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Annual Report 2024
IN 2024, YOUR GIFT MADE ALL OF THIS POSSIBLE
Screened 18,272 CHILDREN to identify risks for negative health and learning outcomes. Served 17,230 MOTHERS AND INFANTS through evidence-based programs that improve physical and mental health. Created 2,220 NEW AFFORDABLE HOUSING units and funded programs that preserved an additional 1,925 affordable and supportive apartments. Connected 350,000 INDIVIDUALS and over 160,000 households to critical food, housing, and health benefits.
365,000 K-5 STUDENTS at 1,000 schools are participating in NYC Reads, the public schools’ new science- of-reading-based literacy program. NYC Reads was shaped in part by early investment and input by Robin Hood.
OUR MISSION IS TO ELEVATE NEW YORKERS OUT OF POVERTY
Enabled 29,000 STUDENTS to participate in high-quality
Raised academic outcomes across 191 elementary schools, 138 middle schools, 128 high schools. post-secondary education programs that are increasing graduation rates by 40% or more. Distributed over 100 MILLION POUNDS of food, including more than 50 million pounds of fresh produce.
Elevated the quality of child care by training 400 NEW EDUCATORS .
All impact stats shared herein are derived from the work of Robin Hood community partner grantees. Your investment in Robin Hood makes this impact possible.
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LETTER FROM THE CEO
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Letter from the CEO...................................................................................................... Putting Your Dollars to Work..................................................................................... The Robin Hood Way.................................................................................................... Community of Caring................................................................................................... Community Spotlight: Henry Street Settlement................................................. Programs and Special Initiatives Laying the Building Blocks That Fortify Opportunity ...................................... Emergency Food........................................................................................................ Migrants—Our Newest New Yorkers................................................................... Physical and Mental Health.................................................................................... Education...................................................................................................................... Early Childhood ......................................................................................................... Career Advancement............................................................................................... Financial Stability....................................................................................................... Housing and Homelessness.................................................................................. Capacity Building...................................................................................................... Criminal Justice.......................................................................................................... Poverty Tracker........................................................................................................... Special Initiatives....................................................................................................... Community Spotlight: St. John’s Bread & Life.................................................. Our Community Partners ........................................................................................... Join Us! .............................................................................................................................. Donor Spotlight.............................................................................................................. Upcoming Events.......................................................................................................... Your Support in 2024 Makes It Possible................................................................ Governance and Leadership......................................................................................
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Dear Friends,
Since beginning my tenure as CEO three and a half years ago, Robin Hood has been steadfast in building the infrastructure of opportunity in New York City. Our goal—always—is to aid New Yorkers in escaping poverty, transforming their lives and building a better future for themselves and their loved ones. The work is not easy. Fifty-eight percent of New Yorkers are poor or low-income, just a missed paycheck or unexpected bill away from crisis. Every year, 1.8 million New Yorkers rely upon food stamp benefits to feed their families and more than 4 million receive health insurance through Medicaid. Reducing funding for these important programs threatens the stability of New York families and will force many more New Yorkers into poverty. This is a difficult moment for poverty fighters, but because of your commitment to Robin Hood, it is also one filled with possibility. You made it possible for Robin Hood to distribute $129.5 million in grants to 285 grantee partners across all five boroughs in 2024. Your contribution enables Robin Hood to fund, support, and connect a vast network of nimble, creative, and highly effective organizations that are building the foundation of a City that works for all New Yorkers.
Together, we’re nourishing the hungry, giving shelter to the homeless, welcoming our newest neighbors, providing physical and mental health care, improving our schools, and getting students to and through college. We’re working to expand access to affordable child care, training and placing people in jobs that pay family-sustaining wages, and keeping young people out of the criminal legal system. And we’re partnering with advocates to expand affordable housing, extend health care eligibility for lower-income children, raise hourly wages, and preserve funding for 3-K and Pre-K programs. Together, we’re building something amazing— a City of hope and opportunity, where possibility is limited only by the imagination of the 8 million people who call New York home. Which is to say, no limits at all.
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Thank you for being Robin Hood.
Sincerely,
Richard R. Buery, Jr.
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THE ROBIN HOOD WAY Robin Hood brings New Yorkers together to fight poverty. We convene philanthropists, civil society organizations, government, businesses, nonprofits, community members, and impacted individuals to develop and advance programs and policies that help New Yorkers permanently exit poverty.
PUTTING YOUR DOLLARS TO WORK
Here’s how we invested in the most impactful poverty-fighting strategies in 2024
$2.8 million
Emergency Food
Robin Hood invests in best-in-class organizations operating effective programs. We fund research to understand how poverty persists and what strategies are effective in fighting it. And we track grant outcomes and apply cost-benefit analyses to ensure that every dollar we invest has the strongest poverty-fighting impact.
$2.5 million
Migrants
We offer management advice, strategic real estate consulting, board place- ment services, financial and communications coaching, leadership development, and other technical assistance to help our partners increase scale and impact.
