For Immediate Release: December 17, 2025

The Mayor’s Fund Wraps Up This Administration Leveraging Public-Private Partnerships to Relaunch the NYC Soccer Initiative, Relieve Medical Debt, Support Asylum Seekers, Advance Stem-Related Programs, and More!

Reached 10,000+ youth with soccer programming, raised $5.8 million for Asylum Seekers in need, collaborated on an initiative to expand access to Child Care vouchers, and is working towards relieving $2 billion in medical debt for 500,000 New Yorkers

NEW YORK - As this year comes to a close, the Mayor’s Fund to Advance New York City is highlighting its work leveraging public-private partnerships to create a stronger and more just city for all New Yorkers. The Mayor’s Fund brings together dozens of city agencies with hundreds of institutional funders and donors, building strategic relationships that bring innovative solutions to scale, and to respond to the emerging needs of our city.

"We took office with a simple promise: to 'Get Stuff Done,’ and, four years later, our administration can say we delivered that every day for working-class New Yorkers," said Mayor Adams. "We drove shootings to record lows and pushed jobs and small businesses to record highs. We rewrote the playbook on homelessness and mental health to finally get New Yorkers living on our streets the help they need, and, after decades of half-measures, passed historic housing legislation to turn New York into a 'City of Yes.' We overhauled the way our students learn to read and do math, cut the cost of child care, and forgave medical debt. We eliminated taxes for low-income families, launched free universal after-school programming, and raised $5.8 million for Asylum Seekers in need. We got scaffolding off our buildings, trash bags off our streets, and opened up new public spaces for New Yorkers to enjoy. The haters may have doubted us, but the results are clear. On issue after issue, we brought common-sense leadership to create a safer, more affordable city, and our work has changed our city for the better; it will stand the test of time because we made New York City the best place to live and raise a family."

“Working alongside the Mayor’s Fund, I’ve seen firsthand how public-private partnerships can make a real difference in the lives of New Yorkers,” said Deputy Mayor for Strategic Initiatives Ana J. Almanzar. “From relaunching the NYC Soccer Initiative and expanding opportunities for thousands of youths, to helping relieve $2 billion in medical debt, the Mayor’s Fund has set a model of creativity, collaboration, and results. I am grateful to our partners — and to the Fund’s Board of Directors and Board of Advisors — for their steadfast support and dedication. Together, we’ve delivered meaningful help to thousands of New Yorkers and laid the foundation for continued progress in the years ahead.”

“Over the past year, and throughout this administration, we have been proud to deliver meaningful impact for New Yorkers through collaborative, innovative solutions,” said Kate R. Smith, executive director, Mayor’s Fund to Advance New York City. “As the City’s premier convener of public-private partnerships, the Mayor’s Fund continues to serve as the trusted expert in mobilizing resources, aligning cross-sector leadership, and driving initiatives that meet the urgent, and long-term, needs of our communities. We are energized by the progress we have made, and we look forward to expanding our reach, deepening our partnerships, and advancing even more impactful efforts in the year ahead.”

Highlights from the Mayor’s Fund over the past four years include:

New York City Soccer Initiative 2.0

June 2, 2025, marked the first completed mini-soccer-pitch of the relaunched New York City Soccer Initiative. Following the opening of the 50^th pitch in 2021, NYCSI partners committed to installing an additional 26 mini-pitches across the city at public schools in celebration of the World Cup. This new mini-pitch was opened at PS 211, Elm Tree Elementary School in Corona, Queens. NYCSI 2.0, NYC’s World Cup Legacy Project, promises not only 26 new mini-pitches, but also free soccer-programming to youth, continuation of the celebrated Community Cup and Consulate Cup, and the goal of engaging tens of thousands of NYC youth.

This year, the youth team from South Jamaica, Queens, won the Community Cup. This exciting 5v5 tournament unites young players from all five boroughs, celebrating their talent, teamwork, and the spirit of soccer. At the annual Consulate Cup, Australia defeated Turkey in the final. The NYC Consulate Cup engages New York's diplomatic community and showcases the universal language of soccer.

