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2026 Community Leaders Grant Logo

CitizensNYC, founded in 1975, is one of the nation’s oldest micro-funding organizations, providing financial and capacity building support to thousands of neighborhood leaders across New York City who are making their communities more connected, resilient, and healthier.

Every year, CitizensNYC awards hundreds of microgrants of up to $5,000 across all five boroughs to small nonprofits, volunteer-led initiatives, and public schools in the areas of arts and culture, education and youth, environment and climate, health and wellness, economic development, and public safety.


Please remember projects must take place between June 2026 and May 2027. The application is intended to be accessible. We estimate it will take 2 to 3 hours to draft a thoughtful submission. Please submit your application by Monday February 2, 2026 at 5pm. If you have any questions, please email grants@citizensnyc.org.


ELIGIBILITY REQUIREMENTS 


To be eligible for a grant:

  • Applicants must live in one of New York City's five boroughs.
  • Their group or organization must be "community-oriented" meaning it currently has, or will have, two or more volunteers associated with it.
  • Their group or project must not be profit-generating. They must be nonprofits, grassroots volunteer groups, schools, or youth councils.
  • Their group or project must have a budget of less than $250,000 (schools and school programs are exempt).
  • Their group or project must not be an affiliate or chapter of a larger organization
  • Their group or project cannot promote religious, political, or any other ideology.

APPLICATION

 

First we’re going to ask you questions about who you are and what you've done in your local community. We want to show how folks from every culture, ethnicity, and race make New York City better. 


PLEASE RESPOND TO ALL THE QUESTIONS


NOTE: If you are a past CitizensNYC grantee partner, please fill out this application as if it were your first time applying for a grant from us.

 

Applications can be saved online. You may save your response and return to the form later using the "Save and Resume" function. If you run into issues with our online platform, please email grants@citizensnyc.org with the subject "REQUEST COMMUNITY LEADER APPLICATION ASSISTANCE."

 

**Before you begin working on the application, please make sure you have carefully read the application guidelines on the previous page, even if you have received a grant in the past.**

 

 SECTION 1: BASIC INFORMATION

Contact Information

Please list two different contact names for your group, including working phone numbers and emails. Both contacts should be actively involved in the grant project and be able to discuss the application, as we may call for more information.
Primary Contact
Please make sure that there are no extra spaces within or after the email address, and that an "@" symbol is included.
Primary Contact Home Address
Please remember to include an apartment number, if necessary.
Example: NY for New York
The demographic information you provide is confidential and will not be used in the grant selection process. Instead, it helps us create an accurate picture of our applicant pool and ensure our efforts to engage all New Yorkers. This data is shared only upon request to city and state agencies to ensure transparency and accountability in our goal of serving all New Yorkers equitably in our application process.
Demographics

Primary Contact Social Media
Ex.: www.citizensnyc.org
Ex.: https://www.facebook.com/citizensnyc/
Ex.: https://twitter.com/CitizensNYC
Ex.: https://www.instagram.com/citizenscommittee
Ex.: https://www.linkedin.com/in/citizenscommittee
Secondary Contact
Please list a DIFFERENT contact than the primary.
Please list a DIFFERENT contact than the primary.
Please make sure that there are no extra spaces within or after the email address, and that an "@" symbol is included.
Secondary Contact Home Address
Please remember to include an apartment number, if necessary.
Example: NY for New York
The demographic information you provide is confidential and will not be used in the grant selection process. Instead, it helps us create an accurate picture of our applicant pool and ensure our efforts to engage all New Yorkers. This data is shared only upon request to city and state agencies to ensure transparency and accountability in our goal of serving all New Yorkers equitably in our application process.
Demographics
Secondary Contact Social Media
Ex.: www.citizensnyc.org
Ex.: https://www.facebook.com/citizensnyc/
Ex.: https://twitter.com/CitizensNYC
Ex.: https://www.instagram.com/citizenscommittee
Ex.: https://www.linkedin.com/in/citizenscommittee
Have you saved your work yet? Please do so by checking the box at the top of this page. Remember to write down your username and password, as you'll need those to continue working on the application at a later time.

SECTION 2: TELL US MORE ABOUT YOUR GROUP

Group Information
80 character limit
Group Primary Address
(Location of group/nonprofit or address of primary group leader if no physical space exists).
Please remember to include an apartment number, if necessary.
Example: NY for New York
Group Social Media
Ex.: www.citizensnyc.org
Ex.: https://www.facebook.com/citizensnyc
https://twitter.com/CitizensNYC
Ex.: https://www.instagram.com/citizenscommittee
Group Details
Enter a number
Have you saved your work yet? Please do so by checking the box at the top of this page. Remember to write down your username and password, as you'll need those to continue working on the application at a later time.

 

SECTION 3: TELL US ABOUT YOUR GROUP’S WORK

Please note that from this point forward, all the questions relate to the one specific project for which you and other members of your group are submitting this application.

Please only apply for projects that are taking place between May 2026 and April 2027. Projects completed before May 2026 will not be considered.
Project Details
Primary Project Category

Additional Project Category


              

Outreach and Evaluation
Project Address
Please provide the primary address associated with your project. This should be the main location where your project operates or is based. If your project occurs in multiple neighborhoods, please still choose one main site that best represents your group’s home base or primary location. (For example: 123 Main Street).
Have you saved your work yet? Please do so by checking the box at the top of this page. Remember to write down your username and password, as you'll need those to continue working on the application at a later time.

 

SECTION 4: REQUESTED GRANT AMOUNT

Requested Grant Amount
Tell us how much you would like to request. If awarded a grant, the grant may not equal the amount requested. (Please keep in mind that the maximum of our Community Leaders Grant is $5,000.) 

Please complete the budget template below. Tell us how much your project will cost - list all the items you will need to carry it out, including accurate estimates. If awarded a grant, the grant may not equal the amount requested, depending on whether budget items and amounts fall within our guidelines.


No special character or hyphens


No special character or hyphens
No special character or hyphens
Additional Opportunities for Support
Please check the box for any additional opportunities that you would be interested in. Your responses will not impact the review of your application.
Have you saved your work yet? Please do so by checking the box at the top of this page. Remember to write down your username and password, as you'll need those to continue working on the application at a later time.

Page 6

ALMOST DONE


PLEASE CLICK THE 'CONTINUE' BUTTON BELOW TO REVIEW AND SUMBIT YOUR APPLICATION! 
(Please do not hit 'Continue' twice or hit the back button after hitting 'Continue'.).  


We will notify you of the grant decision by May 2026.


Please consider following us on social media for more resources and information.

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