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.