NYC Connect is a new initiative of World Connect that employs the organization's catalytic seed funding approach to ignite the ideas of grassroots visionaries in NYC. We feel that the expertise, ingenuity and commitment to solving challenges lies in the talents and leadership of individuals and groups who live and experience these challenges every day. Our role is to amplify their ideas and bring their leadership to the forefront.
NYC Connect seeks creative ideas that can drive progress. We invest in people and organizations who are passionate about addressing problems that impact their communities with solutions that are a product of deep listening, engagement, and/or consensus-building at the community level.
Our Expressions of Interest for funding in 2023 is completed. We expect to open up the inquiry process in April 2024. Please check back for exact dates.
While submission of an Expression of Interest in no way guarantees a commitment for consideration for funding or direct funding, it is a way for us to get to know you and your work a bit better. We will invite selected individuals and groups to join a full application process.
We welcome all ideas from organizations and individuals regardless of applicant's age, economic means, ethnicity, gender, disability, race, sexual orientation or any other element of their unique identity. Our focus is on individuals and organizations led by individuals, directly affected by, or with significant experience with, the policies, practices, and systems their projects seek to address. We also welcome expressions of interest from all who address high need communities.
See here for a listing of our 2023 grantees
Check out our YouTube channel!
NYC Connect FAQ
How do I apply for an NYC Connect grant?
To apply for an NYC Connect grant you must submit an Expression of Interest for funding which includes answering a few short questions and sharing a 2-4 minute pitch video where you explain your project. We are not currently accepting expressions of interest but expect to open up the process again in April 2024. Please check back for exact dates.
What is the funding range for NYC Connect grants?
We expect to fund projects in the $15,000 - $25,000 range. For student and teacher led projects, we anticipate funding in the $1,000 - $5,000 range. And, for all applicants, we are open to conversations about different amounts.
I am an individual or a group of individuals with an idea but we do not have a 501(c)3 organization, can I apply?
Yes, you do not need to be a registered 501(c)3 organization to apply to NYC Connect.
My project is a part of a non-profit organization, are we eligible?
Yes, if your organization has a creative idea, you are eligible to apply for NYC Connect funding.
Can entrepreneurs with projects that are seeking to make a profit apply?
Yes. We welcome social enterprise efforts; however we will be interested in understanding how your effort will promote community wealth beyond just making a profit for an individual or group of individuals.
Will NYC Connect fund ongoing projects?
NYC Connect funding is meant to give space to seed new projects and provide space for an organization to invest in developing projects. We anticipate that grants will be given on an annual basis and while we do not expect that this will be long-term, sustaining funding, we are open to the potential of multi-year grants.
Does NYC Connect have a geographic focus within the city?
At this stage, we are open to proposals from all areas of NYC. The impact of the project should be felt within the five boroughs of NYC.
Any advice on how to craft a 1-2 sentence project description?
Include who the project will impact, what type of activities will take place or what resources will be created, and give a sense of your time frame and big picture goals.
Any advice on the elevator pitch video?
Most importantly, we want to hear you explain your project in a dynamic way. It doesn't have to be polished or perfect. If you have access to a phone with a camera you can make a video, there is no need for fancy editing. If you want to include photos or video clips of your work or community you are welcome to but it is not necessary. We suggest you begin your video by stating your name, your affiliation and give us the clearest and most easy to understand description of what you are proposing and how you will use the funding.
Can you share some examples of pitch videos?
Sure - here are examples of videos from RISE, The Birthing Place and Sure We Can.
Are there any size limits for posting a video on the Expresion of Interest Google form?
All videos should be between 2-4 minutes. If you are uploading a file, it cannot exceed 1GB. If you prefer, you can post your video on YouTube, Vimeo or somewhere else and share a link. If you are having problems with either of those options please get in touch with us at [email protected]
What will be the process after I submit my expression of interest?
We will follow up with some submissions and request that they submit a more comprehensive application form.
What is the timeline for grant giving?
After submitting an expression of interest it generally takes 3-4 months for selected applicants to be awarded funding.
Where can I see the types of projects you have funded in NYC?
See here for a listing of our 2023 grantees.
Is there anything you do not fund?
We do not fund scholarships, direct advocacy or endowment funds.
Have a question that isn't answered here? You're probably not alone, reach out at [email protected] and help us build this FAQ.
Sung E Bai, the first in her immigrant family to be born in the U.S., was raised in Queens and by the NYC social justice movement for over 25 years. Addressing issues related to violence against women, police brutality, immigrant and worker rights, and food justice, she was an Executive Director of local and global organizations and spent some time in city government as Chief of Staff at the Mayor’s Office for Immigrant Affairs. Receiving her BA from Cornell University and MA and MPhil from Columbia University, Sung E taught Asian American Studies at NYU, Bard College, and Hunter College. She is currently Chief Operating Officer at Literacy Partners, a non-profit with a two-generation approach to education, and a certified instructor of mindfulness. She teaches martial arts to children and adults, and has spent the past 17 years exploring the intersection of spirituality and social justice.
Noah Chasin is Adjunct Associate Professor of Architecture in the Urban Design program at Columbia GSAPP. He received his Ph.D. in Architectural and Urban History from the CUNY Graduate Center and is a historian/critic/theorist with a specific emphasis on the relationship between urban design/planning and human rights. His teaching, research, and writing center on human rights issues in urban conflict zones, questioning how citizenship and access are adjudicated in urban social networks. In addition to his role in the MSAUD faculty, he is a faculty affiliate at Columbia´s Institute for the Study of Human Rights. Chasin has taught at Bard College, Cornell, Barnard, RISD, and the School of Constructed Environments at Parsons The New School. His critical writing has appeared in The Journal of the Society of Architectural Historians, ArtForum, and Journal of Architectural Education, among many others. He was formerly the architecture critic for Time Out New York and was featured in the urban design documentary Urbanized, directed by Gary Hustwit.
