Mayor's Fund to Advance New York City311Search all NYC.gov websites
About the Fund
About the Fund
Mission & Vision
The Mayor's Fund to Advance New York City cultivates partnerships that combine the incomparable reach of government with the entrepreneurial spirit of the private sector to create a stronger and more just city for all New Yorkers.
How We Work
The Mayor's Fund to Advance New York City is a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit organization working with 50 City agencies and offices, 300 institutional funders, and 100 community-based partners.
The Mayor's Fund and its partners advance initiatives that improve the lives of New Yorkers from all walks of life and across all five boroughs. In particular, the Mayor's Fund has made strategic investments to promote mental health services for all New Yorkers, increase workforce development opportunities for young New Yorkers, and meet the needs of New York City's diverse immigrant community.
The Mayor's Fund governed by a Board of Directors appointed by the Mayor. In addition, the Mayor's Fund has an Advisory Board comprised of prominent civic and business leaders appointed by the Mayor to advise and assist the Board of Directors.
History
The Mayor's Fund to Advance New York City (formerly Public-Private Initiatives Inc.) was established in 1994. Since its creation over twenty years ago, the Mayor's Fund has facilitated public-private partnerships to create a stronger and more just New York City.
In the wake of the September 11, 2001 terrorist attack, the Mayor's Fund established the Twin Towers Fund—raising $107 million to support the families of rescue workers who lost their lives or were severely injured in the attack. With the support of the Mayor's Fund, New York City opened the first Family Justice Center in 2005—allowing domestic violence survivors to access prosecutorial, counseling, and housing and financial assistance services in one location for the first time.
In 2010, the Mayor's Fund and the Mayor's Office for Economic Opportunity (formerly the Center for Economic Opportunity) received New York City's first Social Innovation Fund grant from the Corporation for National and Community Service to replicate some of City's most successful anti-poverty pilot initiatives and to build a national body of evidence demonstrating the impact of the programs. The Mayor's Fund and the Mayor's Office for Economic Opportunity partnered again in 2011 to launch the Young Men's Initiative, a $127 million public-private partnership to invest in programs that connect young men to educational, employment, and mentoring opportunities.
The Mayor's Fund, the Mayor's Office for Economic Opportunity, and the Department of Health and Mental Hygiene secured the City's second Social Innovation Fund grant to launch in 2015, Connections to Care (C2C), a $30 million public-private partnership evaluating the integration of mental health support at community-based non-profits serving low-income and at-risk populations who struggle with unmet mental health needs. Through C2C, mental health providers (MHPs) train staff at CBOs to use evidence-based mental health skills - such as screenings for common mental health and substance use disorders and mental health first aid. Between March 2016 and February 2021, providers trained over 1,950 staff and reached 51,171 program participants with C2C skills.
The Mayor’s Office of Youth Employment (MOYE), formerly the Center for Youth Employment, was launched in 2015 as a joint collaboration of the Mayor’s Fund, business leaders, philanthropy, and several City agencies and offices. MOYE’s mission is to better engage local employers in youth workforce programming, and to facilitate greater coordination and strategic thinking between the public and private groups already supporting college-and-career-readiness activities. MOYE has helped grow the overall number of City-supported jobs, internships, and related opportunities for youth from approximately 62,000 in FY2015 to over 100,000 in FY2019 and FY 2022.
In 2017, the Mayor’s Fund launched the New York City Soccer Initiative (NYCSI), a $3 million, five-year partnership with Adidas, New York City Football Club, U.S. Soccer Foundation, and Etihad Airways to revamp under resourced public spaces into areas that promote physical health, youth development, and community engagement through soccer. Over the course of five years, the New York City Soccer Initiative is building, maintaining, and programming 50 mini soccer pitches in underserved neighborhoods across the five boroughs.
Throughout FY22, the Fund continued its partnership with MOYE, securing a $1.5 million grant that will advance the goals of two STEM-related initiatives: Exploring Futures and College Now for Careers. Exploring Futures serves middle school students by helping them learn more about potential career paths and plan for success in the world of work. The grant will provide $750,000 over the course of three years and help expand the program to 15 additional schools, supporting educational opportunities for 750 students. College Now for Careers — a partnership between the New York City Department of Education (DOE) and The City University of New York (CUNY) — enables New York City public high school students to earn college credits at CUNY by completing required courses for STEM majors.
In response to the Twin Parks Fire, which occurred on January 9, 2022, in Bronx, New York, and impacted 158 households. The Mayor’s Fund tapped the goodwill of New Yorkers, philanthropic organizations, and corporate partners to raise $4.4 million to support victims of the fire. The Mayor’s Fund contracted with trusted community partner BronxWorks for one year to distribute $3 million in cash assistance as well as other needs of clients as they come up. BronxWorks was provided $1 million for care management services that builds on the work they already provide to Bronx residents. The remaining funds are being used to support Bronx fire residents on other emergency needs, such as travel and medical services.