April 16, 2026
What you should know
- The Mayor’s Fund will be chaired by Chief of Staff Elle Bisgaard-Church, who will steer its efforts to further the administration’s affordability agenda
- The administration will also launch a Child Care Action Fund, with a goal of raising $20 million by the end of the year
NEW YORK – Today, Mayor Zohran Kwame Mamdani announced a new Board of Directors for the Mayor’s Fund to Advance New York City, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that partners with 50 City agencies and offices, philanthropic organizations and community leaders to invest in the most urgent challenges facing New Yorkers. The fund will play a key role in advancing the Mayor’s signature affordability agenda.
Elle Bisgaard-Church will chair the board, joined by six additional members. Kate Smith will continue to serve as Executive Director.
Under Mamdani, the Mayor’s Fund will look different from past administrations — centered not on corporate leadership, but on working New Yorkers and advocates who organized and fought for bold and progressive action on picket lines, protests and public forums in their communities. From Christina Cover, a Bronx public school teacher to Tony Perlstein, a UAW union organizer who built a career as a longshoreman, the board reflects the working people at the heart of this city — and the center of this administration’s mission.
The administration views the Mayor’s Fund as a complement to, not a substitute for, public investment. While advancing major government-led efforts to lower costs – including the first municipal grocery stores and a historic expansion of free child care – the Mayor’s Fund will help accelerate progress on core commitments to the movement that brought them to City Hall.
“I am honored to appoint my Chief of Staff, Elle Bisgaard-Church, to lead the Mayor’s Fund into a new era, one where philanthropy is not about who has money, but about whether that money delivers for working people,” said Mayor Mamdani. “We have assembled a team of principled, focused leaders who will build on the work this administration is doing to lower costs, keep New Yorkers safe and make our city’s public infrastructure the envy of the world.”
“On behalf of the Board, I want to thank Mayor Mamdani for the opportunity to embark on this new era for the Mayor’s Fund,” said Chief of Staff Elle Bisgaard-Church. “The Mamdani administration has received a mandate to change the relationship between New Yorkers and their government, and build an affordable city where everyone’s needs are met. We are excited to partner with the philanthropic community to deliver an optimistic and bold vision for our city to deliver on this mandate.”
“On behalf of the entire team at the Mayor’s Fund, we welcome our new Board of Directors, chaired by Chief of Staff Elle Bisgaard-Church,” said Kate R. Smith, Executive Director of the Mayor’s Fund to Advance New York City. “We’re thrilled to have a Board of Directors representative of the wide range of our city’s perspectives. The Board is responsible for taking all necessary steps to carry out the purpose of the Mayor’s Fund, and ensures the Fund’s work remains aligned with the Mayor’s policy goals and major initiatives. We’re excited to collaborate on advancing our mission in serving all New Yorkers across the City.”
Below are the members of the Mayor’s Fund Board of Directors:
Elle Bisgaard-Church serves as Chief of Staff to Mayor Zohran Mamdani and managed his successful mayoral primary campaign. She previously served as his Chief of Staff and Legislative Director in the State Assembly, where she helped lead winning campaigns to deliver debt relief for taxi drivers, secure historic investments in the MTA through #FixtheMTA and defeat a proposed fracked gas plant. She holds a master’s degree in social policy from the London School of Economics and Columbia SIPA, and has worked on issues including incarceration, homelessness and adult literacy.
Julie Chen is the Institutional Giving Manager at CAAAV: Organizing Asian Communities, where she supports efforts to build Asian immigrant and tenant power in New York City communities. Her previous work includes fundraising for an immigration bond fund, researching labor conditions for Chinese fast fashion workers in Italy and advocating for parents in the family policing system. She also serves in leadership roles with the Neighborhood Funders Group (NFG)’s Democratizing Development Program and the Resource Development Committee for Right to the City (RTTC).
