GoVoteNYC Fund announces $475,000 in grants to increase voter turnout

Grants build on study finding that leveraging the trust of community groups almost doubled voter turnout in targeted populations

(June 28, 2023) New York, NY – The GoVoteNYC Fund in The New York Community Trust has announced $475,000 in grants to nine nonprofits for nonpartisan get-out-the-vote activities.

The grantees, who are all trusted messengers in their communities, include: The Asian American Federation, Center for Law & Social Justice at Medgar Evers College, El Puente, Faith in New York, Hispanic Federation, MinKwon Center for Community Action, New York Civic Engagement Table, New York Immigration Coalition, and United Neighborhood Houses. 

This is the third year of grants by the GoVoteNYC funder collaborative, which brings together a dozen donors to make grants, learns together with grantees how best to advance civic engagement, and has increased voter turnout across the five boroughs of New York City.

In both the 2021 and 2022 grantmaking cycles, the New York Civic Engagement Table (NYCET) helped grantee nonprofit partners build targeted voter lists and refine outreach efforts by providing data support and training on the use of new tools. NYCET also offered field support to grantees as they implemented programs.  NYCET will receive a $75,000 grant to continue this work in 2023 and into 2024. 

The grant awards build on an evaluation of the first two years of grantmaking by the funder collaborative showing success in increasing voter turnout through local nonprofits using relational voter outreach, which are methods emphasizing conversations and other types of one-to-one engagement with friends, family, colleagues, members, and clients. In 2021, for example, Black, Indigenous and People of Color (BIPOC) voters canvassed by GoVoteNYC grantees voted at almost double the rate of BIPOC voters who were not contacted (37 percent of BIPOC voters canvassed by GoVoteNYC partners voted versus 20 percent of BIPOC voters not contacted).

The evaluation was conducted by Seema Shah, founder and principal of COMM|VEDA Consulting. In addition to tracking higher voter turnout in targeted communities, the evaluation found that the participating nonprofits built fruitful connections with other organizations, laying the groundwork for a strengthened infrastructure for civic engagement in the city. The evaluation noted ongoing challenges, including voter alienation, election fatigue, a dysfunctional election system, misinformation campaigns, and the ongoing effects of COVID-19. 

Historically, New York City's voter turnout for all elections, especially local ones, has been abysmally low, ranking towards the bottom among large American cities, with roughly 1 in 4 registered New Yorkers participating. The GoVoteNYC donor collaborative, which is housed in The New York Community Trust, was formed in 2021 with the goal of changing this trend.  The GoVoteNYC collaborative is now focused on building upon the lessons learned from the evaluation report to increase voter turnout in the 2025 citywide elections. This new round of grants will support that work. 

“New York’s democracy is being reinforced and rebuilt by community groups working together in every neighborhood in the city,” said Martha King, senior program officer at the Charles H. Revson Foundation and a GoVoteNYC co-chair. “As GoVoteNYC enters its third year and makes another round of grants, it’s very encouraging to see the success of nonprofits’ civic engagement efforts.”

“GoVoteNYC supports nonprofit partners that are deploying both creative new ideas and proven approaches to reach voters, many of whom have not voted in the past or are typically overlooked in the democratic process,” said  Patricia A. Swann, program director of Thriving Communities at the New York Community Trust and a GoVoteNYC co-chair. “It’s inspiring to see the success of traditional engagement and the development of new tools and approaches. However, while we celebrate the successful achievement of increased participation we acknowledge that it still leaves New York City voter participation at an unacceptably low number.”

“This evaluation shows the importance of relational outreach compared to one-off, transactional Get Out the Vote mass texts or phone calls,” said Zabrina Collazo, program officer at the New York Foundation and a GoVoteNYC co-chair. “This approach is best suited to trusted community organizations that can embed voter turnout work into existing programs, building on longstanding relationships. That’s a recipe for future success and why we are thrilled to make another round of grants to continue this important work.” 

The current GoVoteNYC funders are the Altman Foundation,  Brooklyn Community Foundation, the Charles H. Revson Foundation, The Ford Foundation, Moelis Family Foundation, The New York Community Trust, New York Foundation, New York Women’s Foundation, Robert Sterling Clark Foundation, Scherman Foundation, Trinity Church Wall Street Philanthropies and the Unitarian Universalist Veatch Program at Shelter Rock.

