This past weekend, New York Appleseed celebrated a major milestone — our 10-year anniversary! - and is reaffirming our vision that every student has access to a high-quality, equitable, integrated, and inclusive education. With a new mayoral administration on the horizon, this is our moment to begin the next chapter of Appleseed's story and power the next decade of change together.

A generous board member has committed a match of $15,000. We are just $5,000 away from meeting that number- will you support us by donating and building the next 10 years of integration and opportunity? Every "10" gift builds toward our collective $100,000 goal. Your support continues the fight against segregation, stands with communities, and advances the integrated schools that all students deserve. We invite you to celebrate our first 10 years - and power the next 10 - with a gift today.

Thank you for being part of this movement for the last 10 years and for the many to come.

Developed in partnership with members of the Integration Coalition, and supported by nearly 20 organizations and several parent leaders, the blueprint outlines ten clear, actionable, and feasible steps the incoming Mamdani administration can take within its first three months to address school segregation across New York City.

“This is a moment of opportunity,” said Nyah Berg, Executive Director of New York Appleseed. “This blueprint is a call to action and a reminder that we already know what works, and now we need the courage and commitment from City leadership to begin to make it happen.”

This briefing represents a starting point, not an end goal. New York Appleseed and the many advocates, families, and organizations standing behind this effort look forward to working in partnership with the Mamdani administration to turn these recommendations into tangible progress for New York City’s students.

Read the full blueprint here. Read the POLITICO Pro article spotlighting this briefing here.

Statement on 3-Year Contract Extension

This past week, after months of parents, advocates, and educational justice organizations urging the City not to approve long-term extensions of outdated school bus contracts and the Panel for Education Policy (PEP) opposing 5‑year contract extensions, a 3-year extension has been proposed and adopted.

This extension is retroactive to when contracts formally expired in June, leaving approximately 2.5 years for all involved to collaborate, plan, and act. This period must include meaningful parent and student involvement, transparent benchmarks, and clear commitments from elected leaders to ensure we are not back in the same place three years from now.

Read the coalition's full statement here.

Are you new to grant proposal writing or want a quick refresher? Want tips on how to search for grants? Are you curious about discretionary funding streams through public sources? Join PTAlink next month for our grants and funding webinar!

Guest Speakers at this webinar will include: Tracy Kaufman from Candid, who will provide a step-by-step guide to creating a grant proposal to a foundation, along with representatives from the office of Brooklyn Borough President, Antonio Reynoso and the office of City Council Member, Shahana Hanif, who will shed light on funding sources like discretionary funding, Reso A, and Participatory Budgeting.

Date: Tuesday, December 2nd

Time: 7:00 PM

Register here