United Way of New York City Honors Policy and Community Advocates at Inaugural Champions for Change Awards

United Way of New York City Honors Policy and Community Advocates at Inaugural Champions for Change Awards

Oct 16, 2025| Advocacy, Blog, Blog Featured Articles, Impact, News, News Featured Articles, Partners

The event celebrated more than $172 million in new state and city investments to expand food access, strengthen education equity, advance health justice, and deepen civic engagement citywide.

NEW YORK CITY (October 16, 2025) - United Way of New York City tonight hosted its inaugural Champions for Change Awards Reception, honoring elected officials and community partners whose leadership and advocacy helped secure historic legislative and budgetary wins for New Yorkers this past year. The celebration gathered over 100 leaders across government, philanthropy, and grassroots organizations in recognition of a year in which United Way of New York City and its partners delivered over $172 million in critical investments for programs and policies to support New Yorkers in need.

The evening featured remarks from United Way of New York City President and CEO Grace Bonilla, alongside presentations from the organization's advocacy team. Special honorees included Senator Deputy Leader Michael Gianaris, Assemblymember Chantel Jackson, Councilmembers Jennifer Gutiérrez and Amanda Farías, as well as community organizations Project Hospitality, La Victoria Foundation, Bronx Connect, and CommonPoint Queens.

"This Champions for Change event is about lifting up our partners who remind us that advocacy must be rooted in people's everyday lives, not just in policy," said Grace Bonilla. "The wins we are celebrating represent food on the table, books in the hands of children, and expanded opportunities for families across all five boroughs. Tonight we celebrate what is possible when we come together to drive innovative solutions."

"In a place like New York with so many competing priorities and stakeholders, it takes commitment and cooperation from a wide variety of individuals and groups to advance real progress, said Senate Deputy Leader Michael Gianaris. "I'm proud to join United Way and my fellow honorees in celebration of all that we've been able to accomplish together for our communities."

"Being part of the Latine Studies Curriculum initiative has been one of the most meaningful chapters of our work. It's more than a curriculum - it's an affirmation that our stories, our histories, and our contributions matter in the classrooms of New York City. I am deeply honored by this recognition from United Way of New York City, and I share it with every educator, student, and community leader who believes that representation in education is not just important - it's essential to building a more just and inclusive future," said Katherine Gomez, Executive Director of La Victoria Foundation.

Among the advances celebrated were critical investments including $6 million for United Way of New York City's Public Campaign Academy (PCA), which trains and empowers emerging leaders to advocate for equity-focused policy change; $5 million for Choose Healthy Life, United Way of New York City's health equity initiative built in partnership with the city's Black churches to expand access to preventative care; $55 million for Nourish NY and $58 million for the Hunger Prevention and Nutrition Assistance Program (HPNAP), which together strengthen the city's emergency food system; and $1 million to expand Books from Birth, United Way of New York City's early literacy initiative delivering free books to children.

The Champions for Change Awards come at a moment of growing urgency for New Yorkers, as food pantry visits surged to 47 million in 2024, an 87 percent increase since 2019, and United Way of New York City's True Cost of Living Report found that half of all working-age residents cannot afford basic needs without support. In 2024, as part of its response, United Way of New York City distributed 15 million pounds of nutritious food, more than half sourced from New York State farmers, provided $1.9 million in direct aid to keep families housed and their lights on, and helped 9,000 households secure SNAP benefits that boosted monthly food budgets by nearly $400. The support secured by this year's honorees is what makes this daily impact possible, ensuring that advocacy wins translate into greater opportunity for families across all five boroughs.
About United Way of New York City

For 87 years, United Way of New York City has been a force multiplier for good. We work at the intersection of government, private, and public partners to positively affect our communities, maximizing impact by coordinating and aligning service providers, companies, local government and New Yorkers to help people eliminate barriers and gain the agency to improve their lives for the better. To learn more, visit unitedwaynyc.org.