This workshop is for nonprofit organizations, large and small, interested in developing a strategy to secure more government funding in New York City. The city’s #1 government relations firm, Kasirer, will walk you through the basics of the city’s discretionary funding process, discuss its key players, and provide insights on how to develop a strategic approach to securing city dollars. There will then be the opportunity to ask questions to Kasirer team members including its founder and President Suri Kasirer, Executive Vice President Julie Greenberg and both the leads of the nonprofit team Bianca Almedina and Marian Guerra.
Kasirer is New York’s #1 government relations firm assisting clients ranging from hyper local nonprofits to Fortune 500 companies in achieving their New York City goals related to local government. For over two decades, they have been an industry leader advocating on behalf of their clients, achieving results, and making a difference because they understand what it takes to succeed in the most dynamic, complex, exciting, and diverse city in the world.
They represent over 40 nonprofit clients, some of whom have been with them for over 20 years, and tirelessly work to strongly position these nonprofits to successfully pursue funding opportunities with city government. For each client, they develop comprehensive engagement and messaging strategies to build support for each client’s funding requests, and successfully secure discretionary and capital funding.
Over the years, Suri has expanded the firm to represent the city’s largest real estate developers and major corporate organizations. The services they offer these clients have often proven to be very valuable to nonprofits as well. The Kasirer team assists many of its nonprofit clients will all real estate related challenges (including agency engagements; identifying real estate opportunities; and navigating any type of public approval processes) and legislative and policy work (developing policy agenda’s, tracking legislation and building campaigns to support or oppose new legislative and policy initiatives). Their approach, which focuses on an all-around strategy, relationship building and profile raising, is unique and uncontested in New York.
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Suri Kasirer
Suri Kasirer is a born New Yorker and advocate. She brings a lifelong commitment to championing people, progress, and policy in the City. In 1997, she founded the firm out of a studio apartment on the Upper West Side helping nonprofit organizations pursue funding, and has grown it to New York’s #1 government relations firm with a 40-person team and over 200 clients ranging from Fortune 500 companies to hyper local non-profits, but still with the same vision and goal: to make New York City a better place to live and work for everyone. She is closely involved with all of our nonprofit clients and is committed to giving back to the city through supporting this sector.
Julie Greenberg
Kasirer’s Executive Vice President, Julie Greenberg, joined Suri in 2002. Julie coordinates with Suri to oversee the strategy for every client across the Kasirer portfolio; works across the firm’s teams and leadership to ensure seamless coordination and leveraging of our internal resources to achieve the goals of clients; and, manages some of the firm’s most complex assignments. She has more than two decades of experience as a government and public affairs specialist, and she worked for over a decade in New York State politics. In her governmental and political capacities, Julie developed an intimate knowledge of the inner workings of New York on both city and state levels. She has been critical in moving forward some of the city’s most transformative projects that have shaped the city including the construction of One Vanderbilt, the introduction of the MTA’s new payment system, and the passage of Ranked Choice Voting.
Marian Guerra
As Vice President and Co-Lead of Kasirer’s nonprofits team, Marian provides strategic support to nonprofit clients on budgetary, legislative, and other regulatory matters. Previously, Marian served as Deputy Chief of Staff and Director of Legislation and Budget for Council Member Chin. There, she oversaw the Council Member’s policy priorities, building coalitions to introduce and pass landmark legislation related to senior food access, age discrimination, affordable housing, and tenants’ rights. She also helped shape and advance City budget advocacy campaigns to secure millions of dollars of investments towards senior services.
Bianca Almedina
Bianca Almedina is Vice President and co-lead of Kasirer’s nonprofits team, where she provides clients with strategic support on budgetary and legislative matters. She is one of our policy experts and helps our clients craft and pursue their policy priorities. Most recently, Bianca worked at the School Construction Authority (SCA), where she managed the Resolution A program for over 20 City Council districts. In this capacity, she supported schools in securing tens of millions of dollars from elected officials to complete capital improvement projects, including greenhouses, playgrounds, and science labs. Prior, she served as Deputy Chief of Staff to Council Member Diana Ayala and oversaw the office’s budgetary, legislative, and land use portfolios. She successfully directed the passage of various pieces of legislation related to mental health, substance use, food security, and senior services.
