Mayor de Blasio Announces New Nonprofit Resiliency Committee

September 28, 2016

NEW YORK—Mayor Bill de Blasio today announced the creation of the Nonprofit Resiliency Committee to offer opportunities for collaboration and to expand lines of communication between the City and the nonprofit human service sector. The Committee is charged with identifying, designing and launching solutions to support the sector in the areas of administrative processes, service and program design and organizational infrastructure.

The Committee will be co-chaired by Deputy Mayor for Health and Human Services Dr. Herminia Palacio and Deputy Mayor for Strategic Policy Initiatives Richard Buery. The Mayor’s Office of Contract Services will help coordinate the Committee with support from the Mayor’s Office of Operations and Office of Management and Budget. Committee members include nonprofit executive directors, philanthropy leaders and members of academia who were invited to represent the diversity and range of New York City’s human service sector. City human service agencies will participate in Committee workgroups to support effective implementation of new solutions.

“Nonprofit organizations are important partners in improving the lives of countless New Yorkers,” said Mayor Bill de Blasio. “But we want a fuller partnership with these organizations so that we may work together on a range of issues, from policy guidance to more operational matters. We are always looking to serve New Yorkers in a better, more effective way.”

“Nonprofit organizations provide a tremendous service to New York City and have a long history of working with government to create change and improve lives,” said Deputy Mayor for Health and Human Services Dr. Herminia Palacio. “As our Administration moves forward with a number of ambitious initiatives, it is critical that we have a strong and vibrant nonprofit sector to help us achieve our goals. I look forward to co-chairing the Nonprofit Resiliency Committee and working with its members to begin a sustained and engaged conversation around the pressing issues facing the sector today.”

"Before joining New York City government under the leadership of Mayor Bill de Blasio, I spent my entire career founding, leading and growing non-profit organizations focused on fundamental issues of equality. In all of that work, effective partnership with government was critical. Without it, our ability to do our important work was limited; with it, anything is possible,” said Richard Buery, Deputy Mayor of Strategic Policy Initiatives. “I am so excited by the opportunity to improve the ways that government and the nonprofit sectors work together. By doing so, we build a stronger city, and advance the values of equity and opportunity that we all hold dear.”

“So much of what makes New York City great – our embrace of newcomers, our commitment to equality, and our belief that everyone has something to contribute - is sustained by the hard work of our nonprofit partners,” said Michael Owh, Director of the Mayor’s Office of Contract Services. “We are eager to work even closer in pursuit of our common goals through the Nonprofit Resiliency Committee.”

"Non-profits are the City's critical service partners in our shared effort to reduce poverty and broaden opportunity," said Matt Klein, Executive Director of the NYC Center for Economic Opportunity and Senior Advisor at the Mayor’s Office of Operations. "Through the Nonprofit Resiliency Committee, we aim to deepen this relationship and work together even more strategically to achieve positive outcomes for New Yorkers."

"Human service nonprofits provide essential City services like early education and senior services, but there is a systemic problem with how quickly and how much the City pays these nonprofits. We need a comprehensive solution that takes into account the insight and experience of all of the sector's stakeholders, and I thank Mayor Bill de Blasio for agreeing to do just that with the Nonprofit Resiliency Committee. The stakes are high, but together, we can find a solution so our nonprofits and their workers receive fair and timely payment for their work and New Yorkers continue to receive consistent, quality care," said Council Member Helen Rosenthal, Chair of the Contracts Committee.

“A strong partnership between nonprofits and city government is fundamental in building strong communities and essential to Mayor de Blasio's agenda in fighting poverty and growing opportunity,” said Allison Sesso, Executive Director of the Human Services Council. “HSC's recent Call to Action report highlighted the need for better collaboration with government and the dire need to bring the sector back from the brink of failure. The formation of the Nonprofit Resiliency Committee shows the Administration's commitment and leadership to building the health of the nonprofit human services sector and we look forward to continuing our strong partnership.”

“The Federation of Protestant Welfare Agencies applauds the City of New York for continuing to work in partnership with the nonprofit community to strengthen the sector with the creation of the Nonprofit Resiliency Committee,” said Jennifer Jones Austin, CEO and Executive Director of Federation of Protestant Welfare Agencies. “The creation of this committee demonstrates once again the Administration’s commitment to improving the lives of countless New Yorkers, and its appreciation for the role that human services agencies play in achieving this goal.

“Feeding the hungry, supporting seniors, counseling for mental health, providing day care; UJA-Federation of New York’s network of nonprofit agencies provide these critical human services, and many more, through contracts with New York City,” said Eric Goldstein, CEO of the UJA Federation. “Today we laud New York City in creating the Nonprofit Resiliency Committee to address the many challenges in the business relationship between government and its nonprofit human service providers, and to focus on delivering results to nonprofits and the clients they serve, said Eric S. Goldstein, CEO, UJA-Federation.”

“The Asian American Federation is pleased to support the Nonprofit Resiliency Committee,” said Jo-Ann Yoo, Executive Director of the Asian American Federation. “In recent years, the Mayor’s Office of Contracts Services has made tremendous progress in streamlining the contracting process between the city and nonprofit organizations, and this committee is yet another building block to ensuring that progress. Our member agencies have reported significant improvement in their experience with the contracting process, which has decreased some of the administrative burdens placed on organizations – a change that has especially impacted smaller groups. AAF and our member agencies applaud our city leaders’ continued efforts to engage and interact with the nonprofit community in mutually beneficial ways.”

"Hispanic Federation is pleased to be a member of the Mayor's Nonprofit Resiliency Committee. Together with key de Blasio Administration officials, we will explore how the city can better meet the growing needs of our diverse nonprofit sector, which is instrumental in administering countless city-directed initiatives.  Whether through procurement reforms that appeal to more nonprofits or fiscal supports for community based organizations, we aim to ensure many more organizations - small and large - have access to city contracts and serve New Yorkers in the most effective manner," stated José Calderón, President of the Hispanic Federation.

The inaugural meeting of the Nonprofit Resiliency Committee will take place on September 29, 2016. The Committee will be an ongoing endeavor, with quarterly meetings scheduled.