$8.9 million
Physical and Mental Health
$43.2 million
High-Quality Education
$20.7 million
Early Childhood
$12.8 million
Career Advancement
$16.7 million
Financial Stability
$10.2 million
Housing and Homelessness
$7.8 million
Data & Capacity Building
$3.8 million
Criminal Justice Dollar amounts are rounded
Total Organizations 285
Total 2024 Grantmaking $129.5 million
We partner with government and other funders to grow proven solutions in NYC and beyond so more people benefit from investments that work.
We invest in new leaders, new organizations, and new ideas that have groundbreaking potential.
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COMMUNITY OF CARING
ANNUAL BENEFIT Each year, Robin Hood hosts a benefit to honor our community and celebrate the impact of our work on New Yorkers in poverty. Our 2024 Benefit, co-chaired by Patrick Healy, Kristin Lemkau, Henrik Lundqvist, Nima Noorizadeh, and Brooke and Steven Schonfeld, featured sensational performances by Mumford & Sons, Nate Bargatze, and Post Malone.
Mumford & Sons
We are deeply grateful for our community of poverty fighters, whose dedication makes our work in New York City possible. In 2024, thousands of passionate supporters united for thought-provoking conferences, exciting sporting events, and dynamic dinners—coming together in meaningful ways to help New Yorkers break the cycle of poverty for good.
Nate Bargatze
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Stephen A. Smith
Paul Tudor Jones II
Jim Gaffigan
Gavin Baker, Anthony Bozza, Justin Lubell, and Lee S. Ainslie III
Kendrick Lamar
INVESTORS CONFERENCE
The 2024 J.P. Morgan / Robin Hood Investors Conference convened the top minds in policy, investing, tech, business, and more to share their best investment ideas and insights. To date, this event has raised more than $61 million to build brighter futures for New Yorkers. The conference also launched Pick-A-Ticker: A Fundraiser for Robin Hood (and Your Favorite Charity!), an investment competition to support Robin Hood and our community partners.
Post Malone
Kristin Lemkau and Stephanie Ruhle
ROBIN HOOD NIGHTS
Robin Hood Nights was a rooftop celebration featuring DJ sets by Mark Ronson and Brittany Sky. Led by our dynamic host committee, this sold-out party gathered some of Robin Hood’s most passionate next-gen supporters to celebrate the City we love.
Mark Ronson
Condoleezza Rice and Ken Griffin
Alexis Ohanian
Mohammed Anjarwala
Mary Callahan Erdoes
John Cena
Justin Tuck
David Einhorn
Dottie Serure
Karen Karniol-Tambour and Mike Jacobellis
Stanley F. Druckenmiller and Paul Tudor Jones II
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ROBIN HOOD’S HEROES BREAKFAST Robin Hood’s Heroes Breakfast celebrates extraordinary New Yorkers who embody resilience, community, and the spirit of the city we all love. This year’s 35th annual breakfast honored Robin Hood grantees CUNY ACE, Social Creatures, and SUNY, as well as three remarkable individuals whose stories exemplify the impact of these community partners.
OPPORTUNITY X AI SUMMIT Robin Hood’s inaugural Opportunity x AI Summit explored the powers and limitations of artificial intelligence to fight poverty at scale. At this single-day conference, speakers discussed AI implications for health, education, journalism, and more. The summit also announced the launch of the AI Poverty Challenge, a national competition to advance effective and equitable uses of AI that broaden opportunity and support upward mobility for people living in poverty.
John B. King, Jr.
2023 Robin Hood Hero Nana Zakia
Alexis Ohanian
Yasmin Green
IMAGES
Dina Powell McCormick and Tory Burch
Mark Bezos and Paul Tudor Jones II
IMAGES
Richard R. Buery, Jr. and the 2023 Robin Hood Heroes
Alexandria Jones, John B. King, Jr., Richard R. Buery, Jr., Gabriel MacDonna, and Darryle Epps, Jr.
Tom Hanks
Peter A. Boyce II, Reshma Saujani, Rui Maki, and Dave Levin
Sal Khan
Misty Copeland, Henry Timms, and Thelma Golden Drew Conway
Ellie Bertani
Dina Powell McCormick
2023 Hero Yiromys Vallejo
Ken Tropin
David Solomon
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NYC MARATHON Sixty athletes joined Robin Hood’s marathon team to go the extra mile for New Yorkers in poverty. Collectively, Team Robin Hood raised nearly $400K in support of our poverty-fighting work across all NYC’s five boroughs.
ROCK & ROLL SPRING PARTY AND GOLF TOURNAMENT
In April 2024, longtime board member Kenneth G. Tropin hosted the inaugural Robin Hood Golf Tournament and Rock & Roll Spring Party at Emerald Dunes in Florida. The event featured spirited competition on the course, followed by an evening of great food, specialty cocktails, and live music.
PICKLEBALL Robin Hood teamed up with
City Pickle to serve up a night of philanthropic fun at Wollman Rink in Central Park. Teams of donors, corporate partners, and grantees competed at our inaugural pickleball tournament, raising $150,000 to fight poverty and help make NYC a better place for all.
MAJOR GOOD Robin Hood and Major Food Group’s hunger-fighting partnership, Major Good, ran strong in 2024. Thanks to Chef Rich Torrisi, Major Good offers bespoke dining experiences in the private dining room at New York City’s hardest-to-get reservation, Torrisi Bar & Restaurant. Our donors enjoyed exceptional, intimate dinners throughout the year—with all proceeds supporting Robin Hood’s food programs.