Christina Cover is an English Language Arts teacher and the Literacy Coordinator at a Bronx public high school. She previously worked as a fellow with Seek Common Ground, served as Communications Coordinator for Assembly Member Khaleel M. Anderson and participated in AmeriCorps through City Year. She earned her B.A. in Communication Sciences and Disorders from CUNY Queens College, an M.A. in Intellectual Disabilities/Autism and dual teaching certification in English Language Arts and Special Education (7-12) from Teachers College, Columbia University and an Advanced Certificate in Reading Science and Literacy (All Grades) certificate from CUNY Brooklyn College.
Shawn V. Morehead is a philanthropic leader and legal advocate with over two decades of experience advancing equity in education, civil rights and social justice. She currently serves as Executive Vice President and Chief Program Officer at The New York Community Trust, where she oversees a $60 million annual grant making program supported by more than $1.5 billion in endowed funds. Prior to her current position, Shawn held several roles at The Trust, including Vice President for Grants and Program Director, where she spearheaded transformative programs such as securing $35 million to improve reading instruction in New York City public schools and launching multimillion-dollar initiatives to support immigrant communities. Before entering philanthropy, Shawn built a legal career focused on civil rights and education reform. As Litigation Director at Advocates for Children of New York, she led federal class-action cases to protect the rights of students with disabilities and those facing disciplinary proceedings, negotiating landmark settlements that improved educational services and accountability. A committed community leader, Shawn has served on numerous boards and advisory councils, including EdFunders, Grantmakers Concerned with Immigrants and Refugees, and the Rivendell School.
Rickke Mananzala (he/him) has spent more than 25 years working alongside grassroots leaders, community organizations and movements advancing racial, economic and gender justice. He currently serves as President of the New York Foundation, which supports community organizing and advocacy to help build a more just and inclusive New York City. Previously, he was Vice President of Programs at Borealis Philanthropy, helping bring funders together to support grassroots leaders and organizations building power for lasting social change in communities across the U.S. Rickke’s work in philanthropy is grounded in his roots as a community organizer. He began as an organizer and later became Executive Director of FIERCE, a New York City organization led by LGBTQ youth of color that organized campaigns to reduce youth criminalization and build leadership and power among young people. He currently serves on the boards of the Public Welfare Foundation and Philanthropy New York. Rickke holds a B.A. in Political Science from Columbia University and a Master of Public Administration from Columbia University’s School of International and Public Affairs, with a focus on urban policy.
Javier H. Valdés is director of the Civic Engagement and Government program. He supports grant making to strengthen representation, participation and leadership in US democracy so that communities can shape their futures, with dignity, inclusion and equitable access to economic resources. Javier joined the foundation in 2021 after previously serving as co-executive director of Make the Road New York (MRNY) and Make the Road Action. He has spent decades advocating for policy reforms, including limiting the local presence of federal immigration enforcement, improving the quality of affordable housing, expanding translation and interpretation services at government offices, and reducing biased policing. Javier has held positions at the New York Immigration Coalition, Synergos Institute and United Nations Capital Development Fund. In 2013, President Barack Obama awarded Javier the White House Champions of Change Cesar Chavez Award. Javier has a masters degree in urban planning in community and economic development from the NYU Robert F. Wagner Graduate School of Public Service and a bachelor of arts in international studies and environmental design and architecture from Texas A&M University.
Tony Perlstein brings decades of experience as a union and community organizer and a lifelong commitment to working people, community empowerment and public service. Born in the Bronx and raised in Brooklyn, he is a New Yorker with a deep dedication to the communities that shaped him. He currently serves as a director in the organizing department of the United Auto Workers (UAW), having previously been the union’s national co-director of education. As a former longshore worker in the port of New York and New Jersey, he was elected Secretary-Treasurer of his local union and helped lead a successful national effort to raise wages and assure new technology did not hurt workers’ standard of living. Prior to being a longshoreman, he organized New York City restaurant, warehouse, lumberyard and other industrial workers to advocate for improved conditions.