2023 Year in Review
We are pleased to share our 2023 Year in Review, offering a glimpse into our commitment to supporting grassroots organizing and power-building in communities and across New York City.
In 2023, NYF allocated nearly $6.5 million toward advancing racial, economic, gender, and climate justice in the city and state. Over the past year, we provided support to 45 organizations through multi-year general operating grants and additional capacity-building resources. Our focus remained on amplifying groups often overlooked and under-resourced by philanthropy, with particular attention to BIPOC-led, trans-led, and emerging organizations.
Our snapshot showcases just a few of the numerous organizing victories these groups achieved last year, ensuring that city and state policies, budgets, and priorities create a New York where we can all thrive. Explore our grantee directory for deeper insights into the transformative work we proudly support, and please join us in our long-term commitment to resourcing grassroots organizing.
A note from board chair, Robert Cordero, about Rickke Mananzala’s promotion to President.
It is with deep pride and excitement that I announce Rickke Mananzala as the President of the New York Foundation. After serving almost three years as Executive Director, Rickke will now serve as President, building on a legacy of incredible leadership before him.
Recently, our board observed that Rickke’s work at the foundation went above and beyond the typical duties of an Executive Director. We know the power of language and the importance of equitable recognition, especially with a leader like Rickke, who is one of the few transgender people of color leading a foundation in the country. But this is not a title we bestowed lightly; it is a title he earned through diligent work and outstanding leadership.
Rickke strategically balances fiscal stewardship of the foundation’s resources with accountability to the urgent needs of the communities and movements he comes from. He’s built internal capacity across staff and board around the core value of equity—and our board is as diverse and inclusive as ever. The groundwork laid under his leadership helped advance key areas in his first few years, from expanding our mission-aligned investing through partnering with a new Black-led and values-aligned investment manager, to implementing an organization-wide racial equity framework, to nurturing a joyful team culture.
I know this is only one chapter from a longer story about Rickke’s leadership to champion a groundswell of philanthropic support for community organizing in NYC and beyond. I can’t wait to see how the story unfolds.
Robert Cordero
New York Foundation Board Chair
Chief Executive Officer, Grant Street Settlement