About The New York Community Trust

The New York Community Trust is a public charity and New York City’s largest community foundation. It connects generous people and institutions with high-impact nonprofits making the city and its suburbs a better place for all. It builds stronger communities, influences public policy, fosters innovation, improves lives, and protects our environment.

GoVoteNYC funder collaborative announces $1.05 million in grants to get out the vote

City donors unite across issues to bolster democracy as the foundation of a fair and just recovery throughout the five boroughs

(April 26, 2022) New York, NY – The GoVoteNYC Fund in The New York Community Trust has announced $1.05 million in grants to 11 nonprofits for nonpartisan get-out-the-vote activities.

Targeting more than 2 million new and infrequent voters, these grants will draw attention to the importance of voting in the coming state and congressional elections and is central to the Fund’s mission to shift the decades-long downward trajectory of voter participation in the city.

This year New Yorkers will vote in elections for four statewide offices and all state legislative seats. State elected officials are the decision-makers in myriad issues affecting New York City residents. 

The grantees, who are all trusted messengers in their communities, include: The Asian American Federation, Center for Independence of the Disabled in New York, Center for Law & Social Justice at Medgar Evers College, College & Community Fellowship, El Puente, Hispanic Federation, MinKwon Center for Community Action, New York Civic Engagement Table, New York Immigration Coalition, Northwest Bronx Community & Clergy Coalition, and United Neighborhood Houses. 

This effort builds on GoVoteNYC’s investment in civic engagement leading up to the 2021 municipal elections, which saw an uptick in voter turnout for the June primary. In 2022, these nonprofits will work together, tapping into the voter data expertise of the New York Civic Engagement Table, one of 22 statewide “tables,” or coalitions of nonprofits working on a nonpartisan basis to strengthen democracy across the country. The Table’s technical assistance will guide the GoVoteNYC grantees as they combine in-person canvassing with the digital outreach they successfully ramped up during the pandemic.

“New York City’s democratic processes do not get the national attention that other districts do, but our local democracy needs attention to ensure an equitable recovery,” said Martha King, senior program officer at the Charles H. Revson Foundation and co-chair of the Fund. “New Yorkers need to be heard at the polls, and we are resourcing the nonprofit partners who can successfully get-out-the-vote in diverse communities and make government more responsive and accountable.”

“Roughly three out of four New York City registered voters regularly sit elections out, while those who do vote tend to be older, better educated, and more affluent,” said Neill Coleman, executive director, Trinity Church Wall Street Philanthropies and co-chair of the Fund. “That has far-reaching consequences on policy decisions and allocations of public dollars. The GoVoteNYC Fund’s collaborative giving will help ensure an electorate that looks more like the city.”

“Our success in the philanthropic sector, from climate change to affordable housing, depends on an engaged electorate,” said Patricia Swann, program director at The New York Community Trust and co-chair of the Fund. “With GoVoteNYC, we are providing resources to the organizations across the city with the relationships to move the needle on voter turnout.” 

"With a statewide network of partner organizations, we’ve developed a successful model of organizing strategic, regional get-out-the-vote campaigns in the Hudson Valley and Long Island,” said Melody Lopez, executive director at the New York Civic Engagement Table.

“We look forward to working with GoVoteNYC’s cohort of New York City-based organizations to achieve our shared vision of increased voter turnout and engagement. Together, we can help New York City meet its potential as a beacon of democracy.” 

GoVoteNYC member organizations include:

• Altman Foundation

• Charles H. Revson Foundation

• The Ford Foundation

• Jamie Rubin

• J.M. Kaplan Fund

• Moelis Family Foundation

• The New York Community Trust

• New York Foundation

• Robert Sterling Clark Foundation

• Scherman Foundation

• Trinity Church Wall Street Philanthropies

About The New York Community Trust

The New York Community Trust connects past, present, and future generous New Yorkers with vital nonprofits working to make a healthy, equitable, and thriving community for all. It is a public grantmaking foundation dedicated to improving the lives of residents of New York City, Westchester, and Long Island.