MrBEAST
Rich Torrisi
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CORPORATE PARTNER HIGHLIGHT
LEMONAID Robin Hood’s annual Lemonaid program continued strong for its 18th year, inspiring families in Scarsdale to teach their children about the challenges facing New Yorkers, the importance of supporting their community, and the role they can play to help others. By preparing and selling batches of lemonade, these kids and teens learned how to take a stand against poverty.
Robin Hood’s partnerships team engaged with scores of generous institutions—like Amazon, Barclays, Deloitte, L’Oréal, and Capital One, among others. By leveraging diverse expertise, financial and in-kind resources, together, we were able to open doors and expand horizons for New Yorkers. Volunteering, learning sessions, community engagement, and targeted investments enable Robin Hood’s partners to change the landscape of poverty in New York.
Agata Skora and Azucena Flores
WIN GINGERBREAD
Robin Hood’s Family Philanthropy program and Win, our long-time housing partner, held our annual gingerbread decorating party at the nonprofit’s family shelter in East New York. Robin Hood donors, staff, and children and parents residing in the shelter gathered to build gingerbread houses and enjoy a morning of play at NYC’s largest provider of family shelter and supportive housing.
Kevin Durell and Irina Dunayevsky
Richard R. Buery, Jr., and Shawn Kode
NEW STORIES In June, we officially unveiled New Stories, a public-private partnership that modernized an underutilized Inwood site into 174 affordable homes and a NYPL library branch, and created community resources like a child care center and STEM education space. The project was made possible by a $5M grant from the Rosenblatt family in honor of Joseph and Sheila Rosenblatt.
Sam Rosenblatt, flanked by his sisters Sarah Goos, and Jill Gordon
John Catsimatidis Jr.
Alexis and Sean Allen
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From side gigs to stability: how a workforce program transformed Tyler Lugo’s future At just 24 years old, Tyler Lugo was searching for stability. A Queens native, he worked hard throughout his school years, eventually reaching his goal to enroll in college to study biotechnology. But when the COVID-19 pandemic hit, the shift to remote learning made it difficult for him to keep up with his coursework. He withdrew after two semesters and took on gig work, delivering for Uber Eats while coaching football. He struggled to make ends meet, feeling that a long-term career path was just out of reach—until a friend introduced him to the Building Automation Systems Training (BAST) program, a Robin Hood-funded partnership between Henry Street Settlement and Stacks+Joules.
BAST is exactly the kind of workforce development program that Robin Hood, New York City’s largest private funder of job training, invests in to ensure more low-income New Yorkers can access well-paying careers. In 2024 alone, Robin Hood invested $12.8 million in career advancement programs focused on middle-skill jobs in high-growth sectors like construction, technology, and health care. These roles—such as HVAC technicians and building automation specialists—offer a sustainable path out of poverty without requiring a four-year degree. “Programs like this don’t just train you—they give you a shot at a career,” Tyler explained. “Without it, I might still be working side gigs, just trying to get by. Now, I have stability, a path forward, and real options for my future.” For Tyler, the hands-on training at Henry Street’s Lower East Side neighborhood center was a game-changer. He quickly built technical skills and industry certifications, but as is the case for many young adults in New York City, economic instability threatened to derail his
progress. When Tyler revealed he was struggling to pay rent and utilities, Henry Street provided emergency cash assistance through the Point Source Youth program, enabling him to stay housed and complete the program. At BAST’s Skills Showcase, Tyler caught the attention of Tec Systems, an energy solutions company. During his interview, he was asked to draw a complex wiring diagram from memory—a test he passed, earning a three-month paid internship at more than $20 an hour, along with the chance to secure a full-time position earning over $30 an hour. Robin Hood’s investments in workforce development, apprenticeships, and job placement are critical in closing the opportunity gap for young adults like Tyler. More than half of employed young adults in NYC want to work more hours, and nearly 70% have looked for better job opportunities in the past year. Programs like BAST provide a clear path to economic mobility, giving young adults the training, certifications, and employer connections they need to secure well-paying, future-focused careers.
COMMUNITY SPOTLIGHT
“There was a moment when I was in a financial jam, and Henry Street gave me a grant to help with rent, groceries, and utilities. That support was everything. It kept me housed, got me through the program, and helped me graduate. Without that help, I don’t know if I would’ve made it.” — Tyler Lugo
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THE FOUNDATION FOR THE FUTURE BEGINS WITH YOU Laying the Building Blocks That Fortify Opportunity One in four New Yorkers live in poverty—nearly double the national poverty rate. Another third are low-income. 1 Fifty eight percent (58%) of all New Yorkers are struggling to make ends meet.
The cornerstones of our work are the rigorous application of research and data, evidence- informed innovation, developing pathways to scale, and capacity building for frontline nonprofit service providers.
Research confirms that vulnerable New Yorkers frequently move in and out of poverty, making it difficult to permanently break the cycle and achieve real economic mobility.
This is where YOU come in.
Because of you, Robin Hood is built to last.
