THE APPLICATION FOR 2021 NYC CIVIC IMPACT FUNDING IS CLOSED

Overview  
NYC Civic Impact Funding will support nonprofit and community-based organization efforts to engage volunteers who help deliver essential services to residents during the COVID-19 crisis. Organizations across the city are on the front lines – along with their volunteers – supporting residents in a multitude of ways. NYC Civic Impact Funding helps organizations strategically leverage volunteers to deliver essential services during (and after) this crisis, as well as strengthen community engagement and support at a time when it is desperately needed. Food access continues to be a particularly high need area, so this funding will focus support on food supplying and/or serving organizations.  

 
Requirements & Priorities  
NYC Civic Impact Funding is open to all community-based organizations and nonprofits who are currently engaging volunteers to deliver services to communities. In particular, organizations must be engaging volunteers to improve communities’ access to healthy and culturally-appropriate food. In order to be eligible to apply, an organization must:  

  • Be community-based (e.g. serving one or more Mayor's Taskforce on Racial Inclusion & Equity (TRIE) neighborhood(s) within the five boroughs, with genuine relationships with community stakeholders and residents). 
  • Be a 501(c)(3) nonprofit or have a fiscal sponsor. 
  • Use funding exclusively to support NYC-based volunteer and civic engagement efforts related to COVID-19 response. Organizations that also operate outside of NYC are eligible to apply, but must use this funding for their NYC programming. 
  • Seek to improve their volunteer management practices and have the ability to run an effective volunteer program designed to deliver critical services (e.g. volunteer food distribution, meal preparation, logistical support, tracking data). 
  • Supply and/or serve food. Funding may be used to support other COVID-19 response efforts that utilize volunteers, but volunteer-supported food distribution must be a major component of the programs funded. 
  • Use funding to provide services to residents in one or more Mayor's Taskforce on Racial Inclusion & Equity neighborhoods (a list of these neighborhoods can be found online here and is provided after Question #14 in the application). 

 
Preference will be given to organizations that:  

  • Demonstrate the greatest need and impact, relative to scale (based on organizational budget size, staff capacity, project scope and budget) 
  • Use funding to provide services to residents in one or more Mayor's Taskforce on Racial Inclusion & Equity Priority Neighborhoods that is identified as having a large supply gap 

 
Other Funding Details  
Applicants may request one-time funding for up to $10,000 which must be used by June 30, 2021. Up to $200,000 in total will be awarded to approximately 20 organizations. A successful application will demonstrate that funding will be used to support the implementation, improvement, or expansion of volunteer efforts who help deliver essential services to residents throughout the COVID-19 crisis. 
 

Funding May be Used for:

  • Permanent employees directly supporting or leading volunteer engagement efforts to deliver critical services  
  • Temporary employees or consultants to help build capacity for volunteer recruitment and/or management 
  • Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) for volunteers  
  • Supplies and/or food to support volunteers 
  • Volunteer stipends (e.g. travel costs via metro card). Note: volunteers receiving stipends should not be used as a replacement for full-time staff positions. Stipends should be used to offset costs incurred on behalf of volunteers, and should not be based on an hourly, daily, weekly, or monthly pay rate. 
  • Volunteer training set up and/or materials  
  • Volunteer background checks and recruitment and/or outreach materials 
  • Plexiglass or other protective measures needed to transition from warm weather to cold weather operations 
  • Funding may also be used to support your organization in getting up and running with Plentiful – a free, easy-to-use reservation system for food pantries and the people they serve 

 

Funding May NOT be Used for:

  • Office furniture/equipment, general operating costs (e.g. rent, insurance, and/or utilities), and general administration fees  
  • Food for distribution (if your organization is in need of food for community distribution, pantries can request food through NYC’s Pandemic Food Reserve Emergency Distribution (P-FRED) program. For more info, contact foodreserve@cityhall.nyc.gov. 

  

Recipient Expectations

Selected funding recipients must:

  • Submit a mid-term report and final report upon completion of the funding term 
  • Submit timely receipts and invoices for services rendered within the funding agreement 
  • Participate in the NYC Civic Impact Funding FY21 Orientation 
  • Participate in NYC Service Mid-Term and End-of-Term Check-Ins 
  • Participate in a debrief session at the end of the funding term with NYC Service and other funding recipients 
  • Coordinate with NYC Service to co-brand relevant projects and promote on external channels 
  • All funds must be used by June 30, 2021 

 

Next Steps & Application Instructions  
To apply, interested organizations must complete the NYC Civic Impact Funding application, which includes a projected budget table and Doing Business Data Form. For more information on the Doing Business Data Form, please see the Doing Business Data Form Q&A here. Please note that once an application is started it cannot be saved and returned to. To review the NYC Civic Impact Funding Application in full, please click here. 
 
Application will open January 4th, 2021. The application is due by January 15th, 2021 at 5pm. Applicants will be informed of their application status on or around February 19th, 2021. The funding term is anticipated to begin during or around the week of March 1st, 2021.

Related Documents & Links: