Urban Affairs

The Urban Affairs program is focused on projects that enhance New York City’s vitality as a leading and livable urban capital.

We partner with civic and cultural institutions, local government, and independent nonprofits that design innovative, feasible initiatives to address the common needs of diverse New Yorkers.

The Foundation continually seeks opportunities to strengthen the city’s pluralistic communities and civic spaces, re-envisioning public libraries, affordable housing, and local public affairs journalism to cultivate engaged, creative urban citizens.

View All Urban Affairs Grants

Featured Project: Documented NY

Documented NY Staff

Since 2019, the Revson Foundation has supported Documented, a nonprofit news organization devoted to covering New York City’s immigrants and the policies that affect their lives.

Though more than one third of New York City residents are immigrants (38%), there is a woeful lack of journalism committed to amplifying their voices; and, due to language and cultural barriers, many immigrant populations are denied access to quality reporting on the issues that impact their everyday lives. Documented publishes groundbreaking investigative articles–such as reporting on ICE activity within sanctuary cities—while ensuring they reach the immigrant communities that have been overlooked by mainstream media. For example, they have successfully disseminated information on COVID-19 and immigration reform through Documented Semanal, an award-winning Spanish-language newsletter distributed through WhatsApp to over 2,000 immigrant New Yorkers. They also have an evergreen resource guide for NYC’s immigrant population, where readers can find referrals to services, information on visas and public programs, and definitions of immigration terms.

Documented relies on insights from its readers and New York’s immigrant communities to create journalism that responds to their needs. As a result, the organization produces nuanced day-to-day coverage of ongoing changes to immigration policy and have published several investigative news stories that led to real-world changes.

It is therefore no surprise that their audience of subscribers has tripled since 2019 and their work has caught the attention of local and state officials, other journalists, immigrants, and advocates.

Sign up for their award-winning coverage here:

https://documentedny.com/newsletter/

Read some of their reporting here:

https://documentedny.com/2021/04/15/inside-new-york-citys-biggest-financial-relief-effort-for-undocumented-immigrants/

https://documentedny.com/2020/12/18/misinformation-is-harming-trust-in-the-covid-vaccine-among-latinos-in-new-york/

https://documentedny.com/2020/12/23/the-scams-targeting-latinos-via-messaging-apps/