Sally Lee is a freelance grant writer and consultant who has worked in educational settings and nonprofits for nearly thirty years. A born-and-raised New Yorker, Sally is a graduate of Stuyvesant High School, Wesleyan University, and Bank Street College of Education. She taught fifth and sixth grade in a Lower East Side public school before working at the Union Square Awards where she learned about the inspiring landscape of grassroots social justice organizations working across the city. Sally founded Teachers Unite in 2006 as a strategic center for educator activists to transform public education and advance social justice goals, while collaborating with directly-impacted communities of color. In the fifteen years since, Teachers Unite built a membership of hundreds, represented educators in the local and national Dignity in Schools Campaigns, and released a documentary, Growing Fairness, seen by thousands, that helped explode the conversation about Restorative Justice in schools across the country. In 2022, Sally stepped down as Executive Director and began as a strategic advisor and grant writing consultant supporting several grassroots organizations resisting the impacts of gentrification in their communities.
Shelly Malkin is a painter who grew up in New York City. She attended the Dalton School and graduated from Princeton University with a degree in Art History and a minor in European Cultural Studies. She also studied painting at the School of Visual Arts and at the National Academy of Design under Serge Hollerbach in New York City, and at the Silvermine Arts Center and the Renaissance Workshop of Dmitri Wright in Connecticut.
Shelly taught at the Nightingale-Bamford School in New York, is a trustee of the New York Restoration Project and an Honorary Trustee of the Natural Resources Defense Council where she served on the Board for twenty-one years. Shelly is an environmentalist, a passionate outdoors woman and an avid rock climber and skier. The outdoor scenes that she experiences often provide her with inspiration for her paintings. She is represented by Graham/Shay Gallery in NYC and ARC Fine Art in Fairfield, CT and Easthampton, NY and is currently on the Advisory Board of The Princeton University Art Museum.
Henry Obispo is a Social-Entrepreneur, Environmentalist and Eco-Gastronomer from The Bronx, the Founder and CEO of ReBORN FARMS: that gives life to a new eco-forward reality, by implementing hyper-local food systems that create access and foster community empowerment. Motivated by his sense of social responsibility, Henry's mission is to revolutionize and decentralize local food systems to serve populations long ignored and disinvested, to bring forth access and a future of food sovereignty. Using food as a tool for renewal, Henry rethinks how cities best serve their populations, developing equitable infrastructure that centers them.
Henry is also the founder of Born Juice, an ecological plant-based social enterprise, with a zero-waste model. Born Juice's mission is carbon neutrality, by focusing on hyper-local and circularity, for the betterment of the planet and humanity. Through his community engagement, as an activist and food-justicer, Henry has developed some of the most impactful food justice programs and initiatives in The Bronx and NYC. As president of the United Business Cooperative, he is an advocate of immigrant/BIPOC restaurant owners and food entrepreneurs, for a focus on economic development and ecological best practices.
Jade Vasquez is a Policy Analyst for the New York City Comptroller’s Office, where she assists in the development, advocacy, and implementation of the Office's progressive public policy priorities. Prior to joining the Office, Jade served as the Project Coordinator for the National Low Income Housing Coalition's (NLIHC) End Rental Arrears to Stop Evictions (ERASE) project, where she worked to ensure that the historic $46.6 billion in emergency rental assistance appropriated by Congress during the pandemic reached the lowest-income and most marginalized renters it was intended to serve.
In the 2021 election cycle, Jade was a Policy Manager for a New York City mayoral campaign and served as the lead for candidate Maya Wiley's housing, immigration, and public safety platforms. In this role, Jade managed relationships with policy experts, local advocates, and community leaders to develop data-driven policies that reflect community voices. She previously served as a Program and Research Associate for Internationals Network for Public Schools, a national nonprofit that supports public schools for recently arrived immigrants. Jade got her start in grassroots organizing and community development in the Peace Corps, where she developed educational, recreational, and vocational programs for youth in rural El Salvador with the support of World Connect funding. Jade is a graduate of the University of Texas at Austin, where she received her master’s degree in Global Policy at the Lyndon B. Johnson School of Public Affairs. As a graduate student, Jade dedicated her research to U.S. immigration and global migration issues, international security, housing affordability, and voting rights. Jade received her bachelor’s degrees in International Relations and Spanish from Hobart and William Smith Colleges.
Ayanna Wayner is an attorney and Managing Director of Fort Greene Partners LLC. She is responsible for the firm’s investments in multi-family real estate including market rate and affordable housing strategies. Ayanna is the Former Deputy Commissioner of Economic Development for the City of New Rochelle and Executive Director of the New Rochelle IDA, where she worked to usher-in a massive $6 billion downtown revitalization and redevelopment project. Ayanna has 15 years of experience in real estate and economic development having previously served as Associate General Counsel at Urban American, a $1 billion closely-held real estate investment company; the former Director of Programs for the Office of Preservation Services at the New York City Department of Housing Preservation and Development (HPD), and Associate at Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP in the Banking & Institutional Investing group. Ayanna has worked on economic development internationally in Honduras with WorldTeach, the RARE Center for Conservation, and the Honduran Ministry of Tourism. Ayanna serves on the Board of World Connect and Westhab and graduated from Barnard College (BA) and Columbia Law School (JD).