Introduction
In late 2020, the Charles H. Revson Foundation convened a group of approximately 20 funders to “raise the alarm” about the significance of the 2021 municipal election, one that would result in a new mayor for the first time in eight years, as well as a fresh cohort of city council members, two thirds of whom would be newly elected. It would also be the first election in the city to use ranked choice voting.
Given these high stakes, “We felt there was an obligation on the part of foundations located in the city to try to engage as many New Yorkers as possible in voting in that 2021 local election,” shared Martha King, senior program officer at the Charles H. Revson Foundation.
The collaborative formed quickly, securing commitments from 12 donors totaling $2.45 million to support its first two years of grantmaking. Donors represented a diverse mix of family, community, and private foundations, as well as individual donors. See Appendix A for a list of current and past donors.
The Fund was housed at The New York Community Trust. A founding member of the group, The Trust’s commitment to civic engagement and its track record in hosting collaboratives made it a natural choice.
The Fund outlined the following nonpartisan mission to guide its work:
Increase voter participation and narrow participation gaps.
Increase nonprofit capacity to educate, engage, and mobilize voters.
Strengthen coordination among organizations building a more inclusive, representative, and engaged citizenry.
Minimize barriers to voting in NYC.
About this Evaluation
GoVoteNYC commissioned COMM|VEDA Consulting to undertake this learning and evaluation effort to:
Document the Fund's activities to date;
Describe the broader context for voter and civic engagement In NYC;
Determine the effectiveness of the Fund's efforts; and
Offer considerations for improving the Fund's ongoing work.
This report is based on the following data:
24 in-depth stakeholder interviews
8 donor members and executive committee members
13 nonprofit partners
1 funder who was not a part of the GoVoteNYC collaborative
2 senior staff from the City of New York
33 reports from GoVoteNYC nonprofit partners spanning the collaborative's grantmaking periods
12 final reports (2021)
11 progress reports (2022)
10 final reports (2022)
A review of secondary literature on the contextual factors surrounding voter engagement and activity in NYC.
Fund Activities
GoVoteNYC has advanced its mission by making grants, providing capacity-building and technical assistance to grantee partners, and hosting learning opportunities for nonprofit partners, donor members, and the public.
Grantmaking. To date, there have been two rounds of grants. In 2021, GoVoteNYC granted $1.17 million. In 2022, GoVoteNYC granted $1.05 million.
The pool of grantee partners consisted of organizations providing capacity-building and technical assistance for voter engagement efforts; larger non-profits already reaching New Yorkers at scale that had opportunities to integrate voter engagement into their work; and coalitions of smaller groups with an existing focus on community organizing and policy advocacy.
Collectively, these organizations were chosen for their ability to reach populations and neighborhoods with high numbers of low-propensity voters. Grantee partners used a combination of digital and relational organizing strategies to get out the vote.
Capacity-Building and Technical Assistance. The GoVoteNYC grantmaking portfolio included a set of grants given to three organizations to provide capacity-building support to other grant recipients:
New York Civic Engagement Table. In both 2021 and 2022, the New York Civic Engagement Table helped grantee partners build targeted voter lists and refine outreach efforts by providing data support and training on the use of new tools.
GoVoteNYC Grantee Partners
2021
Brooklyn Public LibraryF.Y. Eye *
Hester Street *
Hispanic Federation
Minkwon Center for Community Action
NYC Employment & Training Coalition
NY Civic Engagement Table*
NY Immigration Coalition
New York Public Library
Northwest Bronx Community and Clergy Coalition
Queens Public Library
2022
Asian American Federation
Center for Independence of the Disabled in NY
College & Community Fellowship
El Puente
Faith in New York
Hispanic Federation
Medgar Evers Center for Law & Social Justice
Minkwon Center for Community Action
New York Immigration Coalition
NY Civic Engagement Table*
Northwest Bronx Community & Clergy Coalition
United Neighborhood Houses
* Denotes technical assistance groups
Spotlight on New York Civic Engagement Table in 2022
The 2022 election cycle was exceptionally challenging for voter education and engagement. New York State’s redistricting maps were litigated, which resulted in two primary elections, one in June (for statewide offices and state assembly seats) and one in August (for congressional and state senate races). The judicial decision to hold two primaries was not final until mid-May, giving organizers just a few weeks to prepare and mobilize for the first election in June. For the August primary, not every district in the city had an election, an element which further exacerbated voter confusion and fatigue. All this created a significant financial and administrative burden for the grantees. Despite the challenges of the bi-furcated primary, the grantees met or exceeded their deliverables for voter outreach, get-out-the-vote activities, partnerships, and creation of education materials.
As the anchor organization for the cohort, NY Civic Engagement Table
Led 4 cohort convenings and 49 one-on-one meetings with organizations
Hosted 5 cohort phone banks
Designed randomized experiments for 5 cohort organizations, in collaboration with Columbia University’s INCITE and political science professor Donald Green
Provided staff and volunteer trainings on VAN, texting, phone banking, volunteer recruitment, and relational outreach
Provided many hours of strategic planning, list development, coaching, and advice on necessary pivots during the unusual 2022 election cycle
Hester Street Collaborative. In 2021, Hester Street Collaborative, an urban planning, design, and community development firm, supported GoVoteNYC’s grantee partners by developing an interactive map and dashboard to inform voter outreach efforts. Hester Street also facilitated pre- and post-election convenings for grantee partners to share organizing strategies, highlight successes, and discuss ideas to improve future GOTV.
F.Y.Eye. In 2021, F.Y.Eye, a nonprofit media agency, supported grantee partners' awareness-raising efforts related to ranked choice voting. F.Y.Eye coordinated a citywide initiative to create and disseminate advertising and educational materials on the new voting process. In addition, F.Y.Eye worked with grantee partners to share communications best practices for civic engagement.
Learning Opportunities. Beyond its grantmaking portfolio, GoVoteNYC also sought to increase awareness of voting-related issues via a webinar series. Over 200 nonprofit partners, donor members, and other stakeholders attended seven sessions on topics including electoral reform (e.g., open primaries and aligned elections), small donor public financing, and how to engage local artists and offer community-based cultural activities to encourage civic engagement.
In addition to these webinars, the Fund published opinion pieces in Philanthropy New York Insights and Gotham Gazette emphasizing the need for deeper philanthropic investment in democracy in NYC.