- 251 West 30Th Street, New York
- support@yourdomain.tld
- 888-2002-234
Community-based organizations (CBOs) play a vital role in addressing both individual and collective needs in the communities they serve. They provide essential services and help create spaces where people can live safely and thrive. Despite their importance, CBOs often face resource constraints that hinder their ability to maximize their impact.
Key areas where CBOs need support:
Grant Writing: Research, identify, and complete grant submissions, with the goal of creating sustainable revenue streams.
Strategic Planning: Conduct program and organizational evaluations, possibly including assessments of board members, staff, and volunteers.
Financial Planning: Manage fundraising, facilitate new program development and staff expansion, and assess the organization’s financial health.
Networking and Collaboration: Connect CBOs with each other, create new relationships or enhance existing relationships with funders and policymakers. Plan events to facilitate knowledge sharing, problem-solving, and enhance collective presence and influence in policymaking.
Resource Sharing: Establish a system that allows CBOs to access resources, tools, and information related to operations, grants, programs, and policy initiatives.
Advocacy and Policy: Empower funders, policy makers, supporters, and partners as effective advocates for policy that benefit CBOs. Share strategies, while strengthening and amplifying support.
Technology: Bridge the digital divide by providing CBOs with reduced-cost or free hardware and software to streamline operations. Enhance communication and facilitate program evaluation.
Research and Data Analysis: Regularly assess both CBO programming and community needs via data collection. Leverage data-driven insights to inform strategic planning and program development. Ensure resources are allocated effectively.
While this Resource Guide may be focused on New York City, national organizations or organizations from other states are also included, particularly where broad support is available or valuable information is offered. This guide is not exhaustive and will be periodically updated.
The New York City’s Mayor’s Office provides a categorized directory of resources. This is not an exhaustive list but does provide helpful information that does not only address social services, but also for broader audiences as well. For instance, people can find information on how to register for voting, or how to start a small business.
The NYC Care list of community based organizations provides a general listing of community organizations that provide services either for a specific population (for example, LGBTQ+, seniors, those with disabilities) or within a specific area.
Through the ACCESS NYC program, vouchers are available to help with the cost of childcare, from 6 weeks old to 13 years old, or ages up to 19 years old for children with disabilities.
Please click here or visit https://act.vot-er.org/act/?ref=votehealth906 to register to vote or learn why voting is so important in our democratic government.
Knowing which political district you live in is especially important. Find your district by clicking here or visit Maps – Districting Commission (nyc.gov)
Click here or visit https://www.house.gov/representatives/find-your-representative for information about your congressional district and your elected representative that fights for you in Washington DC. This website will assist you by matching your ZIP code to your congressional district, with links to your member’s website and contact page.
This list prepared by the NYS Office for the Prevention of Domestic Violence reflects organizations that provide services to those experiencing domestic violence. The organizations are listed by the county they provide services in.
The following are key resources focused on helping families to gain access to education resources for themselves and their families. These resources may span from early childhood to adulthood.
City University of New York K-16 Initiatives hosts a diverse array of programs dedicated to guiding students through the college transition, enhancing achievements, closing equity gaps, and promoting economic mobility. College Now is only one of many college access programs CUNY K-16 Initiatives offers for FREE.
CUNY College Now is a FREE college transition/dual enrollment program for New York City Public Schools (NYCPS) high school students. The goals of the program are to help students earn college credits—or become college ready—before graduating from high school. Students can sign up for Fall, Spring, and Summer courses and can earn up to 15 credits prior to the first semester in college.
The Hispanic Federation of New York believes that a quality education is the single most important investment we can make in Latino communities. That is why HF runs educational programs that support students and their families at every stage of the academic system, from early childhood education through college graduation. HF also carries out research and advocates to advance policies that help Latino and other underserved students obtain the tools, resources, and opportunities they need to succeed academically and in life.
Harlem Education Activities Fund (HEAF) changes the lives of young people in underserved communities beginning in middle school and continuing in college and beyond through a youth development approach that includes rigorous year-round academic enrichment, social and cultural exposure and constant individual attention.
College and Career Lab is a six-year opportunity provided by New York University for students who are underserved and attending NYC public schools. During the four weeks of summer programming, students are exposed to different careers and academic possibilities. Students will have the chance to meet and engage with professionals and be given mentoring and advisement. NYC public school students in 7th or 8th grade are encouraged to apply for this six-year opportunity.
