Our Grantee Partners
CitizensNYC is proud to support a network of hundreds of grantee partners who are making a difference in their communities. They are the leaders of initiatives like after-school arts programs, community gardens, food pantries, and health workshops for seniors. They are the owners of local restaurants, bookstores, and beauty salons whose businesses also serve as centers of community in their neighborhood. But whatever their focus or mission, what binds them all together is how critical they are to our city.
Our partners bring forth the grassroots vision, passion, and local know-how vital for authentic and sustainable community development. Through their projects and businesses, community residents come together to exchange ideas, strengthen traditions, and improve the quality of life in our neighborhoods.
Below you can meet a small handful of our partners. For a full list, you can explore our 2023 Grantee Partners here. Or, to view where exactly each of our Grantee Partners is based, you can interact with our Grantee Partner Map here.
Richmond Hood Co.
West Brighton, Staten Island
Richmond Hood Co. is a Staten Island skateshop, running a beautification initiative on Castleton Ave, a bustling area frequented by diverse locals. Their goal is to transform empty tree beds into vibrant flower plots, enhancing the street’s appeal and fostering community pride.
Pizzette
East Williamsburg, Brooklyn
Pizzette is a small, family-owned pizzeria in Brooklyn. They are using a CitizensNYC grant to enhance their live outdoor jazz sessions, which they host on weekends as part of the local DOT Open Streets program, ensuring ongoing contributions to local culture and cohesion.
Female Fight Club NYC
North Riverdale, The Bronx
FFCNYC is a women-only fitness studio offering a safe, supportive space to prioritize health and fitness, tailored specifically to women's needs. Initiated in March 2020 with simple workouts in Van Cortlandt Park, our community's response highlighted a critical need for structured support.
CONBODY Inc
Lower East Side, Manhattan
For a decade, CONBODY has empowered individuals reentering society from incarceration in the Lower East Side. Their project trains individuals in group fitness instruction within Rikers Island and juvenile facilities, offering them a path to employment. We address community needs by organizing coat, turkey, and toy drives, aiding migrants, the homeless, and those facing food insecurity. Partnering with nonprofits like Henry and University Settlement, we keep kids active.
Coss Marte
Anna Ye Tea
Astoria, Queens
Anna Ye Tea is a Vietnamese tea company based in Queens, New York– proudly devoted to sourcing and importing premium loose leaf teas from Việt Nam, many of which rarely make it to the global market. We source small batch teas made by producers from different ethnic groups, each reflecting the country's terroir and local making techniques. Our work centers around illuminating the country's teas and vibrant tea heritage, and uplift the overall profile of Vietnamese tea in the U.S. and beyond.
Anna Ye
Roza Promotions Inc.
New Brighton, Staten Island
Roza Promotions, Inc. is dedicated to preserving West African cultural values and fostering inter-generational connections within our community. Our standout initiative, the Inter-Generational Program, bridges the gap between elderly folks and the youth, encouraging the exchange of generational wisdom and practices.
Rufus Arkoi
Schervier Community Garden
Riverdale, The Bronx
This sensory garden offers an interactive experience for wheelchair-bound guests and toddlers, nestled in a meadow-like area accessible to nursing home residents and PreK/3K children. This thoughtfully designed space includes raised planters, chimes, a gazebo, and a fountain, creating a five-sensory experience with vibrant herbs, flowers, and edible plants that engage sight, touch, smell, taste, and hearing. The garden’s creation is a collaborative effort, with input from garden members, nursing home staff, and PreK/3K teachers, and is now sustained by dedicated volunteer gardeners.
Luane Kohnke
Southeast Queens Residents Environmental Justice Coalition
Addisleigh Park Historic District, Queens
Southeast Queens Residents Environmental Justice Coalition focuses on alleviating flooding in Southeast Queens through the strategic planting of water-absorbing trees, such as willows and poplars. This pilot initiative aims to evaluate the trees' effect on the groundwater table in areas like Springfield Gardens, Laurelton, and South Jamaica, which are plagued by chronic flooding. Grassroots organizations, in collaboration with residents and local businesses, will identify suitable planting locations. Community engagement is crucial to the project's success in reducing water intrusion in homes. By tackling the persistent flooding issue, the initiative will enhance community relationships and encourage collaboration among residents, businesses, and local government.
Oster Bryan
Beets3
Manhattan Valley, Manhattan
The BEETS3 program is helping our senior community by providing essential cleaning supplies for free. Many seniors live on fixed incomes, and this initiative helps alleviate their financial burden, allowing them to allocate resources towards food and healthcare. Additionally, mobility issues often prevent seniors from accessing stores; our program ensures these individuals maintain a clean and healthy living space by delivering supplies directly to them.
Johanna Edmondson