Other Signature Programs
Many of NYU’s outreach projects do not fall into a particular category. These programs and initiatives demonstrate the University’s wide scope of service.
The Annual Children’s Halloween Parade | University-wide
Every year since 1990, NYU and Manhattan Community Board 2 have organized the Children’s Halloween Parade, which is one of New York City’s largest free children’s events held on Halloween Day. After the parade, more than 3,000 local children and families gather for a festive afternoon of live entertainment, carnival rides, and trick-or-treat giveaways.
Board Fellows Program | Stern
MBA students in the Stern School of Business’s Board Fellows Program act as non-voting members on boards of New York City–based nonprofit organizations over the course of nine months. More than 50 NYC-based nonprofits have hosted MBA Fellows on their boards.
The Community Fund and Combined Campaign | University-wide
Through the University’s workplace charitable giving campaign, employees contribute financial support to the Community Fund and the United Way of NYC. The Community Fund annually awards grants to more than 80 local nonprofits doing important work in the areas of arts and cultural enrichment, at-risk youth services, homelessness and hunger prevention, education and literacy, and low-income health services. Employees have donated more than $4 million to the campaign since it began in 1982.
Community Fund reception. ©Creighton: Courtesy of NYU Photo Bureau.
Graduate Outreach in Arts and Science | GSAS
More than a dozen student groups in the Graduate School of Arts and Science (GSAS) volunteer each semester addressing a broad range of issues, from science and advocacy to diversity and inclusion. Signature programs include the Alliance for Diversity in Science and Engineering (ADSE@NYU), NYU Minorities and Philosophy (MAP), and the Scientist Action and Advocacy Network (ScAAN).
Impact Investing in Family Offices MBA Course | Stern
In the Stern School of Business’s Impact Investing in Family Offices course, MBA students advise family or multi-family offices on specific projects relating to their impact investments, which are investments in companies, organizations, and funds made with the intention to generate beneficial social or environmental impact alongside a financial return. More than nine family offices have participated since the course began in 2017.
Law Clinics | Law
The School of Law offers 39 clinics in areas such as immigrant rights, juvenile defense, reproductive justice, and environmental law. The school was among the first law schools to offer clinical legal education and developed its first clinical program in 1969.
The School of Law offers 39 in areas such as immigrant rights, juvenile defense, reproductive justice, and environmental law.
Volunteers making sandwiches for Martin Luther King Jr. Day. ©Olivo: Courtesy of NYU Photo Bureau.
Master of Social Work Field Placements | Silver
The Silver School of Social Work’s Office of Field Learning places 1,000 MSW students at more than 650 social service and health agencies, schools, and other organizations throughout the city each year. The students log more than 600,000 hours of service annually to individuals, families, and communities in New York City.
MLK Day of Service | Center for Student Life
As part of the Martin Luther King Jr. Day of Service, students engage in tutoring, sustainability volunteering, and health and wellness assistance throughout Manhattan, Queens, Brooklyn, and the Bronx. The MLK Day of Service is organized by the Center for Student Life and supports more than 25 organizations every year.
The President’s Service Awards | University-wide
Students who receive the President’s Service Award have contributed to their communities in a positive way. Recipients of the award have worked in soup kitchens, homeless shelters, and public elementary schools, and have helped to rebuild cities that have been affected by natural disasters such as Hurricane Katrina.
Every year, the Silver School of Social Work places 1,000 Master of Social Work students at 650+ social service agencies and other organizations in New York City.
Project OutReach | Center for Student Life
Each year, approximately 100 incoming first-year and transfer students in the Center for Student Life’s Project OutReach program volunteer with organizations across New York City to provide over 2,400 hours of community service annually. Past organizations have included Citymeals on Wheels, the Bronx Defenders, and Housing Works.
