Below is information about the Council’s Discretionary Funding Process and our office’s procedures for requests for Fiscal Year 2027. Please read this page thoroughly. 

The City Council has a discretionary funding process, and each individual member can fund services, programs, and infrastructure projects for their district. The two forms of discretionary funding are expense funding and capital funding.

• Expense funding is discretionary funding that supports programs and services.
• Capital funding is funding that supports physical infrastructure projects.

Please note that these funds are not grants. You must be able to spend the money up front, and you will be reimbursed by the City. Before you apply for discretionary funding, we encourage organizations, especially first-time applicants, to attend a workshop with the Non-Profit Help Desk to fully understand the expectations and process of discretionary funding. You can register for a workshop here.

Discretionary Funding Applications

The application process is now closed.

Capital Funding Applications 

To apply, you must submit your application via the CapGrants portal here. 

Deadlines:

• For projects requesting funds from the Borough President and City Council:
  • The application process is now closed.
• For projects requesting funds only from City Council:
  • March 19 – All applications must be submitted by 5:00 PM.

For Cultural Organizations Requesting Capital Funding:
Those interested in applying can find additional information and application materials through the Department of Cultural Affairs (DCLA)’s online portal (click here).

Cultural Capital Funding Eligibility:

• Members of the Cultural Institutions Group (CIG), and
• Cultural nonprofits based in New York City that have received at least one baseline Cultural Development Fund (CDF) recommendation through the DCLA Program Services Unit in fiscal years 2023, 2024, or 2025.

District 37 Budget Request Process

Our office FY27 Supplemental Discretionary Funding Form is now closed.

Due to the high volume of applications, we are taking meetings on a case by case basis. Our office will reach out to organizations if we have further questions or need more details.

For any questions or concerns, please reach out to our Deputy Chief of Staff, Fran Sanhueza, at fsanhueza@council.nyc.gov. For technical issues with the City Council application, please email discretionary@council.nyc.gov.