2025 Impact Report
2025 was a year of relentless challenges for New York's most vulnerable families. With the support of our donors, Robin Hood met every challenge head-on — focusing on results, driving innovation to solve unmet needs, scaling what works, and building institutions that transform lives.
By the numbers
Top ten wins
Scroll through our biggest wins of the year and see what fighting poverty looks like in action.
Shoring up the nonprofit direct service sector In the face of funding cuts
We armed 190 grantees with $5.8 million in grants, pro bono support, and critical services to prepare for and respond to federal funding threats — so our partners could keep delivering child care, emergency food, housing, health care, job training, and more to the 5 million New Yorkers living in or near poverty.
When SNAP funding was withheld, Robin Hood was there
SNAP’s suspension threatened to push 23,000 New Yorkers into poverty, so we acted immediately. Within 24 hours of a missed payment, 38,000 households statewide received $50 in direct cash assistance. With Michael Novogratz’s support, we contributed $1 million to an emergency fund to support families facing instability.
Our relentless pursuit to end child poverty is paying off
In 2025, after six years of relentless research and advocacy, Robin Hood helped win the largest Child Tax Credit increase in New York State history — lifting 8.2% of the state’s children out of poverty. More than 450,000 New York City children still live in poverty — 23 times the capacity of Madison Square Garden. In 2025, we proved that sustained advocacy and smart policy changes move the needle — and there is still more to do.
Donor Spotlight: Planned Giving
Nancy and Mark Taylor
Nancy and Mark Taylor have championed Robin Hood for years. They recently strengthened their commitment by establishing separate bequests: "Having a planned gift gives direction, clarity, and pride. It's one last donation we can be proud of.” Their legacy ensures New Yorkers have access to opportunity for generations.
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Fighting — and winning — the battle for affordable housing
An anonymous donor’s $10 million gift to build 100 deeply affordable units in the Bronx was just one part of our fight against NYC’s housing crisis. In 2025, we advanced the state’s housing voucher program, championed zoning reforms, and helped dismantle red tape blocking construction of affordable housing citywide.
Proving what partnership can do: an 11-point literacy breakthrough
Robin Hood is at the forefront of transforming literacy gains across the city. Last year, our partnership with NYC Reads drove an 11% increase in reading proficiency among 3rd- to 5th-graders. Students in Robin Hood-funded charter schools scored nearly 20 points higher in English and math than the city average. Through our donor-led Relay Initiative, 525 NYC school leaders and educators received training and coaching to help students close learning gaps.
Donor Spotlight: Partnerships
Deloitte
Deloitte is a strategic supporter of Robin Hood, combining skills-based services and financial commitments to strengthen our nonprofit partners. In 2025, nearly 500 Deloitte professionals engaged in capacity-building initiatives — providing high-impact pro bono strategy, tech, and workforce support to help our partners scale their impact.
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Our early bet on college success just paid off — big
Robin Hood seeded funding for CUNY ASAP and CUNY ACE. That early bet is paying off. The programs support more than 40,000 students annually, graduation rates are up by 15%, and, in 2025, New York State made its first-ever investment in CUNY ACE — proof that strategic philanthropy can unlock public funding at scale.
Giving New York's youngest children a strong start
In 2025, our early childhood investments supported 28,000 children and 1,600 educators. Through our Child Care Quality & Innovation Initiative (CCQII) — made possible by Alexis Ohanian’s seed funding — we’ve coached 4,100 educators to raise the quality of care, supported 2,500 families in accessing vouchers, and advocated to ensure 21% of new subsidies reached the highest poverty communities.
Donor Spotlight: The Forest
Patricia De Los Santos
Patricia De Los Santos
Patricia De Los Santos has been an active member of The Forest, our next-gen collective, for years. For her, being a part of this community has provided meaningful engagement and learning opportunities. She says it has “deepened [her] desire to give back in ways that feel tangible."
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Positioning Robin Hood at the forefront of AI-driven poverty fighting
We awarded $3 million through our AI Poverty Challenge to Beyond12, CodePath, and Legal Aid Society — catalyzing follow-on investments in personalized learning, reentry services, and benefit enrollment. Through Decoded Futures, our partnership with Tech:NYC seeded by the Robin Hood Learning + Technology Fund, we’re building AI capacity across 115 education and workforce nonprofits. And through Blue Ridge Labs, our venture studio, we’re incubating the next generation of tech-driven solutions to fight poverty at scale.
Good paying jobs: opening doors, breaking cycles
In 2025, Robin Hood-funded job training programs helped 14,000 New Yorkers secure work paying an average of $28/hour — nearly 70% higher than minimum wage. Good-paying jobs enable New Yorkers to build financial security and break the cycle of poverty. Our investments are helping New Yorkers build strong futures at scale.
Public benefits are a lifeline — we connect New Yorkers
In 2025, Robin Hood-funded partners helped 110,000 households unlock $220 million in public benefits — including SNAP, Medicaid, and critical tax credits and refunds. Navigating public benefits is so complex a process that many New Yorkers end up inadvertently leaving money on the table. We’re changing that.
Donor Spotlight: Rising Leaders Collective
Hannah Simon
Hannah Simon
"My commitment to Robin Hood grows with me — from a summer internship, to Camp Robin Hood, to the Rising Leaders Collective. Each chapter deepened my understanding of 'being Robin Hood' and uplifting those experiencing poverty. I’m proud to follow my parents’ example and engage my own family in this work."
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