Public Service Capstone Projects | Wagner
As part of the Capstone program, hundreds of Wagner Graduate School of Public Service students work in teams to address challenges and identify opportunities for public service organizations over the course of an academic year. Since 1995, Capstone students have completed 1,200 projects for more than 800 organizations, among them City Harvest, Mount Sinai Health System, the New York City Department of Transportation, and the World Bank.
Service Film Series | Center for Student Life
Through the Center for Student Life’s Service Film Series, students learn about topics such as women’s rights, education disparities, and homelessness. The films allow students to have a deeper understanding of the way these pressing issues affect New York City and beyond.
Service Learning Courses | Silver
Each year, Silver School of Social Work professors teach a variety of service learning courses that combine classroom learning with weekly volunteer opportunities at public schools and nonprofit organizations. Student service activities include tutoring refugee high school students and visiting with Holocaust survivors. These service learning courses began in 2008, and serve an estimated 300 people per year.
Social Impact Consulting Experiential Learning Seminar | Stern
In the Social Impact Consulting Experiential Learning seminar at the Stern School of Business, faculty and undergraduate students work with nonprofit organizations in New York City to produce value for nonprofit stakeholders. Since 2013, 216 students have worked on 55 projects with 28 different client organizations.
5,900+ students have participated in the Wagner School of Public Service’s Capstone Projects program, in which students address challenges and identify opportunities for public service organizations.
Community Fund reception. ©Creighton: Courtesy of NYU Photo Bureau.
Social Impact Grants | Liberal Studies
Through Social Impact Grants, Liberal Studies commits at least $15,000 annually to facilitate student projects, such as a leadership program for youth in Palestine, an ecology initiative in Guatemala, and an English-language program for young immigrant women at the Brooklyn International High School in New York City.
The annual Children’s Halloween Parade, sponsored by NYU and Manhattan Community Board 2. ©Kahn: Courtesy of NYU Photo Bureau.
Social Justice Fieldwork Courses | Gallatin
Gallatin School of Individualized Study faculty routinely teach community-engaged, social justice-based courses that integrate field- work with classroom study. As part of these courses, students have produced historical materials for community advocacy in the South Bronx and traced election patterns on Staten Island.
Stacks Youth Work Experience Program | NYU Libraries
The University’s Libraries hire local high school students as part of the Stacks Youth Work Experience Program, during which the high school students help organize, sort, and maintain library materials.
Steinhardt Support and Service Internships | Steinhardt
Each year, more than 2,000 student interns at the Steinhardt School of Culture, Education, and Human Development support more than 1,300 schools, community agencies, arts organizations, cultural institutions, and healthcare facilities in New York City.
The annual Children’s Halloween Parade, sponsored by NYU and Manhattan Community Board 2. ©Kahn: Courtesy of NYU Photo Bureau.
Veterans Future Lab | Tandon
The Tandon School of Engineering’s Veterans Future Lab is a technology start-up hub that provides mentorship and support to early-stage start-ups founded by US military personnel, US military veterans, and their spouses. The Veterans Future Lab is made possible with the support of Barclays and the Empire State Development Corporation.
Volunteer Income Tax Assistance | Stern
Through the Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) program, Stern School of Business undergraduate students provide free income tax preparation services for New York City residents each spring. Since 2015, over 800 residents have received tax services with VITA.
Wagner Day of Service | Wagner
Since 2013, the Wagner School of Public Service has organized an annual Day of Service at organizations around New York City. More than 100 students volunteer every year at organizations including the Gowanus Canal Conservancy, New Women New Yorkers, the Bridge New York, and Common Ground Compost.
The Washington Square Legal Services Bail Fund | Law
The Washington Square Legal Services Bail Fund, an initiative of the School of Law since 2016, provides bail for people charged with misdemeanors and who have bails set at $2,000 or less. Paying bail in these circumstances ensures that the bail recipients can maintain their housing, employment, health, and family stability while exercising their basic rights to due process.
Since 2015, Stern School of Business undergraduate students have helped 800+ New York City residents prepare their taxes through the Volunteer Income Tax Assistance program.