Our donors provide access to the critical building blocks that most New Yorkers in need require to get ahead—affordable housing, child care, high-quality education from infancy through college, nutrition, health care, access to sustaining governmental benefits, and work- force development and training programs. And all of these services are directly provided by the grantee partners Robin Hood funds. Your investment drives the impact created by our grantees. Since 1988, we’ve been building, solidifying, and expanding the supports that help those living in poverty to find pathways out of poverty, while preventing New Yorkers living on the margins from slipping into poverty.
Together, we’re funding, supporting, and connecting high-impact direct-service community organizations, partnering with government, and advocating for what works so that New York City can be a place of opportunity—a place where all New Yorkers can thrive.
PHYSICAL AND MENTAL HEALTH
HIGH-QUALITY EDUCATION
CAREER ADVANCEMENT
FINANCIAL STABILTY
HOUSING AND COMMUNITY
1 The income threshold for those living in poverty in New York City is $21,870 for a renting single adult without children and $47,190 for a renting married or cohabiting couple with two children. The income threshold for low-income New Yorkers is $43,740 for a renting single adult without children and $94,380 for a renting married of cohabiting couple with two children.
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19 EMERGENCY FOOD
Challenge
Response
Let’s make sure no New Yorker goes hungry.
Nearly one in three adult New Yorkers and almost half of NYC families with children don’t have enough to eat. Food pantry use is twice as high as before the pandemic. According to our Poverty Tracker research, pantries are increasingly serving a broader range of New Yorkers, including those who work full-time. Research tells us that hunger and the lack of enough nourishing food are linked to substandard health outcomes—thwarting children’s growth and learning, and limiting their full potential.
Your generosity nourishes the most vulnerable New Yorkers. Your support sustains a vast ecosystem of organizations that feed New Yorkers every day, including emergency service organizations, soup kitchens, and food pantries. Your generosity also connects hungry New Yorkers to an array of government benefit programs that provide food, housing, and health care assistance. Your investment fosters dignity and autonomy and provides certainty for families struggling to access pathways to upward mobility.
Distributed 100+ including more than 50 to New Yorkers in need across all five boroughs. Here’s What You Made Possible MILLION POUNDS OF FOOD MILLION POUNDS OF FRESH PRODUCE
Connected 350,000 INDIVIDUAL NEW YORKERS and over 160,000 HOUSEHOLDS , nearly two-thirds of which have children, to critical benefits that provide families with food and other essential resouces.
IN 2024
GRANTS TOTALED $2.8 MILLION
Your Support Is Still Urgently Needed Our advocacy efforts are laser-focused on maintaining public funding for food assistance programs. Recent proposals to cut the federal SNAP program may result in New York State losing as much as $15 to $20 billion in food benefits over the next decade, leaving 1.8 million New Yorkers strapped and with few alternatives to feed their families. Your support is giving a voice to those without one.
Forty-four percent (44%)—almost half—of families with children in New York City know the pain of hunger.
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21 MIGRANTS—OUR NEWEST NEW YORKERS
Challenge
Response
Emigrants are, and have always been, integral to the fabric of NYC. Over the last two and half years, incoming migrants and asylum seekers placed fresh demands on the City’s fragile social service delivery network. Their arrival came as nonprofit service providers, and especially City shelter services, were still reeling from the COVID pandemic.
NYC is a place of dreams and opportunity, and our response to the migrant crisis is focused on helping stabilize the newest New Yorkers so they are in a position to seize future opportunities that will make the aspirations of new arrivals a reality. Guided by the simple principle that your starting place in life should not define where you end up, your support of Robin Hood enabled our grantees to respond to a humanitarian crisis in real time, accelerating pathways for migrants to become eligible to work and connect them to job training and placement services.
Here’s What You Made Possible Secured legal assistance for 2,829 PEOPLE including pro se support, advice, and counsel, or full representation.
IN 2024
GRANTS TOTALED $3.7 MILLION
The Funds for the Newest New Yorkers Working with The New York Community Trust we jointly established a $5.6 million, two-year initiative called The Funds for the Newest New Yorkers . This effort will help nine Robin Hood grantees to provide case management, legal aid, English language instruction, job training, health care, and resettlement support in the form of temporary and permanent housing and access to eligible public benefits for new arrivals, potentially serving as many as 10,592 people.
Since the Spring of 2022, nearly 250,000 migrants and asylum seekers have made New York City home.
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23 PHYSICAL AND MENTAL HEALTH
Challenge People living in poverty have higher rates of chronic health conditions, including mental illness. The lack of access to care contributes to gaps in employment, income loss, and expensive medical bills. Too many families suffer under the crushing burden of medical debt. For many New Yorkers, having an illness leads to a lifelong battle against disadvantage and hardship. Research tells us that acquiring pre- and post-natal care, giving birth to a healthy child with a normal birthweight, avoiding exposure to trauma, seeking treatment, and receiving preventive care for mental and physical health conditions can reduce the risk of going into poverty and mitigate against the impacts of poverty. Response Robin Hood champions many public health solutions that enrich the lives of people living in
poverty. Your support in 2024 made it possible to focus on the needs of young, low-income mothers acting to prevent underweight births and improve outreach to at-risk mothers while connecting them with doctors and mental health professionals. In NYC, Black women are eight times more likely to die in childbirth than their white counterparts, and Black infants are three times more likely to die before their first birthday compared to white infants. Because of your support, we’re shifting the tide. In addition to funding maternal health initiatives, your contribution to Robin Hood is expanding access to primary care physicians and mental health services for several at-risk populations, including the homeless, undocumented and uninsured immigrants, LGBTQ+ youth, and public school students being served at school-based mental health clinics across the City.