Medical Debt Relief

In a one-of-its-kind partnership announced in January 2024, the Mayor’s Fund will raise $5 Million in private funding to supplement the $18 Million investment by the City to eliminate medical debt for New Yorkers. Working with Undue Medical Debt, and using their debt relief model, over $2 Billion in medical debt will be relieved, and up to 500,000 working-class New Yorkers will have their debt relieved, no strings attached.

Medical debt is the number one cause of bankruptcy in the United States and disproportionately affects uninsured, under-insured, and low-income households. Black and Latino communities are 50% to 25%, respectively, more likely to hold medical debt than their white counterparts, and while medical debt may be held by those without insurance, even those with insurance are at risk of carrying medical debt.

Asylum Seeker Relief Fund

The Mayor’s Fund raised $5.8 Million in support for asylum seekers after the announcement of a declaration of emergency – providing services, shelter, and supplies for our newest New Yorkers. The Mayor’s Fund worked with the Mayor’s Office for International Affairs, the Department of Social Services, Health + Hospitals, the Mayor’s Office of Faith-Based and Community Partnerships, various CBOs, Trinity Church, Freedom Together Foundation, Rockefeller Foundation, Open Society Foundations, Airbnb, and many other funders in a historic emergency response movement.

Beginning in the Spring of 2022, the city welcomed, fed, clothed, and sheltered more than 130,000 newly arrived migrants and people seeking asylum. The Asylum Seeker Relief Fund aimed to support projects designed to address the emergency need for clothing, hygiene products, life essentials, social service, legal, work readiness, and other supportive services such as:

Immigrant Children Advocates’ Relief Effort (ICARE) - ensuring that children residing in NYC who are eligible for immigration relief receive attorneys to fight for their right to remain safely in the U.S.
Immigrant Navigator Network – a peer-mentor program that leverages the lived experiences of immigrants to serve as mentors for newly arrived asylum seekers.
Know Your Rights Trainings – a city-wide effort to provide in-person, intensive “know your rights” trainings.
Hygiene Kits, Clothing Packs, and Daily Essentials – supplies for each family entering an emergency shelter or humanitarian relief center to address the need for life essentials
And more!

Pathways to an Inclusive Economy

With a $1.5 Million grant, the Mayor’s Fund advanced the goals of two STEM-related initiatives: Exploring Futures and College Now for Careers in partnership with the Department of Education, the City University of New York, Pfizer, Inc., the Mayor’s Office of Youth Employment, and ExpandED Schools.

Exploring Futures serves middle school students by helping them learn more about potential career paths and plan for success in the world of work. Funding from the grant expanded the program to 15 additional schools and 750 students.
College Now for Careers is a partnership between the New York City Department of Education and the City University of New York, enabling New York City public high schools students to earn college credits. The grant supported almost 1,000 students.

Childcare Vouchers

In partnership with the Administration for Children’s Services and Robin Hood, the Child Care Community Connection (C4) focused on supporting families in Northern Manhattan and the Bronx, where the majority of high need neighborhoods are located. Over 18 months, the C4 program and CBO partners such as WHEDco, BronxWorks, and Union Settlement processed childcare assistance application for over 5,850 children. By June 2025, nearly 2,500 children were enrolling in care with the support of a low-income voucher. Outcomes proved that trust-based referrals worked – families and providers who had positive experiences were far more likely to refer others, which yielded higher eligibility and follow-through rates.

Bronx Fire

Mayor Eric Adams and the Mayor’s Fund worked on collaborative relief efforts for victims of the Bronx apartment fire in January of 2022. Between monetary and in-kind donations, the Mayor’s Fund raised over $4.4 Million. Each household received $1,000 from the Mayor’s Fund to provide immediate relief, and BronxWorks was the chosen CBO to distribute the stipends and distribute further funds.

NYC i-Team

Since its launch in January 2024, NYC's i-Team has rapidly evolved, bringing together a dynamic group of interdisciplinary creatives to tackle some of the city's most pressing challenges. The Mayor’s Fund is a proud partner of this work.

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To learn more about our work, initiatives, and programs, please visit the Mayor’s Fund website. We are enormously grateful for the support of the individuals, foundations, and corporations that generously donate and partner with us to improve the lives of New Yorkers, and regret that we cannot highlight them all in this release. Thank you.