NYC Honors Eight Leaders in 2026 Human Services Awards
Nonprofits, public servants and one city agency were honored at Gracie Mansion for strengthening New York City’s social safety net.
New York City recognized eight winners in the 2026 NYC Human Services Awards, celebrating nonprofit organizations, city workers, a municipal agency and a longtime community leader whose work helps New Yorkers find housing, employment, education, legal assistance and other essential services.
The second annual Excellence in Human Services Delivery Awards capped NYC Nonprofit Week with a ceremony at Gracie Mansion on Thursday, Aug. 20. The winners were selected from more than 250 nominations, according to Mayor Zohran Mamdani and the Mayor’s Office of Nonprofit Services, or MONS.
The awards spotlight an often less-visible part of city government: the relationship between public agencies and nonprofit organizations that deliver many of the services New Yorkers depend on every day.
The 2026 NYC Human Services Awards Winners
The eight honorees were recognized in five categories.
Action & Innovation Award
The Action & Innovation Award recognizes creative approaches that improve services, strengthen programs or make government-nonprofit partnerships work better.
Nonprofit Winner: Northern Manhattan Improvement Corporation
The Northern Manhattan Improvement Corporation, or NMIC, received the nonprofit award.
NMIC operates under a settlement-house model and provides free services to residents of Upper Manhattan and the Bronx. Its programs cover housing, immigration, public benefits, financial assistance, health, education, job training and other needs.
According to NMIC, it serves about 14,000 people each year. Its services include tenant representation, citizenship preparation, tax assistance, health-benefit enrollment, mental-health counseling, English-language education, high-school equivalency programs and career training.
City Staff Winner: Jackie Roth, Administration for Children’s Services
Jackie Roth of the New York City Administration for Children’s Services, commonly known as ACS, received the city employee award.
The city said the recognition was intended for public employees who develop forward-looking solutions that strengthen service delivery and partnerships.
Excellence in Customer Service Award
This award honors city employees who provide strong communication, coordination and responsiveness to nonprofit partners while also recognizing nonprofits whose frontline services demonstrate an exceptional response to community needs.
Nonprofit Winner: Hispanic Federation
The Hispanic Federation earned the nonprofit honor.
Founded in 1990, the organization works on education, health, immigration, economic empowerment, civic engagement, environmental justice, hunger relief and nonprofit development.
The Federation describes itself as a network encompassing more than 840 nonprofit members and partners working across dozens of states and territories.
Its work includes supporting Latino-led nonprofit organizations while providing direct programs and coordinating advocacy, disaster relief and community assistance.
City Staff Winner: Julie Harrison, Department of Homeless Services
Julie Harrison of the New York City Department of Homeless Services received the city staff award.
The honor recognizes the often complicated work required to coordinate government programs with nonprofit organizations that deliver shelter, outreach and other services to people experiencing homelessness.
Harrison has also been identified publicly as an assistant commissioner in the department’s Street Homeless Solutions Division.
Operational Excellence Award
The Operational Excellence Award recognizes organizations that demonstrate effective systems, strong fiscal management and efficient processes while delivering services.
Nonprofit Winner: Consortium for Worker Education
The Consortium for Worker Education, or CWE, received the nonprofit award.
CWE is the workforce development arm of the New York City Central Labor Council. It provides education, training, child-care assistance, job placement and other employment services.
The organization says it works with 33 labor unions and their locals, along with a network of 50 community partners across all five boroughs.
CWE reports serving approximately 34,000 New York City-area workers each year.
Its programs include pathways into industrial and construction careers, worker service centers, health-care training and employment programs.
City Agency Winner: Department for the Aging
The New York City Department for the Aging received the city agency award.
Its selection is notable because the category focuses not simply on an individual program but on the systems and management practices needed to reliably deliver services.
City agencies and nonprofits frequently depend on one another. Government provides contracts and funding, while community organizations often provide direct services where residents live.
Emerging Nonprofit Award
Winner: Women’s Empowerment Coalition of NYC
The Women’s Empowerment Coalition of NYC, or WECNYC, received the Emerging Nonprofit Award.
The category recognizes smaller or newer organizations already making a significant difference in New York City communities.
WECNYC focuses on helping women and families move toward greater economic independence.
Its programs include:
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English-language classes
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Digital literacy
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Workforce training
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Resume and interview assistance
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Leadership development
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Civic engagement
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Benefits assistance
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Domestic violence services
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Youth programs
The organization also provides confidential and culturally responsive assistance to domestic violence survivors, including safety planning and referrals for legal and social services.
That combination of economic opportunity and crisis support illustrates why smaller community organizations can play an outsized role in neighborhoods.
Lifetime Achievement Award
Winner: Rosita Romero, Dominican Women’s Development Center
One of the ceremony’s most significant honors went to Rosita Romero, co-founder and executive director emeritus of the Dominican Women’s Development Center, or DWDC.
Romero received the Lifetime Achievement Award, which recognizes someone who has devoted a career to strengthening New York City’s nonprofit sector.