UFT College & Career Fair Resource Hub website provides college and career related resources. In addition, they offer FREE FAFSA/TAP completion events, and most are still virtual. These events help students in filling out the FAFSA or TAP form with one-on-one help with a financial aid advisor.
FAFSA® Application | Federal Student Aid is the official website to apply for Federal Student Aid. If you, or someone in your family wants to attend college, successfully completing this form is critical. Please strongly consider getting assistance to file your FAFSA from organizations like to The Hispanic Federation or the UFT College & Career Resources hub.
Food Pantries (nyc.gov) provides a list of food pantries around NYC, searchable by borough. While the City tries to keep this website updated, it is recommended to contact the organization to confirm their operations hours.
Community Food Resources — Healthy CUNY is a short listing of available food resources around NYC. There are some duplications within this list and other resources listed in this document.
SNAP Farmers Market Locations is a great interactive website that is available in both Spanish and English. It allows users to search for markets or farmstands by borough, days, and if they accept EBT cards. This website also can be used to search for composting and textile recycling stations.
Heating and Cooling Assistance Program (HEAP) was originally designed to assist with heating costs, it was expanded to include cooling assistance. This program helps lower-income NYC residents with heating and cooling costs. The program can also provide assistance if residents are in danger of either running out of fuel or having the heat turned off.
Use NYC Housing Connect to create an application for the NYC housing lottery. People with accounts can apply for any open lottery and check on their standing in the list.
NYC Mitchell-Lama Connet is another website for housing lotteries, including rentals listed by the NYC Housing Corporation. Accounts will first need to be created through NYC housing Connect (above) to apply for the available lotteries or rental options.
HomeFirst Down Payment Assistance Program
This program provides loans to people living in NYC toward the purchasing of their first home, condominium or co-op. The loan helps pay up to 50% of the down payment and up to 100% of the closing costs. There are eligibility requirements, along with a required contribution of personal savings.
School Tax Relief Program (STAR)
Do you or someone you know own property in NYC? This program provides property tax relief to homeowners and who have an income of less than $250,000 (STAR exemption) or $500,000 (STAR credit). This is available to people who own houses, condominiums, co-ops and mixed used properties that are owner-occupied.
Artists-Athletes-Activists | Do Good, Be Well AAA seeks to address a “first line of support” for new migrant and asylum seekers. Many individuals arrive without the necessary contacts, language skills, or finances to navigate the complex network of city services.
The hours for recent arrivals at Metro Baptist Church (located at 410 West 40th street in Manhattan) are Wednesdays and Thursdays from 9:30am-4pm (First come first serve basis).
Services rendered:
*Must meet specific requirements
Hispanic Federation: Immigration has worked relentlessly to protect and advance immigrant rights since its inception. Today, Hispanic Federation has expanded its focus to become a national provider of immigrant integration and other direct services and a national advocate for progressive immigration reforms.
Immigration Advocacy, Immigration Education – NYC, Long Island, New York State | New York Immigration Coalition (nyic.org) The NYIC serves one of the largest and most diverse newcomer populations in the United States. The multi-racial and multi- sector NYIC membership base includes grassroots and nonprofit community organizations, religious and academic institutions, labor unions, and legal and socioeconomic justice organizations. The NYIC not only establishes a forum for immigrant groups to voice their concerns, but also provides a platform for collective action to drive positive social change.
While the College Board offers study assistance for a fee, they do offer one free practice test which allows students to have a good sense of where their strengths are and what areas they could improve in. The College Board also offers study guides, along with a useful timeline for students on the last few days leading up to the exam.
Kaplan offers one free SAT prep class. For those that pay for a plan, Kaplan provides a report on strengths and weaknesses and intensive tutoring sessions.
Khan Academy has partnered with the College Board to offer free SAT practices. All the information is online and available anytime. Students will also have access to tips and test taking strategies.
The Princeton Review offers one free SAT practice test and provides information on college admission events and seminars/webinars.
Assistive Technology SAT Information provides information for people who require the use of assistive devices: Accommodations and Assistive Technology | College Board
Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA)
VITA provides free tax help to people who have disabilities, limited English-language ability, the elderly, and those who make moderate income or less, who need assistance in preparing their tax returns. All volunteers are IRS-certified and provided within community locations and some offices provide services in multiple languages. For more information and to see available locations, use the IRS locator tool.