IN 2024
GRANTS TOTALED $8.9 MILLION
Here’s What You Made Happen Through Robin Hood’s participation in the statewide Medicaid Task Force, an additional 66,177 CHILDREN will now be continuously enrolled and insured through Medicaid from birth to 6 years old. Previously, eligible families had to recertify their children every year, leaving many lower-income children uninsured and without health care.
Provided medical intervention for 17,230 leading to improved birth outcomes and reduced rates of morbidity, mortality, and postpartum depression. AT-RISK, LOW-INCOME MOTHERS AND INFANTS, Thanks to your support, 3,025 of these children under age 3 were connected to therapies and are now on track to meet developmental milestones. Identified risks of negative health and learning outcomes for 18,272 CHILDREN.
Nearly half (48%) of low-income New Yorkers have a chronic health or work-limiting condition.
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EDUCATION Challenge About 80% of NYC public school students qualify for a government-subsidized free meal program, which is a proxy for the number of public school students who face poverty, disadvantage, and material hardship. Roughly one in eight NYC public school students experienced homelessness last year. Research tells us that poverty hinders educational attainment, making children vulnerable to repeating the generational cycle of poverty. Children who attend quality Pre-K programs, who perform at grade level on 3rd and 8th grade standardized tests, who graduate high school, and/or who seek post-secondary education or job training are more likely to live lives free of poverty. Only half of 3rd and 8th graders attending NYC public schools are proficient in reading and math. NYC’s public high school graduation rate of 83% lags both state (86%) and national (87%) averages—with Black and Latinx students faring worse, at 80%. And at the City University
of New York (CUNY), where 80% of its first-year students come from the NYC public school system, only 30% of all students earn their degree within four years. Roughly half earn their degree after six years. Response Your support of Robin Hood funds high-quality programs that boost student performance, improve teacher training, and graduate more students prepared for college or competitive job opportunities. Your generosity accelerates learning through after-school tutoring, enhanced literacy efforts, and the integration of computational skills and AI in classrooms. Together, we’re transforming reading instruction, redesigning high-poverty public schools, and increasing retention and graduation rates at CUNY and public community colleges. During 2024, our advocacy efforts helped secure $10 million in the City’s FY25 budget to support CUNY’s Accelerate, Complete, & Engage (ACE) program, initially launched thanks to Robin Hood’s support. The program is boosting college graduation rates for its participants by 40%.
IN 2024
Here’s What You Made Possible
365,000 K-5 STUDENTS at 1,000 schools are participating in NYC
Enabled 29,000 STUDENTS to participate in high-quality post-secondary education programs that are increasing graduation rates by 40% or more.
Launched a comprehensive professional development program that will offer intensive coaching in change management and teacher development to every school superintendent in NYC. We expect to reach 45 who will act as as coaches for 1,500 PRINCIPALS who will train teaching staff on how to improve student performance in math and reading. Early results show that these trainings results in doubling math scores for students and raising reading scores by as much as 25 percentage points. SCHOOL SUPERINTENDENTS
GRANTS TOTALED $43.2 MILLION
Reads, the public schools’ new science-based literacy
program. NYC Reads was shaped by early
Only 25% of New York public school graduates will go on to complete college.
investments and expertise provided by Robin Hood.
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27 EARLY CHILDHOOD
Challenge New York City is home to more than 100,000 children aged 0-3 who live in poverty. Developmentally, low-income children, on average, are one to three years behind their more affluent peers upon entering kindergarten. About 64% of New Yorkers live in child care deserts, and one in four low-income women develop symptoms of depression after childbirth. Research tells us that programs like Pre-K and high-quality child care best position children to enter kindergarten ready to learn, a predictor of long-term academic success, including high school completion and graduation. Response Improving the mental health of mothers, families, and caregivers gives children the strongest start in life, and your support ensures these essential services are accessible to low-income women and their families from pregnancy through early childhood. Your commitment also empowers parents and Here’s What You Made Possible Reached 17,230 MOTHERS AND INFANTS with evidence-based physical and mental health programs that have been shown to improve birth outcomes and reduce rates of illness, mortality, and postpartum depression. Screened 94,000 CHILDREN for mental and physical health at 67 sites operated by our grantee partner HealthySteps.