The Dominican Women’s Development Center works primarily with women and families in Northern Manhattan, Harlem and the Bronx.
Its services include economic development, health programs, domestic violence support, early childhood education, food assistance, leadership development and programs serving LGBTQ+ youth.
The organization says its broader mission is to strengthen women and families through education, advocacy, leadership development and culturally responsive services.
Romero’s recognition therefore represents more than one successful program. It honors sustained community work across generations.
More Than 250 Nominations Submitted
Competition for this year’s awards was substantial.
The city reported receiving more than 250 nominations from nonprofit organizations that contract with city agencies and from government staff members who work directly with nonprofit providers.
The ceremony was sponsored by Ponce Bank and EmblemHealth.
Each individual city employee selected for an award received a $1,000 cash prize, while nonprofit recipients received trophies, according to the Mayor’s Office.
MONS launched the awards in 2025.
Following this year’s ceremony, the program has recognized a combined 10 nonprofits, four city employees and two city agencies since its creation.
NYC Nonprofit Week Put Community Organizations in the Spotlight
The awards were the culmination of NYC Nonprofit Week, established in connection with National Nonprofit Day on Aug. 17.
Throughout the week, 23 mayoral offices and city agencies participated in visits and recognition activities.
City officials visited or highlighted more than 40 nonprofit organizations across the five boroughs, including organizations involved in youth services, disability advocacy, immigration assistance, housing, disaster response and other areas.
Among the organizations highlighted were Girls for Gender Equity, Refugee Atelier, HousingPlus, Youth Justice Network, Harlem Independent Living Center, New York Edge, the American Red Cross and Lantern Community Services.
Mayor Mamdani said nonprofits are essential to the city’s social safety net.
“Our City relies on nonprofit partners who show up for New Yorkers every day,” Mamdani said.
The mayor specifically pointed to housing, health care, education and legal assistance as areas where nonprofit organizations provide critical support.
Deputy Mayor for Health and Human Services Dr. Helen Arteaga said New York City has more than 40,000 nonprofit organizations serving its approximately 8.5 million residents.
Recognition Also Highlights a Difficult Government Partnership
Award ceremonies can easily become symbolic events. But the larger issue behind the NYC Human Services Awards is more practical: many nonprofit organizations cannot operate effectively if city contracts, approvals or payments are delayed.
Organizations may still have employees to pay, rent due and programs to operate while waiting for government reimbursement.
The Mayor’s Office of Nonprofit Services exists in part to help organizations navigate those systems.
New York City says Chief Nonprofit Officers coordinate with MONS and the Mayor’s Office of Contract Services to respond to nonprofit concerns, improve communication and help expedite payments.
Earlier in 2026, the Mamdani administration reestablished 18 Chief Nonprofit Officer positions across health and human services agencies to help resolve problems between providers and government agencies.
That may ultimately matter more to community organizations than awards.
Recognition celebrates good work. Timely contracts, payments, communication and stable funding help make that work possible.
Why These Awards Matter
Human services are often delivered far from City Hall.
They happen when a caseworker helps a family find housing.
They happen when an immigrant receives legal assistance, when a worker learns a new skill, when a domestic violence survivor creates a safety plan or when a young person receives support after school.
Government may finance many of those services, but nonprofits frequently provide them.
The 2026 award winners illustrate the range of that work—from workforce development and homelessness services to women’s empowerment and neighborhood-based assistance.
They also show that strong public services depend on people on both sides of the government-nonprofit partnership.
Complete 2026 Winners at a Glance
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Action & Innovation — Nonprofit: Northern Manhattan Improvement Corporation
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Action & Innovation — City Staff: Jackie Roth, Administration for Children’s Services
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Excellence in Customer Service — Nonprofit: Hispanic Federation
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Excellence in Customer Service — City Staff: Julie Harrison, Department of Homeless Services
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Operational Excellence — Nonprofit: Consortium for Worker Education
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Operational Excellence — City Agency: New York City Department for the Aging
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Emerging Nonprofit: Women’s Empowerment Coalition of NYC
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Lifetime Achievement: Rosita Romero, Dominican Women’s Development Center
Conclusion
New York City’s nonprofit sector does some of its most important work outside the spotlight. Organizations help families find food and housing, prepare workers for jobs, educate children, assist immigrants, protect survivors of violence and respond when communities face emergencies.
The 2026 NYC Human Services Awards offered public recognition to eight organizations, employees and leaders doing that work.
But the larger challenge continues after the trophies are handed out: ensuring that nonprofit providers have reliable government partners, timely payments and enough stability to keep serving their communities.
For residents, the awards are also a reminder to learn about the nonprofit organizations working in their own neighborhoods—and, when possible, support them through volunteering, advocacy or donations.
Sources
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New York City Mayor’s Office, Aug. 21, 2026: NYC Nonprofit Week and Excellence in Human Services Delivery Awards.
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Northern Manhattan Improvement Corporation.
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Hispanic Federation.
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Consortium for Worker Education.
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Women’s Empowerment Coalition of NYC.
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Dominican Women’s Development Center.
