Budget & Funding

The New York City budget is a fiscal policy statement representing the shared priorities of our City Government.

The adopted City budget details how the City will responsibly spend taxpayer money for programs and services such as education, public safety, social services, health, housing, and economic development. Given the size and diversity of New York City, the budget process involves taking limited resources and attempting to address the many needs of our communities through discussion and prioritization. This process involves the Mayor, City Council, Borough Presidents, and other elected officials.

To learn more about the City budget process, please read the following guides provided by the Independent Budget Office (IBO):

For a list of FY 23 awards to nonprofits, cultural organizations and city agencies, click here. For a list of FY 23 awards to Manhattan schools, click here.

As part of the process, the Manhattan Borough President has the New York City Charter-mandated authority to:

Recommend modifications to the Mayor’s Prelim. Budget.

Borough Presidents may propose modifications to the preliminary budget as the Borough President deems to be in the best interest of the Borough, taking into consideration the priorities of our Community Boards and the Borough Board, and testimony received at public hearings. Any recommended increases in spending within a borough must be accompanied by an equivalent recommended reduction so that the dollar amounts offset and the recommendation does not require an increase in spending over the preliminary budget.

Submit a Borough Board Budget Priorities Report.

It is Charter mandated that each Borough President submit a comprehensive statement on the budget priorities of the borough to the Mayor, City Council, and Director of Management and Budget. The Charter also requires that public notice be given to solicit input and recommendations from the public regarding the budget needs of the Borough.

Make recommendations to the Executive Budget.

Each Borough President can submit a response to the Mayor’s Executive Budget. Such responses indicate which of the recommended appropriations submitted by the Borough President, which were not included by the Mayor in the Executive Budget, should be considered by the City Council for inclusion in the budget. Again, any recommended increases in the Executive Budget must be accompanied by recommending offsetting reductions in other appropriations within the Borough, so that it does not require an increase in spending.

Allocate capital funding.

As part of the City Budget, five percent of the total City Capital appropriations are allotted to the Borough Presidents for use within their Borough; this amount is allocated among the Boroughs by a formula based on an equal weighting of factors relating to the population and geographic area of each Borough. This funding is then awarded by the Borough President through the Capital Grant Program.

Beyond the authority to allocate capital funding through the Capital Grant Program, the Manhattan Borough President has two additional programs that provide support to nonprofits, cultural organizations, and public schools. For more information, click here.

Provide Manhattan Community Awards.

The Manhattan Community Award Program (MCAP) provides small funding awards – typically between $5,000 and $7,500 – to nonprofit organizations and public schools to help support programming expenses. Each award is contracted through one of four City agencies – the Department for the Aging (DFTA), the Department of Correction (DOC), the Department of Education (DOE), or the Department of Health & Mental Hygiene (DOHMH). Proposals must relate to the specific agency’s overall mission and goals. For FY 23, Manhattan Borough President Levine funded a pilot initiative by setting aside $50,000 to support composting programs throughout Manhattan. For more information, click here.

Fund Manhattan Cultural Tourism Grants.

Each year, New York City & Company Foundation funds and administers the Manhattan Cultural Tourism Grant designed to support cultural-tourism marketing and audience-development initiatives that will expand awareness of the various neighborhoods throughout the borough of Manhattan. For more information, click here.