Screened 18,272 CHILDREN to identify risks for negative health and learning outcomes and connected 3,025 children under the age of 3 to therapies that help put them on track to meet developmental milestones and tremendously impact their ability to learn and grow. Improved the quality of care provided by more than 1,000 CHILD CARE WORKERS, creating better learning environments for 9,810 children under the age of 4. for children under 4, and to nearly double it to $500 for older children. This proposal represents the single largest boost to New York’s child tax credit in its history. This measure, if enacted by the legislature, will reduce child poverty by 8.2% across the State. Robin Hood was instrumental in securing passage of the law, which requires NYS to halve child poverty by 2033. caregivers with evidence-based strategies to support children’s cognitive, language, and socioemotional development, while investing in the expansion of Pre-K and child care. Last year, our advocacy helped to restore $112 million to the City’s 3-K and Pre-K programs, saving access for 100,000 children while securing an additional $5 million in City funding to ensure that eligible families know about their child care options. As a member of the statewide Children’s Poverty Reduction Advisory Council (CPRAC), Robin Hood was instrumental in securing a commitment from the Governor to triple the size of New York’s child tax credit to $1,000
IN 2024
GRANTS TOTALED $ 20.7 MILLION
Twenty-six percent (26%) of New York City’s children live in poverty—the highest rate observed since 2017—and nearly double the national child poverty rate.
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29 CAREER ADVANCEMENT
Challenge Low-income young adults, especially in communities of color, face multiple barriers to escaping poverty, from low academic achievement to mental health challenges to difficulty in landing jobs that lead to economic mobility. Research tells us that participating in high-quality job training programs and securing early full-time employment that pays a living wage creates opportunities and reduces poverty. Response To ensure young adults transition into meaningful employment, Robin Hood supports job training and placement Here’s What You Made Possible Nearly 5,000 YOUNG NEW YORKERS found jobs through Robin Hood-funded training and placement programs last year. More than 3,500 found full-time jobs with an initial hourly wage of $23.50 and $22.50 per hour.
programs that equip participants with the technical skills required for jobs that provide true career pathways. We reduce barriers by partnering with community-focused, innovative programs that deliver academic and employment success. When we succeed, young adults succeed; they can meet their basic needs, earn a college degree, and get a well-paying job. Through our service on the City’s Workforce Development Council and the Workforce Development Board, we’re driving scale to make sure all workforce programs citywide are strategic and effective, matching emerging talent with the changing needs of New York employers, creating access and opportunities for the lowest income New Yorkers.
In select high-growth/high-demand industries like construction, health care, and technology, new hires found jobs that paid as much as $40 PER HOUR, underscoring the transformative impact of placing a lower-income New Yorker in a quality job.
IN 2024
GRANTS TOTALED $12.8 MILLION
New Yorkers aged 18 to 24 have higher poverty and unemployment rates than any other age group.
Over the last four years, our investments in workforce development resulted in more than 16,200 NEW YORKERS finding new jobs with career paths that offer stability, growth, and long-term economic success.
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31 FINANCIAL STABILITY
Challenge Low-income New Yorkers are highly
Response Your support fuels our ability to fight for access to financial stabilization services and public benefits. Advocating for increased wages enables lower-income families to keep pace with inflation, save money, and invest in their futures. Proposed budget cuts to critical programs like food stamps, Medicare and Medicaid, housing supports, and workforce development, threaten the financial stability of already vulnerable New Yorkers. Our advocacy is informing policymakers about the consequences of cutting these programs. Your support helps us keep the City’s safety net intact, preventing more New Yorkers from failing into poverty.
susceptible to destabilizing financial shocks, such as an unexpected medical bill, a spike in their rent, or a reduction in job hours, which can set families on a downward financial spiral. Many eligible New Yorkers are unaware they may qualify for public assistance benefits. As the affordability crisis broadens, a third of parents with children have taken a second job to help make ends meet and 73% of parents of children report reducing the amount of money they put into savings. Research tells us that accessing programs like food stamps and housing assistance stabilizes eligible lower-income families and better positions them for upward economic mobility.
Here’s What You Made Possible
IN 2024
Following an extended advocacy effort funded by Robin Hood, New York City’s minimum wage increased to $16.50 at the beginning of 2025 and is scheduled to increase another 50 cents per hour in 2026. Future increases in the state’s minimum wage will be indexed to rising inflation.
Your gift to Robin Hood helped families unlock more than $90 MILLION in public assistance programs last year. The average annual government benefit per household was $750 for utility assistance and $15,000 for housing support.
GRANTS TOTALED $16.7 MILLION
Since the start of this advocacy effort, lawsuits by nonprofit hospitals against patients
Reining in medical debt and reforming collection practices targeting low-income New Yorkers. Through the #EndMedicalDebt campaign, funded in part by Robin Hood, a newly enacted state law bans medical debt lawsuits against patients living 400% below the poverty line and caps their payments at 5% of the gross family income. The law also establishes clear protections for underinsured patients, eliminates income and immigration status requirements, and prohibits hospitals from denying care due to unpaid medical bills.
Forty-three percent (43%) of families with children cannot cover an unexpected $400 expense with cash or a cash equivalent.
DROPPED BY 82% .
