrants, people of color, LGBTQ+ communities and other populations affected by structural inequities. Recent grantees have included CARECEN, ERASE Racism, LGBT Network, New York Civil Liberties Union Foundation and Tu Prensa Local.

Grants for Housing, Human Services, and Community Development

The New York Community Trust makes grants to community development and human services organizations through several different programs, which also support nonprofits working to end homelessness and increase access to safe and affordable housing. Read IP’s deep-dive on funding for housing and homelessness.

• The New York City Community Development program supports affordable housing, economic mobility, community wealth, small-business development, access to capital and policy change in low-income communities. Its strategy is broader than emergency or transitional housing and includes efforts to preserve affordability, prevent displacement and improve economic opportunity.
• The New York City Human Services program supports food and income security, public benefits, housing stability, homelessness prevention, foster care and stronger human-service systems. It funds direct services as well as policy, capacity-building and multiagency approaches.
• On Long Island, Community Development grants support affordable housing, displacement prevention, employment, community wealth and small businesses serving economically vulnerable communities. Long Island also has separate Hunger and Technical Assistance programs.
• The Long Island Hunger program aims to reduce incidence of hunger and food insecurity on Long Island.
• In Westchester County, Human Services program supports food, shelter and long-term economic stability. Proposals from individual food pantries are invitation-only. Its Community Development program supports affordable housing and economic mobility, but the entire program is currently invitation-only.
• Recent identified competitive grants have supported the Northfield Community Local Development Corporation’s exploration of shared-equity homeownership and the Open Hearts Initiative’s affordable and supportive housing advocacy.

Grants for Immigrants and Refugees

The Trust does not list immigrants and refugees as one standalone competitive portfolio, but immigrant-serving organizations receive support through Civic Affairs, Human Services, Community Development, Workforce Development, Health and other programs.

The Trust also houses several targeted collaboratives:

• The Fund for New Citizens supports immigrant advocacy, immigrant-led organizations and affordable immigration legal services in New York City.
• The Fund for the Newest New Yorkers brings philanthropy, government, businesses and nonprofits together to support recently arrived immigrants.
• The Emergency Response Fund for Long Island Immigrants supports organizations responding to the urgent needs of immigrants on Long Island.

A major collaborative effort between the Trust, Robin Hood and other funders awarded more than $5.6 million to organizations supporting newly arrived immigrants. Trust-supported organizations included Adhikaar, New Immigrant Community Empowerment, Worker’s Justice Project and Emma’s Torch.

Access to these collaborative funds varies. Some issue RFPs, while others solicit or invite applicants.

Grants for Women, Girls, and LGBTQ+

The Trust does not currently list a standalone LGBTQ+ grant program. LGBTQ+ organizations may nevertheless fit within Gender Equity, Health and Behavioral Health, Human Services, Civic Affairs or regional social-justice programs. For example, the New York City health program has supported the LGBT Community Center’s behavioral-health work.

• The New York City Gender Equity program supports four broad strategies:
  • Leadership, activism and civic engagement among girls and gender-expansive young people.
  • Economic mobility, including workforce pathways, child care access, reduced wage gaps and improved working conditions.
  • Services, research and advocacy addressing gender-based violence.
  • Reproductive, maternal and mental healthcare and comprehensive sexual-health education.
• The Long Island Unitarian Universalist Fund has supported LGBTQ+ advocacy, gender-expansive communities and efforts to increase LGBTQ+ representation in local decision-making. Westchester’s invitation-only Social Justice program may also support community-led work addressing discrimination and unequal access.
• The Westchester Social Justice invitation-only program supports community-based organizations that seek to address social injustice and promotes grassroots and community organizing.

Grants for Arts, Culture and Historic Preservation

Each regional office maintains an arts program:

• The New York City Arts, Arts, Culture & Historic Preservation program supports cultural access, organizational strength, underrepresented artists, arts education, advocacy and historic preservation. It gives particular attention to smaller arts organizations with annual budgets of about $250,000 to $1 million, especially culturally specific groups and organizations outside Manhattan. It generally does not fund organizations with budgets below $250,000, individual performances or exhibitions, or ordinary capital and maintenance projects.
• The Long Island Arts program supports access to diverse cultural experiences, stronger cultural organizations and the use of the arts in community development and social change. It generally does not support isolated performances or presentations.
• The Westchester County Arts program supports cultural access, artist development and organizational capacity. Some grants reflect permanent donor restrictions, including interests in Germanic art, history, language and music.

The Van Lier Fellowship Program supports arts organizations that train and advance historically underrepresented young artists.

