Mayor Adams Issues Order Requiring City Agencies to Designate Chief Nonprofit Officer to Improve Services, Expedite Payments to Providers

January 24, 2025

Part of Adams Administration's Continued Efforts to Enact Policies to Support Vital Nonprofit Sector

New York – New York City Mayor Eric Adams today announced the issuance of Executive Order 47 instructing agencies that provide oversight to or directly engage in substantial contracting activities or funding arrangements with nonprofits to designate a chief nonprofit officer to report to the Mayor's Office of Nonprofit Services (MONS) and the Mayor's Office of Contract Services (MOCS). Each agency chief nonprofit officer will be responsible for coordinating with MONS and MOCS to improve services, provide quality customer service in response to outreach from nonprofits, and expedite payments and communications with nonprofits.

"Nonprofits never hesitate to answer the call to help their fellow New Yorkers. Now, it's time for government to answer the nonprofit sector's call for help and ensure they have the tools to succeed," said Mayor Adams. "Today's commonsense executive order allows for better, smarter communications, allowing key city agencies to have the right point people focused on answering any and all questions from nonprofits. We look forward to our continued partnership with our nonprofit partners and ensuring they receive the timely support they deserve."

"At its core, government is about the effective organization and alignment of people," said MONS Executive Director Michael Sedillo. "By appointing chief nonprofit officers and enhancing interagency collaboration, this executive order ensures that city staff are organized and positioned to nimbly respond to and solve issues affecting our nonprofit partners, freeing them to focus on the critical services they deliver to New Yorkers."

"Our administration is fundamentally committed to empowering New York City's nonprofit ecosystem and creating meaningful partnerships that drive community progress," said Chief Procurement Officer and MOCS Director Lisa Flores. "By mandating the appointment of chief nonprofit officers, we're breaking down bureaucratic barriers and establishing a strategic framework that directly supports the vital organizations transforming our city's landscape."

Executive Order 47 will allow for better communications internally between agencies and externally with nonprofits that work with the city. The designated chief nonprofit officers will be responsible for coordinating with MONS and MOCS, including providing and being accountable for key agency performance data, representing the agency to nonprofits and responding in a timely manner to outreach from nonprofits, serving as or designating a constituent-oriented liaison that can help nonprofits navigate city bureaucracy, and performing other tasks as necessary to support the city's overall mission to ensure nonprofits are paid for work performed pursuant to city contracts and other funding opportunities in a timely manner. Additionally, the executive order formalizes the production of a performance management dashboard led by MOCS and MONS that will track contract registration and payments — building on the administration's practices of data-driven decision making.

Today's announcement also builds on the Adams administration's continued efforts to support, make significant investments in, and enact policies to support the nonprofit sector in New York City. Earlier this month, Mayor Adams announced progress on several new efforts to help pay nonprofits providers faster. MOCS launched a Payment Backlog Initiative in October 2024, focusing on clearing outstanding payments from Fiscal Year (FY) 2023 to FY25. In three months, over $1 billion was disbursed, and over 3,700 invoices were processed. Since announcing reforms to simplify bureaucratic barriers and allowing nonprofits to invoice faster in summer 2024, the average time to process discretionary contracts making use of this reform dropped from 366 days in FY24 to just 46 days in FY25 — a nearly 90 percent reduction, slashing nearly 11 months of delays. Additionally, the Adams administration launched the Nonprofit FOCUS (Facilitating On-Time Contracting & Urgent Solutions) Working Group, led by Deputy Mayor for Strategic Initiatives Ana Almanzar. Nonprofit FOCUS brings together senior City Hall officials on a weekly basis to examine contract performance data and make key programmatic, policy, or budgetary decisions that support expeditious nonprofit payments.

In March 2024, the Adams administration announced a $741 million investment for an estimated 80,000 human services workers employed by nonprofit organizations with a city contract as part of a new cost-of-living adjustment. The human services workforce — which is overwhelmingly female at 66 percent and 46 percent women of color — remains on the frontlines of the most pressing issues facing the city as they deliver vital services across housing, food access, health services, and asylum seeker services, among other areas. To date, the Adams administration has invested over $1.4 billion towards wage enhancements for the human services sector.

Further, the Adams administration worked with MOCS on the "Clear the Backlog" initiative, which has unlocked over $6 billion in funds for nonprofits that were long overdue, allowing these organizations to get paid for delivering their vital services. Finally, earlier this year, Mayor Adams announced the city's first-ever Nonprofit Advisory Council. Comprised of leaders and experts in the nonprofit sector, the advisory council works with MONS to serve as a link between the Adams administration and the nonprofit organizations serving New Yorkers.

"Nonprofits make our city tick, boasting $12 billion in contracts with New York City," said New York State Assemblymember Jenifer Rajkumar. "They provide essential services like foster care, supportive housing, crime prevention, immigrant services, senior care, and community outreach. Paying them on time allows them to grow and thrive. In Albany, I introduced the Get Nonprofits Paid Act so that the city pays all nonprofits in 30 days, and today's executive order continues our work to expedite payment to nonprofits. All agencies will now have a chief nonprofit officer to serve as a liaison to nonprofit contractors, coordinating with MONS and MOCS so that someone is there making sure service providers get essential resources. This builds upon the success of the Payment Backlog Initiative, which cut processing times almost 90 percent. Together, we will show our respect and gratitude for our nonprofits by giving them the financial support they need."

