• The NYC Green Fund Crowdfunding Challenge provides up to $2,500 in matching funds to NYC Green Fund grant recipients for approved community projects that are hosted through an ioby crowdfunding campaign. Projects benefiting an NYC open space—including parks, community gardens, street trees, green streets, plazas, water bodies, and NYCHA communities are eligible to have their ioby crowdfunding campaign matched. If approved, the NYC Green Fund contributes one dollar for every dollar raised-up to $2,500!

• In Our Backyards, Inc. (ioby) is a civic tech nonprofit that gives local leaders the ability to crowdfund the resources they need to build real, lasting change from the ground up. ioby’s crowdfunding platform, including one-on-one coaching and support, helps connect local leaders with support and funding from their communities. You must be an NYC Green Fund grantee to participate in the NYC Green Fund Crowdfunding Challenge. 

• Applications are submitted on a rolling basis until funding runs out.
• The program will run from October 25 until March 31, 2021, unless otherwise noted by Partnerships for Parks and ioby.
• Application review and ioby crowdfunding campaign set-up typically take at least one month. Therefore, we recommend that you apply to the NYC Green Fund Crowdfunding Challenge at least one month prior to launching your crowdfunding campaign.

To be eligible for the NYC Green Fund Crowdfunding Challenge, projects must:

• Be submitted by a 2020 or 2021 NYC Green Fund grant recipient.
• Have an operating budget of $50,000 or less.
• Provide a public benefit, physical improvement, or health and wellness program in an open space in NYC; including a park, playground, community garden, street tree, Greenstreet, plaza, or water body; anywhere in the five boroughs.
• Not be aimed at making private profit for a specific individual, family, or business entity.
• Engage or be led by the residents of the neighborhood where the open space is located.
• Be feasible, legal, and likely to be implemented within six months of when the campaign closes. Projects that require approval from the land management agency should have that approval before fundraising begins.
• Be specific and concrete. The projects can be a continuation of your grant or a brand new project. Either way, we will not consider requests for general operating support. Please note that all ioby crowdfunding campaigns must include a detailed budget outlining how funds will be spent.

We do not fund:

• Fundraising solely for overhead costs such as staff pay, rent, utilities, or liability insurance without a planned public program or specific project.
• Major capital construction projects.
• Fundraising to cover the cost of producing other fundraising events or to purchase materials that will be sold for profit.
• Fundraising for an event that will not be open to the general public or does not happen in a park, community garden, or other open space.

Eligible expenses include any cost required to implement a specific project, including, but not limited to:

• Food and other event costs.
• Event permit fees.
• Advertising and marketing.
• Materials and equipment.
• Tools and field supplies. 
• Safety supplies (personal protective equipment, gloves, etc.).
• Educator, instructor, or intern stipends.
• Travel and transportation.
• Contracted services.
• Consultant fees.

Projects can be a continuation from your NYC Green Fund grant or they can be brand new. The projects will fall under several categories:

• Small-scale physical improvements to open spaces (as permitted by NYC Parks or the appropriate authority) such as new plantings and guards for street trees; new stages, shade structures, sheds, benches, raised beds, murals, etc. in community gardens; repainting of fences, new signage, plantings, etc. in a park space.
• Events and programs that benefit health and wellness occurring in open spaces, such as yoga, athletic events, fitness classes, instructor fees, and other programs supporting physical and mental health.  
• Purchases of safety supplies to support volunteer and public events, including masks, hand sanitizer, and gloves. 

The Partnerships for Parks (PfP) Capacity Fund Grant provides up to $3,000 to strengthen the outreach, membership, and program-planning capacity of community groups who care for their neighborhood parks in all five boroughs of New York City.

• This grant is seed money for volunteer-run groups working with PfP who do not have existing staff, are new to the grant application process, have limited budgets, or do not have an established track record in fundraising.
• This grant covers outreach and materials for hands-on service projects or programs that cultivate long-term stewardship of green spaces. It can also cover general promotional materials for groups and their activities and infrastructure related costs such as 501(c)(3) filing fees for groups who demonstrate more advanced fundraising capability.

El programa Capacity Fund Grant (Subsidios para Financiar la Capacitación de la Comunidad) de Partnerships for Parks provee pequeños subsidios de hasta $3,000 para fortalecer la difusión, la membresía y la capacitación en planificación de programas de los grupos comunitarios que se preocupan por los parques de su vecindario en los cinco distritos de la ciudad de Nueva York.