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33 HOUSING AND HOMELESSNESS
Response
Challenge
In 2024, Robin Hood’s grantmaking expanded access to affordable housing, provided pathways out of shelters to permanent housing, and prevented evictions while keeping New Yorkers in their homes. Advancing this work, Robin Hood CEO Richard R. Buery, Jr., is chair of the City’s Charter Revision Commission, an appointed, temporary, independent body that is reviewing the City charter’s land use rules to make it easier to build more housing faster and more affordably. The Commission’s recommendations will appear on the November ballot. In 2024, as part of our “New Stories” initiative, we cut the ribbon for a new mixed-use development including a new public library and 174 deeply affordable apartments—20% of which are earmarked for families leaving shelter. Our funding—made possible through the generosity of the Rosenblatt family in honor of their parents, Joesph and Sheila Rosenblatt, unlocked $90 million in public funding and financing to make the project possible. We are already working on the second New Stories development in the Bronx, and with your support there will be more to come.
For many New Yorkers, finding an affordable place to live represents the central challenge of life in the City. New York City’s rental vacancy rate is the lowest it’s been since the 1960’s. Competition for housing, especially affordable housing, units, is fierce. Rental prices are escalating and the poorest New Yorkers are now spending as much as 72% of their cash income on rent alone. The City’s poorest residents pay more than two-thirds of their cash income on rent alone. Eviction rates are rising and a record number of New Yorkers are living in shelters for longer stays. New York City’s housing crisis is at its breaking point.
Research tells us that stable affordable housing is key to reducing poverty.
Our advocacy produced
IN 2024
g Greater, more efficient density for housing. g New tax incentives for new and convertible affordable housing. g Construction of smaller rental units on lots of existing homes. g New protections for low-income renters. g Strengthens housing discrimination laws.
GRANTS TOTALED $10.2 MILLION
Here’s What You Made Happen
The poorest New Yorkers spend 72% of their cash income on rent.
37,000 NEW YORKERS received legal assistance or access to rental assistance programs.
6,000 FAMILIES saved from eviction—and since 2021, your contributions have prevented 30,000 evictions, keeping families safely housed and financially stable.
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35 CAPACITY BUILDING
Challenge The scope, size, and reach of New York City’s nonprofit social service network is vast, and millions of New Yorkers depend upon it for essential, lifesaving, and stabilizing support. These services include, but are not limited to, food pantries, shelters, child care centers, after-school programs, senior centers, workforce training, and more. Despite the significant role many social service nonprofits play in the daily lives of New Yorkers, many simply lack the resources and tools needed to strengthen their resiliency and scale their impact. Our data tells us that the most requested capacity-building services nonprofits in the social service sector require include strategy planning and human capital consulting to support staff recruitment and retention. Response That’s where Robin Hood’s Management Acceleration team comes in. It collaborates with our grantee partners on key decisions and helps them build their networks, develop skills, fund capacity-building projects, and scale effective, sustainable programs. We do this both through grantmaking and by
connecting our grantees to pro bono support from powerhouse professional partners including Accenture, Alvarez and Marsal, Berkeley Partnership, Deloitte, McKinsey, OC&C, and Penn Pac. Last year, the Management Acceleration team launched five peer learning groups for new executive directors, chief human capital officers, development directors, senior leaders of color, and middle managers of color. Additional offerings included training sessions on AI compliance and the use of AI technology in fundraising, customized workshops for nonprofit leaders in health care, managing organizational culture shifts with Gen Z employees, and learning collaboratives for nonprofit leaders working with migrant and immigrant populations. Through the leadership of CEO Richard Buery, Jr. as the chair of NYC Charter Revision Commission, Robin Hood continues to explore how changes to the City’s charter can reduce the backlog of contract payments overdue to direct -service nonprofits that provide essential services, like food, shelter, and workforce training to the neediest New Yorkers.
IN 2024
GRANTS TOTALED $7.8 MILLION**
Here’s What You Made Happen
In 2024, the Management Acceleration team helped place
139 NEW PEOPLE (Robin Hood donors and employees of our corporate partners) on the boards of directors of grantee partner nonprofits.
Robin Hood secured $6.4 million in pro bono services to strengthen the capacity of grantee partners.
**Note: Includes grants for Capacity Building as well as grants for Data Analysis, Evaluation, and grants related to the Robin Hood Poverty Tracker.
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37 CRIMINAL JUSTICE
one starts in life should not define where one ends up.
Challenge In 2024, more than 200,000 New Yorkers had some experience involving the justice system— from arrest to probation. Another 160,000 New Yorkers who have spent time in prison at some point in their lives. Any involvement with the criminal justice system, from arrest to incarceration, can be an impoverishing event for both the person and their families. Robin Hood-funded research tells us that time in prison reduces lifetime earning potential by nearly half a million dollars on average. Even a misdemeanor conviction reduces earnings by 16%. Evidence-based research tells us that preventing interaction with the criminal justice system and minimizing its harms reduces poverty. Response At Robin Hood, our focus is on helping young adults avoid a criminal record and preventing recidivism. Justice system involvement of any kind is strongly related to negative economic and health outcomes over a lifetime. Your support helps Robin Hood provide opportunities for new starts because where
Incarceration creates long-term adverse consequences for families and children of those serving time. However, research confirms that frequent family visits lowers the recidivism rate. Through an innovative program with the Children’s Museum of Manhattan (CMOM), Robin Hood funds a family reunification called Family Connections, which hosts supportive, safe, and child-friendly learning environments that help families mitigate the harmful effects of parental incarceration on Riker’s Island. Rather than a family visit in a prison setting or behind plexiglass, visits organized by CMOM are organized at Rikers and bringing inmates from Rikers to the Childrens Museum. These visits help maintain a sense of family attachment, reducing the trauma of separation. Moreover, the program engages families through the museum’s various installations, led by trained early childhood educators who facilitate playful learning interactions between parents and their young children to make the visit about both connection as well as early brain development for young children.
