Pitch Night 2025: Here's Who Won $25,000!
For the first time since we launched Pitch Night in 2017, we invited four affiliate partners to the Pitch Night stage! New Life CDC, A House on Beekman, Do For One, and New Life of NYC, Inc. were all chosen to compete for this year's $25,000 Community Investment Award!
We also invited our audience and supporters to participate in a giving opportunity for Pitch Night (more details below).
Congratulations, New Life of NYC, Inc.!
Each affiliate was introduced by a CGC participant before pitching a bold program idea and answering questions. Then, everyone in the room (and on livestream) voted for one winner: New Life of NYC, Inc.! Their $25,000 will be invested in a test kitchen for a teen cooking program that will teach life and career skills, promote a healthy eating lifestyle, and help provide food for food insecure neighbors.
Our first runner-up, A House on Beekman, received $10,000 to expand mental health and targeted reading support for elementary school kids. Our second runner-ups, Do For One and New Life CDC, each received $5,000. Do For One will improve a social matchmaking program that connects volunteers with an adult living with disability while New Life CDC will grow their Hope House program to provide socio-emotional wellness to families still impacted by the pandemic.
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Support Pitch Night Programs
Also for the first time this year, we shared a special giving opportunity for Pitch Night. Generous donors provided a $50,000 match that would be fully unlocked if our community collectively matched this amount. The $100,000 total would continue to fund not only our Pitch Night presenters but all our affiliate partners with similar programs that bring tangible hope to their communities. Before June ends, show your support!
June is the month that we distribute annual program funds to our grant-receiving affiliates so there work can continue revealing bright spots and bright possibilities. Our commitment remains showing that renewal is happening in our city through the work of our coalition of hope!
How Pitch Night Presenters Are Chosen
Pitch Night is the final event of our Community Grants Circle (CGC) program, but it's open to our entire network.
Here's how the Pitch Night presenters are chosen: CGC participants first visit multiple affiliate sites to meet leaders and hear about the incredible work they're doing to serve New Yorkers. Then, each CGC cohort (there were four this year) nominates one affiliate for Pitch Night.
Each cohort chose an affiliate with a strong need for additional funding to kickstart or expand a program.
Photos by Garland Quek (garlandquek.com)