"This initiative will make a significant difference in New York City by providing nonprofits with dedicated points of contact, enabling us to navigate challenges more swiftly and efficiently," said Yaw Appiadu, executive director, Harlem Independent Living Center. "This will allow organizations to focus on what they do best: serving our communities. I am deeply grateful for Mayor Adams' leadership and his administration's commitment to advancing this crucial initiative, which will have a lasting, positive impact on the residents of New York City."

"HELP USA appreciates the city's efforts to address ongoing challenges related to delayed payments and lengthy contract processes," said Ronnie Silverman, chief program development officer, HELP USA. "Resolving these persistent issues will allow nonprofits to concentrate on their mission: delivering the essential services that countless New Yorkers rely on every day."

"We welcome Mayor Adams' executive order directing all contracting and oversight agencies to establish a chief nonprofit officer," said Courtney Bryan, chief executive officer, Center for Justice Innovation. "Thousands of nonprofit organizations, like ours, contract with New York City every year to deliver critical services. The steps the city is taking to simplify the contracting process and speed payment will allow these partnerships to remain strong, and the city's network of nonprofits to continue their important work serving millions of New Yorkers."

"Establishing the role of chief nonprofit officers has the potential to strengthen the critically important work being done by organizations across New York City," said Eichakeem McClary, executive vice president, chief legal officer and strategic initiatives; United Way of New York City. "We want to thank the City of New York for looking at innovative ways of strengthening agency infrastructure so that nonprofits can dedicate more of their time and resources to supporting programs that are making a difference in the lives of those most in need. We are excited for the opportunity to partner with the individuals who step into these roles and look forward to the results they will deliver for New Yorkers."

"Ensuring every nonprofit has a dedicated chief nonprofit officer is a groundbreaking step toward creating a more efficient, transparent, and supportive partnership between the city and our vital nonprofit organizations," said Dr. Darlene Williams, co-chair, advisory council, MONS. "This initiative, championed by the Mayor's Office of Nonprofit Services and the Mayor's Office of Contract Services, underscores the administration's commitment to streamlining processes and reducing barriers that nonprofits face in contracting and payments. By providing a clear point of contact to resolve issues swiftly, we are empowering nonprofits to focus on their core mission: delivering critical services that strengthen New York City's social infrastructure. This is a win for nonprofits, a win for communities, and a win for New York City."

"I want to thank Mayor Adams for recognizing the vital role nonprofits play in providing social services that support New Yorkers across the city by instructing agencies to establish a chief nonprofit officer to help streamline communications and break down silos," said Annie Minguez Garcia, vice president, Good Shepherd Services. "Today's executive order will further the administration's efforts to address procurement challenges nonprofits face and ensure nonprofits are paid on time."

"Having a chief nonprofit officer embedded in city agencies is akin to having an advocate on staff," said Damyn Kelly, PhD, president and CEO, Lutheran Social Services of NY. "Being able to communicate directly with someone who can work with you on contracts, payment and other issues, should minimize the time it takes to receive a response to inquiries that impact your ability to do the meaningful work that we are contracted for. I see this as a positive development in strengthening the relationship between government and its contracted nonprofit providers."

"The creation of a chief nonprofit officer is an excellent step to improving the contracting experience for nonprofit organizations," said Lisa David, president and CEO, Public Health Solutions. "Contracting delays are caused by issues in various departments within agencies due to a lack of coordination. It has been the burden of the nonprofit to determine where the problem is and then try to get it addressed. With this new position, there will be a single point of contact in the agency who would be accountable for coordinating the various parts of the agency to move contracts and payments forward."

"Nonprofits do the work every day of delivering services to residents who need support across New York City," said Dr. Jocelynne Rainey, president and CEO, Brooklyn Org. "They perform critical jobs on behalf of city agencies and deserve prompt payment in return. Establishing a chief nonprofit officer at every city agency will help city government create accountability in the payment process and deliver on its promises to support nonprofits in their essential work for our communities."

"Nonprofit providers are indispensable for New York City families who depend on them for high-quality early childhood education and other core services," said Tara N. Gardner, executive director, Day Care Council of New York. "With many organizations enduring ongoing financial challenges, the nonprofit sector needs advocates working within government to help organizations across the city access the critical funds they need to execute and sustain their important work that uplifts New Yorkers every day. The Day Care Council of New York welcomes the establishment of the chief nonprofit officer role in contracting and oversight agencies. We look forward to working with the new chief nonprofits officers to ensure that early childhood contractors receive the millions of dollars owed them for the services they have already provided."

"The nonprofit sector in New York City is an economic engine, and  a critical safety and infrastructure strategy that is buttressing society, making New York one of the greatest cities in the world," said Wesner Pierre, CEO, Partnership with Children. "This welcome news comes at a pivotal time for our sector and the city as a whole and signals a necessary balance and clear point of contact for organizations to liaise with. We could not be more grateful for this news, and we look forward to working with the chief nonprofit officers. We are optimistic about the success and impact of our collaboration as we continue to serve this great city together!"