Mamdani Names New Head of Mayor's Fund to Boost Public-Private Partnerships

The mayor also announced the Child Care Action Fund, under the Mayor's Fund, which will support expansion of universal child care in the city.

Apr. 16, 2026 at 11:21pm

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A photorealistic painting of a stately city hall building in warm golden light, with deep shadows across the facade, capturing a sense of civic pride and quiet determination.Mayor Mamdani's public-private partnership initiatives aim to bring new energy and resources to address affordability challenges in New York City.NYC Today

New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani has appointed his chief of staff, Elle Bisgaard-Church, to lead the Mayor's Fund to Advance New York City, a nonprofit that connects philanthropists with city programs. This is part of Mamdani's effort to develop public-private partnerships and boost his affordability agenda. Mamdani also announced the creation of the Child Care Action Fund under the Mayor's Fund, which aims to raise $20 million by the end of the year to support the expansion of universal child care in the city.

Why it matters

The appointment of Bisgaard-Church and the creation of the Child Care Action Fund are key elements of Mamdani's strategy to leverage public-private partnerships and philanthropic support to address affordability and childcare challenges facing New Yorkers. This represents a shift in the leadership and focus of the Mayor's Fund under the new administration.

The details

Mamdani said the Mayor's Fund will now be led by board members who have a deep understanding of the needs of working-class New Yorkers, rather than corporate leaders. The Child Care Action Fund will focus on supporting outreach to families, care providers, training, and expanding physical spaces for child care. The fund has already secured $3.5 million in commitments towards its $20 million goal.

  • On April 16, 2026, Mayor Zohran Mamdani announced the appointment of his chief of staff, Elle Bisgaard-Church, to lead the Mayor's Fund.
  • Mamdani also announced the creation of the Child Care Action Fund under the Mayor's Fund, with a goal of raising $20 million by the end of 2026.

The players

Zohran Mamdani

The mayor of New York City who is leading efforts to boost public-private partnerships and expand universal child care.

Elle Bisgaard-Church

Mamdani's chief of staff, who has been appointed to lead the Mayor's Fund to Advance New York City.

Ana J. Almanzar

The previous chair of the Mayor's Fund, who was a deputy mayor under former mayor Eric Adams.

Kate Smith

The executive director of the Mayor's Fund, who was originally appointed by former mayor Eric Adams and will continue in that role.

Emmy Liss

The executive director of the Office of Child Care and Early Childhood Education, who will oversee the Child Care Action Fund.

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What they’re saying

“As we bring a new era of ambitious governing to City Hall, we will bring that same commitment to excellence to the Mayor's Fund. As we do so, our first order of business will be assembling a board with a deep understanding of the needs of working New Yorkers, one that has taught in our schools, hauled shipments on our docks and paid dues to our unions.”

— Zohran Mamdani, Mayor of New York City

“The Child Care Action Fund will give us the opportunity to test and pilot and innovate new ideas that we then can take and scale with government funding.”

— Emmy Liss, Executive Director, Office of Child Care and Early Childhood Education

“Our newly created Child Care Action Fund will be a cornerstone of our work in building out our universal child care infrastructure.”

— Zohran Mamdani, Mayor of New York City

What’s next

The Mayor's Fund aims to raise $20 million for the Child Care Action Fund by the end of 2026, with $3.5 million already committed. The fund will focus on supporting outreach, care providers, training, and expanding physical spaces for child care.

The takeaway

The changes to the leadership and focus of the Mayor's Fund under the Mamdani administration signal a shift towards leveraging public-private partnerships and philanthropic support to address key affordability and childcare challenges facing New Yorkers, with a focus on the needs of working-class residents.