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For Grant Seekers

The Trust's mandate is to make the City a vital place in which to live and work for all New Yorkers.

We make grants in the five boroughs, to nonprofits large and small, to those we've worked with over the years and those who are new to us. We are committed to sticking with significant issues that don't lend themselves to quick or easy solutions, and look for projects that take fresh approaches to long-standing issues and that tackle emerging problems and opportunities. Read more about grantmaking at The Trust>>

We fund in four broad areas:

The Trust also manages several joint funders' programs, including The New York City AIDS Fund and the Donors' Education Collaborative. Each has its own application procedures and often issues requests for proposals.

If your organization or project is in Westchester or on Long Island, please get in touch with our divisions in those communities:

An Overview of Grantmaking at The Trust

Making grants that make a difference requires a good understanding of the problems you're trying to fix, the methods that others have tried and how they've fared, and the capabilities of the organization proposing a program.

We think that experience in the field is also essential. The Trust's staff have all worked for nonprofits in the areas in which they now make grants. This helps them appreciate the complexities of designing projects, translating them into compelling proposals, and competing for the limited amount of money that's available. The Trust must also balance the needs of the City with the charitable intent of our generous donors, who make these grants possible.

Before you apply...

  1. Read our Guidelines for Grant Applicants. Note that these guidelines do not apply to the grants made from our donor-advised, designated, or scholarship funds.

    2.
  2. The best way to get a good idea of what we are currently funding is to read our Grants Newsletters.

  3. Look over our recent grants for a quick overview of the organizations and projects that we fund. You can also read about our grants at work online. 

  4. Please check here for current requests for proposals from our special projects. Note that some lists are open, and others are closed.

  5. Find out how we determine our grants budget. Community foundations like The Trust allocate their money very differently from private foundations.

Grant Seeker FAQs

No. Trust staff meet weekly to review all the proposals that have come in since the last meeting. If a proposal clearly does not meet our guidelines, the organization is informed within two weeks. Otherwise, it is assigned to a program officer for review and the organization is so notified.

We first check to see if we have funds available in the particular category. The review assesses the quality of the proposed project, the capability of the organization, and its relevance to our grantmaking guidelines. We often check out the organization with other funders and nonprofits and sometimes request a meeting. We also visit a program we are seriously considering funding. Finally the staff makes a recommendation to our board.

No. All proposals received go through the same process.

No. We need to have something in writing first. If we think a meeting is necessary, we'll call you to set one up.

There are thousands of nonprofits in the City that could use operating and capital grants. Project grants allow us to select those that advance the goals our board has set for each grantmaking program.

Yes, although our general practice is to make grants for one year. You should be sure to make the case for multi-year funding in your proposal.

We do not make our donors' names and addresses available. Our Grants Newsletter, which is published five times a year after each board meeting, lists all the grants made at the meeting, and is distributed to a broad community of donors, grantees, elected officials, and others. We also encourage donors to call us for more information about grantees featured in this newsletter and on our Web site.

Generally, no. We have several funds, however, that use a request for proposal (RFP) process for grantmaking. RFPs are generally sent to a closed list, i.e., only those who receive the RFP can apply, but open RFPs are posted here.

Our grants usually range from $5,000 to $200,000; an average grant is around $60,000. Often, a grant from The Trust cannot fully support a project, so we will want to know where the rest of the money will come from.

Yes. Each proposal is considered on its own merits.

The grant review process takes from two to six months.

Please send it to us by regular mail. E-mailed or faxed proposals are not accepted.

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