Our Approach

As New York City’s largest poverty-fighting philanthropy, we have a track record of working across sectors to achieve large-scale change. Through our unique approach, we’re bringing innovation and urgency to the poverty fight.

Robin Hood brings New Yorkers together to fight poverty. We convene philanthropists, civil society organizations, government, businesses, nonprofits, community members, and those living in poverty to develop and advance programs and policies that can make the American Dream real here in New York City. Our goal is to help New Yorkers permanently exit poverty.

Our Approach

  1. Focusing on results

    We invest 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 every dollar we invest demonstrably improves the lives of low-income New Yorkers. ​

  2. Building institutions that transform NYC

    We offer management advice, strategic real estate consulting, board placement services, financial and communications coaching, leadership development, and other technical assistance to help our partners increase scale and impact.​

  3. Driving innovation to solve unmet needs

    We invest in new leaders, new organizations, and new ideas that have groundbreaking potential.​

  4. Scaling what works

    We partner with government and other funders to grow proven solutions in New York City and beyond so more people benefit from investments that work.​

Poverty is relentless, so we must be too.​

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Case Studies

Focusing on results: Chinese American Planning Council

Access to essential benefits and services are critical for mobility from poverty. Robin Hood supports grantees like CPC, which serves over 8,000 people a day, to ensure the most vulnerable New Yorkers have access to vital supports and social services.

Transforming NYC: The City University of New York

Robin Hood funds CUNY ACE, an academic support program designed to help students graduate on time. With a track record of success in New York City, the ACE program has expanded across CUNY campuses and will soon go statewide.

Alexis Ohanian and Pau Tudor Jones announce the Robin Hood AI Poverty Challenge on stage at a conference.
Driving Innovation: The AI Poverty Challenge

Robin Hood is tackling technology’s new frontier with the AI Poverty Challenge, a new national competition to advance tech-powered solutions supporting upward mobility for people living in poverty.

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Scaling what works: Deep Dive Event Series

During our Deep Dive events, we convene thought leaders, experts, governments, and policy makers to delve into the complexities of poverty and craft holistic solutions to scale what works.

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Data Driven, Heart-led

Metrics inform every grant we make, fueling our powerful ambition to spend donor dollars smartly, and without waste.

We analyze the costs and projected benefits of every grant, drawing on research and evidence to estimate the effect of the interventions we fund on lifetime earnings and other important short- and long-term outcomes. This analysis is one important factor we consider as part of a comprehensive due diligence process.

Explore our cost/benefit analysis framework

Approach in Action

Robin Hood puts our approach into practice through the following focus areas:

Programs

We align our programmatic grantmaking approach with lifestage milestones for economic mobility: early childhood, school-age children, young adults, and adults & household supports.

Capacity Building

We provide targeted support to strengthen our grantees' organizational health and boost their impact, from consulting and coaching to capital grants.

Special Initiatives

We create innovative solutions to augment our core program grants, address critical service gaps, and meet urgent needs.

Policy & Advocacy

We fund research and fuel advocacy to support policies that foster economic opportunity for New Yorkers.