• Este subsidio tiene el propósito de servir como una primera propuesta para grupos dirigidos por voluntarios que trabajen con Partnerships for Parks, que no tengan personal, que sean nuevos en el proceso de solicitud de subsidios, que tengan presupuestos escasos o que no tengan experiencia en la recaudación de fondos.
• La solicitud del proyecto cubre la difusión y los materiales para proyectos de servicio o programas que fomenten la administración a largo plazo de espacios verdes, material general de promoción para los grupos y sus actividades y los costos de infraestructura, como la tasa administrativa 501c3 para grupos que demuestren una capacidad más avanzada para recaudar fondos.

• Application Deadline: TBD
• Earliest notification of decisions: TBD
• All submissions (emailed or mailed) must be received by 11:59PM on the due date. Late applications postmarked on the due date will not be accepted.

• FECHA LÍMITE DE LA SOLICITUD: TBD 
• Primera notificación de las decisiones: TBD                                                             
• Todas las solicitudes presentadas (por correo postal o correo electrónico) deben recibirse antes de las 11:59 p.m. de la fecha límite. No se aceptarán solicitudes tardías con un sello postal correspondiente al del día de la fecha límite.

The application process should not begin with submitting the proposal. Contact us to go over your ideas first and be available and prompt in your responses during the grant review period.

• Speak with your outreach coordinator or Catalyst organizer to discuss your project and your group’s goals.
• Register for an individual consultation to discuss your group’s specific proposal questions with the grants team.
• Be available during the review period to answer questions. Return calls and/or emails promptly

Siga estos pasos cuando comience el proceso de solicitud: 

El proceso de solicitud no debe comenzar con la presentación de la propuesta; primero PÓNGASE EN CONTACTO CON NOSOTROS para que analicemos sus ideas,   MANTÉNGASE A DISPOSICIÓN y envíe sus respuestas rápidamente durante el período de revisión del subsidio.

• Hable con su coordinador de difusión o con su coordinador mediador para analizar su proyecto y los objetivos de su grupo.
• Participe del seminario de información en línea para obtener información general, o regístrese para acceder a una consulta individual con el equipo de subsidios sobre preguntas específicas de la propuesta de su grupo.
• Manténgase a disposición durante el período de revisión para responder preguntas. Responda las llamadas o correos electrónicos con celeridad.

Who is eligible?

• Community groups proposing projects for any NYC Parks property throughout the five boroughs. If you are not part of a group, you are strongly encouraged to include a letter of recommendation from the group supporting the park in which you are proposing to do your project.
• Groups who lead projects or programs that engage the community, expand the group’s capacity to serve as long-term stewards of green spaces, and are free and open to the public.
• Applicants are not required to have 501(c)(3) status, but if groups are not 501(c)(3) organizations or do not have an outside fiscal sponsor, grant funds can only be accessed by reimbursement or paid invoice directly to vendors.

We do not fund: 

• Projects not on NYC Parks property.
• Equipment such as computers, printers, laptops, or tablets.
• Fundraisers or materials that will be sold for profit.
• Capital improvements to parks.
• Staff time. It is our expectation that the programs we fund will be run primarily by volunteers. In cases of paid non-profit staff, salaries must come from a different source. Exceptions are made for outside consultants such as educators or performers who provide a needed service or expertise and intern stipends when projects provide meaningful youth employment related to parks.
• Local travel.
• Overhead costs like rent, general liability insurance, utilities, etc.

¿Quién es elegible? 

• Grupos comunitarios que propongan proyectos NYC Parks en los cinco distritos son elegibles para postularse. Si usted NO pertenece a un grupo de Amigos, se recomienda especialmente que incluya una carta de recomendación de un grupo de Amigos en el parque en el cual propone realizar su proyecto.
• Los grupos que dirigen proyectos o programas que involucran a la comunidad aumentan la capacidad del grupo para servir como administradores a largo plazo de espacios verdes y además, son gratis y abiertos al público.
• NO se requiere que los solicitantes tengan la categoría 501(c)(3), pero si los grupos no son organizaciones 501(c)(3) o no tienen un aval fiscal externo, los fondos de subsidios se pueden obtener solo por reembolso o factura abonada directamente a los proveedores.

No financiamos: 

• Proyectos que no se realicen en propiedades de NYC Parks.
• Equipos como computadoras, impresoras, computadoras portátiles o tabletas.
• Colectas o materiales que se vendan para obtener ganancias.
• Mejoras del capital para parques.
• Tiempo del personal. Nuestra expectativa es que el programa que financiamos esté dirigido principalmente por voluntarios o, en los casos de personal pagado sin fines de lucro, que el salario provenga de otra fuente. Hay excepciones para asesores externos como educadores o artistas que provean un servicio o conocimiento especializado necesario y pasantes internos cuando los proyectos proveen un empleo juvenil significativo en relación con los parques.
• Viajes locales.
• Gastos generales como alquiler, seguro de responsabilidad civil, servicios públicos, etc.

