Almost a year later, we’re stepping out more publicly.

We know some of you are only hearing this for the first time. Others may still be wondering what this means for you, your community, or the field more broadly.

We are approaching the spend down decision with intention, transparency, and the determination to act decisively. 

Our decision to spend down is about aligning our resources with what the moment demands. We are proud to be part of a growing statewide conversation among funders and organizers in New York who are asking both what philanthropy can do, and what it must do to defend democracy, build power, and fund toward collective liberation. 

This moment calls for long-horizon investment in the infrastructure of organizing – in the people, practices, and relationships that sustain civic muscle across rural, suburban, and urban communities.

This new section of our website is one way we are honoring that commitment.

Here, you’ll find updates on our timeline and next steps, personal reflections from staff and board members, invitations to join upcoming events and conversations, and explore research we’re publishing on what it takes to sustain organizing infrastructure in New York City. You’ll also see stories that reflect the questions we’re asking in real time, and the people who continue to shape our answers.

We’re building this in the open because we want to be accountable. We’re not making decisions behind closed doors. We are staying rooted in community, learning from partners and colleagues across the state who are ensuring that New York remains a proving ground for a functioning, inclusive, multiracial democracy.

We are continuously asking ourselves what would make this a transformational process, and for us it means acting locally, being in community, and choosing clarity over legacy.

We hope what you find here sparks your own reflections and invites you into the work alongside us.

With care,