IN 2024
GRANTS TOTALED $2.4 MILLION
Here’s What You Made Possible
Achieved an 8% TWO-YEAR
Reached 1,200 YOUNG ADULTS
recidivism rate among participants in Robin Hood-funded justice programs in stark contrast to the 50% recidivism rate without intervention.
last year through Robin Hood’s criminal justice investments. Over the last four years, our grantmaking has served 4,200 NEW YORKERS who have been impacted by the criminal justice system.
Formerly imprisoned people have an average lifetime earning loss of $484,400.
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39 POVERTY TRACKER
Child Poverty Reduction Act, creating the Child Poverty Reduction Advisory Council (CPRAC) to develop policies aimed at cutting child poverty in half within ten years. Robin Hood’s CEO is a member of the panel. In December 2024, CPRAC released a report outlining policy recommendations, including improvements to child tax credits, cash assistance programs, and the creation of state-level housing and food benefit programs, which analyses show would significantly reduce child poverty. A Poverty Tracker Spotlight Report revealed that 78% of NYC families with children stand to benefit from CPRAC’s recommendations. Earlier this year, Robin Hood CEO Rich Buery joined New York Governor Kathy Hochul to announce a plan to triple the size of the child tax credit in the Empire State, potentially benefiting the families of 1.2 million children in New York City.
The Poverty Tracker, launched in 2012 by Robin Hood in partnership with Columbia University, is a comprehensive ongoing research project that examines poverty, disadvantage, and hardship in New York City over time. Unlike traditional surveys that provide annual snapshots, the Poverty Tracker follows a representative sample of New Yorkers, surveying them every three months to capture the dynamics of poverty, material hardship, health, and well-being. These reports provide valuable insights into the challenges faced by various demographics in New York City, informing policy and programmatic interventions aimed at alleviating poverty and its associated hardships. Over the past decade, the research and findings produced have established the Poverty Tracker as a “must read” and “go to” source for reporters and policymakers, elevating and changing the narrative about poverty in New York City. In 2021, Robin Hood was instrumental in New York State’s 2021 passage of New York State
The following reports were published in 2024:
40 SPECIAL INITIATIVES
41
Innovation is core in our fight against poverty. Special Initiatives help our grantmaking leverage new technologies and to explore and scale new applications for emerging programs and approaches that will seed future opportunities for upward mobility.
up, while others fell behind. Research shows that better teacher training and a strong curriculum can help students make big gains in learning. To fix this, the Fund focuses on three areas: (1) helping teachers use technology to improve reading skills, (2) teaching kids how to think and solve problems using computers, and (3) using AI to help schools and nonprofits work more efficiently. Decoded Futures, launched in 2024, connects NYC nonprofits with tech experts to use AI in ways that improve their work and help communities.
The Robin Hood Learning + Tech Fund is a 10-year, $50 million partnership between the Overdeck Family Foundation, Siegel Family Endowment, and Robin Hood. It helps teachers use technology to make learning more engaging and effective, ensuring all students—especially in New York City—get the education they need to succeed in school and life. Many students struggle because teachers lack training in key areas like reading instruction and problem-solving with computers. During the pandemic, children with access to quality digital learning kept
The AI Poverty Challenge aims to harness artificial intelligence to combat poverty and broaden opportunity by identifying innovative solutions that enhance economic mobility. Robin Hood’s AI Poverty Challenge aims to identify breakthrough solutions that deliver results rather than allow the technology to exacerbate inequities and inequality. Open to nonprofits, for-profits, and government agencies across the United States, the initiative sought impactful AI applications in education, financial empowerment, and workforce development.
In September 2024, nine finalists were selected, each receiving $100,000 to advance their AI-driven projects addressing poverty-related challenges. In January 2025, these finalists participated in a virtual demo day to showcase their solutions. Subsequently, three awardees have been chosen to receive $1 million each to further scale their initiatives. Meet the final three awardees below. We are grateful to our lead sponsors, the GitLab Foundation, the Bezos Family Foundation, and Deloitte.
Successful ventures can then join the Catalyst Program, an incubator providing funding, mentorship, and resources to accelerate growth. Both programs are powered by BRL’s Design Insight Group— a network of over 5,000 New Yorkers with lived experience in poverty. Your support helps Robin Hood stay at the forefront of innovation fostering marketable, scalable solutions centered around the lived experiences of New Yorkers in need.
Blue Ridge Labs (BRL) bridges the gap between technology and real- world challenges faced by low-income communities. Too often, tech solutions are developed without community input, leading to ineffective results. BRL changes this by engaging low-income communities with innovators to co-design solutions that tackle poverty directly. Each year, BRL’s five-month Fellowship Program supports entrepreneurs in refining, scaling, and testing new tech solutions.
Beyond 12
CodePath
The Legal Aid Society
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