Priority will be given to:

• Groups with a strong history of collaborative work with Partnerships for Parks (PfP), NYC Parks, and/or City Parks Foundation and a long-term commitment to stewardship. Participation in and/or leading an It’s My Park project is strongly advised.
• Groups who support neighborhood parks in historically under-resourced areas.
• Volunteer-run groups who have budgets less than $10,000.
• NYC Parks-focused community groups who have a long-term commitment to their neighborhood park and/or street trees. Groups eligible for GreenThumb, Historic House Trust, or flagship parks resources; nonprofits with established staff and funding, and program/service providers using the park as a venue for a one-time event will not be given priority.

Se dará prioridad a: 

• Grupos con gran experiencia en trabajo colaborativo con Partnerships for Parks, NYC Parks o City Parks Foundation y un compromiso a largo plazo en la administración. Es recomendable haber participado o dirigido uno de los proyectos de servicio It’s My Park (“Es Mi Parque”) de Partnerships for Parks.
• Grupos que apoyan los parques del vecindario en áreas tradicionalmente de bajos recursos.
• Grupos dirigidos por voluntarios que cuentan con presupuestos inferiores a $10.000.
• Grupos comunitarios enfocados en NYC Parks que tienen un compromiso a largo plazo en el parque de su vecindario o con el arbolado público. No se dará prioridad a los grupos elegibles por GreenThumb, Historic House Trust o recursos del parque emblemático, organizaciones sin fines de lucro con personal establecido y fuentes de financiamiento, y proveedores de servicios / programas que utilicen el parque como lugar para un solo evento.

Events or programs that bring new audiences to the park and encourage sustainable involvement, small physical improvements or beautification projects, training, filing for 501(c)(3) status, and the production of outreach materials such as newsletters, banners, posters, postcards, or bulletin boards.

Examples of past grantees include:

• Friends of Travers Park in Queens received $2,000 for plant materials for park and street trees, quarterly newsletters, flyers, postcards, and banners to increase membership and volunteer efforts.
• Brooklyn’s Coney Island Beautification Project was awarded $2,000 for multilingual flyers, a rainwater irrigation system, plants, and 501(c)(3) filing fees.
• Friends of St. Mary’s Park in the Bronx received $1,500 for a cultural nonprofit group to perform in the park, community visioning materials, and flyers and posters for advertising.

Los proyectos incluyen, sin limitación, lo siguiente: actos o programas que atraigan público nuevo al parque y promuevan una participación duradera; pequeñas mejoras físicas o proyectos de embellecimiento; entrenamiento; declaración de la categoría 501(c)(3); y herramientas de difusión tales como boletines, pancartas, carteles, postales o tableros de anuncios. 

Algunos ejemplos de beneficiarios anteriores incluyen:

• Friends of Travers Park Queens (Amigos del Parque Travers en Queens) recibieron $2.000 para material vegetal para el parque y el arbolado público, boletines trimestrales, folletos, postales y pancartas para aumentar la membresía y actividades voluntarias.
• Brooklyn’s Coney Island Beautification Project (Proyecto de embellecimiento de Coney Island en Brooklyn) recibió $2.000 para folletos multilingües, sistema de riego con aguas pluviales, plantas y tarifa administrativa 501(c)(3).
• Friends of St. Mary’s Park (Amigos del Parque St. Mary en el Bronx) recibieron $1.500 para la actuación en el parque de un grupo cultural sin fines de lucro, materiales visuales comunitarios, folletos y carteles para publicidad.

• Expect to hear about the funding decision roughly ten weeks after the deadline. Grant-funded projects and activities may only begin after awards are announced. 
• Grant activities must be completed within one year of receiving the award.
• Grant funds must be spent and a grant report submitted upon completion of the project, no more than one year after receiving the grant.
• Groups who receive grants may reapply one year after their award date, but must have completed and submitted a final report for all previous grant activities.

¿Que más necesita saber? 

• Espere una respuesta acerca de la decisión de financiación alrededor de ocho (8) semanas posteriores a la fecha límite. 
• Los proyectos y las actividades financiadas mediante subsidios solo pueden comenzar después del anuncio de las adjudicaciones.
• Las actividades subsidiadas deben completarse dentro de un (1) año de recibida la adjudicación.
• Se deben gastar los fondos para subsidios y se debe presentar un informe del subsidio al finalizar el proyecto, no más de un (1) año después de recibir la adjudicación.
• Los grupos que reciben subsidios pueden presentar una nueva solicitud un (1) año después de la fecha de su adjudicación, pero deben haber terminado y presentado un informe final de todas las actividades subsidiadas anteriores.