A Big Move to Build Our Community
We are very excited to announce that Philanthropy New York is making a momentous new move, joining other nonprofits to become tenants in the collaborative hub at 320 East 43rd Street called “Ford Foundation Center for Social Justice.”
The reconfigured space will increase Philanthropy New York’s convening capacity and present exciting new amenities for our members. In realizing this opportunity, PNY is also advancing its long-term fiscal stability – one of the core pillars of our strategic plan – by securing precious midtown convening space for a 20-year period that is reasonably priced. Our move to the new space in early 2019 means that the convening our members rely upon will continue long into the future.
Over the coming months, we’ll be talking with you more about the details, but here is why Philanthropy New York’s Board of Directors decided to seize this important opportunity:
Increased Convening Capacity
When PNY moved to Times Square in 2015, the new space was a big improvement – with more meeting spaces for our members and increased technological capacity. Moving to the newly reconfigured Ford Foundation Center for Social Justice will bring even more improvements. Our largest conference room will afford PNY more flexibility and even better technology. Our new boardroom will also be larger than our current mid-sized meeting space and accommodate a board meeting or roundtable discussion for 20 people. We will have additional technology and hospitality support from the Ford team. PNY will have priority access to other convening space. The building includes a renovated, more accessible atrium, an art gallery and other public amenities. There will be plenty of open collaborative spaces for spontaneous conversations between our members. The Ford Foundation Center for Social Justice is being reconfigured to be more accessible to people with visual impairments and limited mobility. And we believe that there will be significant synergies from sharing the space with other important convening organization
A Vibrant Hub for Collaboration
Ford Found
ation asked three prominent nonprofits to join them in their newly configured space to create an active and vibrant hub of organizations with extensive partnerships and unique constituencies. Philanthropy New York will be joined by Nonprofit Coordinating Committee of New York and United Nations Foundation—two colleague organizations with longstanding commitments to serve the public good. The building will be constantly abuzz with interesting thinkers and leaders. Reflecting the building’s expanded citizenry, PNY’s name will appear on the outside of the Ford Center building, as well as in the main reception area and on our own office floor.
Long-Term Sustainability in a Central Location
Signing this lease, which covers a 20-year period, obviates unpredictable and potentially significant real estate tax and rent increases. Our move to the Ford Foundation Center for Social Justice will lock in manageable, reasonable rent increases over the next two decades. It frees PNY from future lease negotiations and a potentially disruptive move, while simultaneously ensuring a midtown location for decades to come. Our new Manhattan home is conveniently located at 320 East 43rd Street (close to 2nd Avenue), a short walk from Grand Central Station.
Grounded in Our Mission and Values
This move advances PNY’s mission to increase the capacity of philanthropists located in our region – whose own missions focus on New York, the United States and around the globe – to serve the public good. It is grounded in PNY’s vision of exercising its leadership to “serve as a connector of people, institutions, ideas and resources, as well as a catalyst for advocacy and action for change.” As our Board considered the move, members continuously returned to PNY’s core values of 
integrity, impact, inclusion, transparency, accountability, collaboration and partnership. These deliberations produced a unified vision for our organization in a new home.
We will keep you informed about this move over the next several months. Please do not hesitate to contact us with any questions or comments. As always, Philanthropy New York’s first priority is supporting and serving our membership. We look forward to working with you for years to come.
Sincerely,
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Mike Pratt |
Ronna D. Brown |