Robin Hood, New York City’s largest poverty-fighting philanthropy, announced $13.8 million in Q1 2026 grants to support New Yorkers most at risk amid federal threats to critical safety net programs such as SNAP, Medicaid, and immigration protections. The funding aims to strengthen services across early childhood, education, young adult pathways, workforce development, housing, and public policy advocacy, ensuring vulnerable populations maintain access to essential resources and opportunities to thrive.
The Early Childhood portfolio, receiving $2.58 million, supports maternal health, early development, and family economic stability. Key initiatives include direct benefits enrollment, mental health support for mothers, and integrated legal and mental health services for families navigating child welfare systems. These efforts complement state and city commitments to expand affordable child care.
Grants totaling $3.93 million focus on School-Age Children, sustaining programs that improve education quality, literacy, technology skills, and family access to public benefits. Investments in organizations such as Harlem Children’s Zone, Teach For America New York, BronxWorks, and others aim to reduce opportunity gaps and support diverse, high-quality education for city students.
The Young Adults portfolio received $2.05 million to provide alternatives to incarceration, college success programs, and career pathways for New Yorkers aged 16–29. Notable grants include funding for CASES’ alternative-to-incarceration program, Henry Street Settlement’s career and college pathways for disconnected youth, and the Urban Male Leadership Academy at Borough of Manhattan Community College, helping young adults achieve higher graduation rates and sustainable employment.
Adults and Household Supports, including workforce development and housing, received $2.41 million. Funding supports job training programs, pre-apprenticeship construction programs, preservation of public housing, affordable housing development, and eviction prevention initiatives. Organizations like Brooklyn Workforce Innovations, Nontraditional Employment for Women, and the Citizens Housing and Planning Council are central to these efforts.
Public Policy grants totaling $2.885 million aim to protect New Yorkers from federal cuts to health care, food assistance, and housing. Investments include strengthening Medicaid renewal systems, informing child care program expansion, developing policy responses to potential insurance coverage losses, and defending nonprofits through advocacy and litigation.
In addition, Robin Hood awarded $600,000 to six start-up impact ventures to support innovative approaches to poverty reduction. Since 1988, Robin Hood has invested nearly $3 billion to help New Yorkers escape poverty permanently, scaling programs across child care, education, jobs, housing, and advocacy to improve outcomes for over two million residents living in poverty.