SUNY Management Education Opportunity Center (MEOC) offers several free programs to help people wherever they are in their academic plan. There are free classes to learn English, complete a college degree, or work on a training program.
Workforce1 through Access NYC provides free workshops to assist in developing resumes and interviewing. Their goal is to successfully connect people to jobs.
College Board
The College Board has free training modules for individuals new to providing college guidance to high school students. To register, use this link.
College Access Consortium of New York, Inc. (CACNY)
This is a group for NYC counselors and CBOs supporting college access and success work. Membership is affordable for CBOs and allows access to trainings, special events, admissions, resources, etc.
NY State Association for College Admission Counseling (NYSACAC)
NYSACAC hosts a big conference in June every year for CBOs, high school counselors and college admissions representatives. To receive their tools and support, for high school counselors, CBOs, and college admissions professionals, membership is required.
PASE provides trainings, resources, guides, best practices to organizations in NYC:
Resources for Afterschool Professionals | PASE (pasesetter.org)
Navigating The “Better” FAFSA | PASE (pasesetter.org)
College Prep & Success | PASE (pasesetter.org)
Fundraising/Financial Consultants
Pro Bono Financial Planning: https://communityactionpartnership.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/A-Comprehensive-Guide-to-Community-Action-Strategic-Planning-Final-1.pdf
Strategic Planning
In addition to the services provided by Taproot (below), CBOs can also reference a strategic planning document created by a CBO in Pennsylvania. A-Comprehensive-Guide-to-Community-Action-Strategic-Planning-Final-1.pdf (communityactionpartnership.com)
Taproot
While helpful, not all organizations have the resources to support the development of internal programs like marketing, review cost analysis, strategic planning, creating a business plan or a social media strategy. Taproot uses the skills of volunteers who specialize in specific topics to help small business and CBOs. Besides one-on-one assistance, they also provide webinars on various topics.
Philanthropy Network: Resources for Nonprofits | Philanthropy Network Greater Philadelphia
While the information on this list of resources is in Pennsylvania, it is a good guide for general resources and ideas.
Community Service Society is the navigation network system that helps individuals and small businesses enroll in an affordable health care plan through the Health Plan Marketplace and have advisors available to provide information about business tax credits. Businesses can use the list in the directory to find an organization near them or can either email enroll@cssny.org or call 888-614-5400 to enroll.
Pro Bono Partnership matches nonprofit organizations with volunteer lawyers to assist in the areas listed on their website. The lawyers can assist on a large variety of topics; from negotiating real estate leases to helping organizations comply with HIPAA regulations.
Law Help NY is a directory of free legal assistance in New York State on multiple topic areas. If a person types a specific topic into the search field, some quick answers pop up, and in some cases optional resources and contact information as well. For example, type in “housing” and the responses include information on veteran emergency housing is given, in addition to a hotline for Mitchelle-Lama housing concerns.
Immigration Pro Bono is a site that is geared specifically for finding pro bono support on immigration topics. Information can be filtered by NYC county or by select cities.
Hofstra Law Clinic can be reached by either (516) 463-5934 or lawclinic@hofstra.edu. Hofstra Law School provides their law students with the opportunity to work on actual cases in areas such as immigration, community and economic development and youth advocacy. People interested in representation will need to use the contact numbers listed above to inquire if openings are available.
National Immigration Legal Services Directory is a listing of organizations that provide various immigration assistance that is culturally supportive. When viewing the list, people can drill down to specific areas by zip code, county or state. To view services available in another state, please use this link to a searchable map.
HRA CBO Partner Organizations can help people who prefer assistance in reviewing documentation and screenings for benefits such as SNAP. For ease of use, the list is broken down by borough.
LiveonNY provides support to seniors in NYC. One service they offer members is a deep dive into SNAP applications that are denied or returned. LiveOn NY can assist with investigating the cause and if possible, resubmitting SNAP applications on the individual’s behalf. There may be a requirement for membership to utilize their services.
Tech Soup is an organization that provides reduced cost IT-related software and support for non-profit organizations. Different software packages are available for different categories. For example, they have reduced cost software for Human Resources, analytics, fundraising and security. For tech support, they have options such as one-time support or CBOs can sign up for an annual contract.