Requesting Discretionary Funding from the Queens Borough President’s Office

Every year, the Queens Borough President provides discretionary funding for capital projects and programmatic expenses for non-for-profit organizations throughout Queens. This funding is available to city agencies, nonprofit organizations, cultural institutions, and public schools for projects serving New York City purposes. The deadlines to apply to apply for discretionary expense funding will be Friday, April 28, 2023 at 5pm. The capital application is now closed.

Discretionary Expense Funding:

Click here to fill out the Discretionary Expense Funding Form. 

A discretionary expense funding grant is a reimbursable grant. The funding is first spent by the non-profit and reimbursed by the Queens Borough President’s Office. For eligibility requirements and more information scroll down.

Eligibility Requirements

To be eligible for a capital grant, projects must meet the following minimum criteria:

If you are a nonprofit organization seeking City capital funding for a project that is not on City-owned land, you must meet the following requirements:

• City Operating Contract. The recipient organization must have one or more City operating contract(s).
  • For real property projects,the organization must have a separate pre-existing contract with the City for operating funds in the current fiscal year (FY23) and the preceding two fiscal years (FY21 and FY22) with a minimum annual dollar amount of $50,000 each year. (This requirement does not apply to cultural projects).
  • For movable property projects, the recipient must have a City operating contract in FY23 of at least $25,000. (This requirement does not apply to cultural projects.)
• Minimum City Contribution.
  • For real property projects, there must be a minimum City contribution of at least $500,000
  • For movable property projects, each item or equipment system must cost at least $50,000, unless it is for initial outfitting of a new space.
  • For projects involving movable propertythat has a minor degree of attachment to real property, the project must have a minimum City contribution of at least $250,000.
  • Ownership Requirement. For projects involving real property (such as construction or renovation), the property must be used and owned by the recipient organization (i.e. not rented) except for:
    • • Cultural projects
      • Governmental-owned property
      • Senior centers
      • Housing projects in New York City Housing Authority property and Housing projects identified with a housing loan program of the City’s Department of Housing Preservation and Development.

• Useful life:
  • The project must have a useful life of 5 years or more and be used for a City purpose for its entire useful life.

• Other baseline standards detailed in the Guidelines for Capital Funding Request for Not-for-Profit Organizations

• The link for non-city agencies will be announced soon.

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• If you are a nonprofit organization seeking a discretionary grant for programmatic expenses, you must meet the following guidelines:

  A discretionary grant is a reimbursable grant. The funding is first spent by the non-profit and reimbursed by the Queens Borough President’s Office. The non-profit is required to provide documentation and information. This is non-negotiable as they are part of the City’s rules and regulations governing Discretionary funding. Funding does not support staff salaries, fringe benefits, or fundraising/political activities as defined in the Comptroller’s Directive #23.

  If your organization receives $10,000 or more in total city contracts your organization must register for a PASSPort account. Please consult the PASSPort webpage by clicking here for user materials, including account creation and application submission guides, as well as both in-person and online training opportunities.

  The City of New York’s Fiscal Year is from July 1st through June 30th. All goods and services must be received by June 30th. There must be proof of invoices, receipts, delivery and payment in order to receive reimbursement. Acceptable payment documentation includes cancelled checks, bank statements showing payment via debit card, or a credit card statement with a corresponding bank statement showing payment to the credit card. Cash transactions are not accepted as valid forms of payment for reimbursement purposes. All monies spent must be from organizational bank accounts.

  The following is a list of forms/information/requirements in order to receive reimbursement funding from the Office of the Queens Borough President:

• Proof of 501(c)(3) tax status

  A Certified Resolution – (sample attached) on organization letterhead signed by a member of the Board of Directors authorizing the organization to enter into a contract and designating the person responsible to execute the contract for the organization.

  PASSPort Vendor ID

  Doing Business Accountability form – (DBA /LL34) – must be submitted.

  Mission Statement – This is a five sentence description of what the organization’s primary services encompass.

  Scope of Services Proposal – This is a more detailed description of the organization’s request. The request must include a mission statement (purpose of the organization), a proposed scope of services (proposed usage of the funding) and a budget (how the funding will be spent specifically).

  Budget – This is an itemized description of how the funding from the Borough President will be spent and the amount for each funding category. The total budget should equal the total amount of the award.

  Organizational Budget/Audited Financials – The Office requires either one, but not both. This is so we can better understand the organization’s financial health.

  Tax Filings – This is your IRS Form 990.

  Signing the Contract – Based upon the information provided by the organization and conversations between the program person and the non-profit, the term of the contract will be determined as well as the scope of services and what will comprise approved, reimbursable expenditures. Once this is agreed, the designated representative of the non-profit will come in person to sign the contract. The date will be a mutually convenient time.

  Fulfilling the Contract – The organization must spend its own funding for the purchase of goods and services as described in the contract. Organization must submit proof of delivery, purchase and payment along with the request for reimbursement. All goods and services must be received and paid for within the term of the contract.

  Reimbursement – Reimbursement are made at the conclusion of the contract. Request for payment is made by submitting a “voucher letter” (see sample attached) along with all receipts, cancelled checks and other supporting documentation. Our office performs a review of all supporting documentation for reimbursement.