The Trust also houses the Mosaic Network & Fund, which has directed resources to arts organizations led by and accountable to African, Latinx, Asian, Arab and Native American communities.

Grants for Environmental Conservation and Climate Change

The Trust operates environmental programs at the local, regional and broader geographic levels:

• The New York City Environment program supports greenhouse-gas reduction, climate resilience, environmental justice, reduced exposure to pollution and toxic substances, open space, waterfronts, watersheds, wetlands and biodiversity. Conventional environmental education projects are generally not competitive unless they advance a broader program strategy. Read more about the Trust’s efforts to curb climate change in NYC.
• The Long Island Environment program supports sustainable land use, farmland and open-space preservation, drinking-water protection, healthy waterways and biodiversity.
• The Westchester Environment program supports climate mitigation, municipal sustainability, conservation, water quality, biodiversity and reduced exposure to toxic substances.

Starting in 2026, the National Environment program began using an annual one-step RFP with an application window expected during the winter.

• National projects generally must benefit more than one state or territory unless they focus on New York State.
• Priorities include climate mitigation, climate resilience, toxic chemicals and biodiversity. International environmental proposals remain invitation-only.

The Long Island Sound Stewardship Fund is a pooled fund that supports nonprofit capacity and projects improving the ecological health and resilience of Long Island Sound. It issues separate RFPs.

Grants for Animals and Wildlife Conservation

The New York City Animal Welfare program supports animal rescue and rehabilitation, veterinary care, food assistance and spay-and-neuter services in under-resourced communities. It also supports protection of captive, migratory, community and native wildlife and capacity building for animal-welfare organizations.

Wildlife and biodiversity conservation may also receive support through the Trust’s local, National and International Environment programs. Recent grants have gone to the National Audubon Society and the Wildlife Conservation Society.

Other Grant Opportunities

The Trust periodically issues RFPs for donor-created funds, special initiatives and emerging needs. These opportunities and collaboratives are separate from its ongoing regional competitive programs and may have different eligibility, grant-size and application requirements.

The New York Community Trust offers two grant opportunities to help nonprofits build capacity and develop professionally, the Technical Assistance NYC and the Technical Assistance Long Island programs.

Important Grant Details:

The Trust’s 2024 grants list says it made $203.9 million in grants to 10,546 organizations in 2024, including both competitive grants and donor-advised-fund grants. ProPublica’s IRS data for 2024 lists $323 million in revenue, $252 million in expenses and $3.52 billion in total assets.

There is no useful Trust-wide “average grant.” The Trust’s 2024 public grant list combines competitive grants with donor-advised grants and only itemizes organizations receiving more than $5,000. Awards range from small donor-recommended gifts to multimillion-dollar grants. Applicants should rely on regional instructions, current RFPs and recent competitive grants in the relevant program—not an aggregate average.

• The Trust’s competitive program is open to unsolicited proposals, but access varies. New York City proposals may be submitted throughout the year. Long Island and Westchester use specified regional cycles. National environmental applicants respond to an annual RFP, while international environmental funding is invitation-only.
• Targeted and collaborative funds use separate RFPs or invitation processes.Most competitive grants go to 501(c)(3) public charities or groups working through eligible fiscal sponsors.
• The Trust generally expects a governing board with at least four members and no more than one paid board member.
• The Trust does not operate a general fiscal sponsorship program, but fiscally sponsored projects may apply when they and their sponsors meet the relevant eligibility requirements.
• Competitive grants generally support defined projects rather than unrestricted operations.
• The Trust ordinarily does not fund individuals, general operating expenses, capital or building campaigns, endowments, equipment, deficit financing, conferences, meetings or religious purposes. Individual RFPs and donor-created funds may establish exceptions.
• The Trust makes multiyear and renewal grants when appropriate, but it rarely supports a single project for more than three years.Organizations with budgets below $4 million may, on a case-by-case basis, use up to 25% of a grant flexibly for organizational needs. Grants to universities and affiliated fiscal sponsors are subject to a 5% grant-administration cap.
• The Trust’s FAQ says it does not fund individuals, general operating support, capital/building campaigns, endowments, equipment, deficit financing, conferences/meetings or religious purposes.
• The Trust specifies a preference for projects that “promote change across a system or sector” as well as advocacy efforts that “articulate a set of specific goals and strategies to achieve them.” 
• Materials are generally submitted through the trust’s application portal, and applicants are notified of decisions via email within a six-month time frame.
• The trust also posts information about RFPs for special projects on its grants portal and RFP page.
• For general inquiries, see the contact page.

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