To shine a spotlight on effective and innovative nonprofit organizations in New York City by recognizing leadership, innovation, impact, DEIA, arts & culture, and rising nonprofit talent through annual awards and grants.
The Imagine Awards Inc C/o Cerini & Associates LLP centers its giving on annual recognition for New York nonprofit organizations, with awards tied to innovation, social impact, DEIA, arts and culture, and leadership. Its structure is prize-based: winners receive fixed grants, and several awards also elevate finalists with professionally produced videos, making visibility part of the grantmaking model. The foundation’s recent awards include $8,000 to The Campaiugn Against Hunger Inc in Brooklyn for Fan Favorite, a public-voting honor, and $7,555 to Bookfairies in Freeport as a donation. In 2025, it also made $7,000 grants to Sco Family of Services in Garden City, Spirit of Huntington Network Inc in Huntington Station, New York Lgbt Network Inc in Hauppauge, and Teens for Food Justice in New York City, showing an active pattern of support for organizations working across the city and Long Island. Its named award programs show a consistent interest in nonprofit excellence rather than broad institutional grantmaking. The awards recognize organizations under $5 million in revenue, community impact measured in New York City, and leaders whose work advances their organizations. Alongside nonprofit prizes, the foundation’s recent grant record includes donations to museums, service providers, and cultural groups, indicating a mix of award recognition and direct support within New York.
Arts and culture appears through the Arts & Culture Award, which gives $5,000 to a New York City organization with measurable community impact or strong achievement in the field. In the recent grants list, Education Through Music Inc in New York received a $5,000 award for arts and culture. The foundation also supports social impact and basic needs work. New York Common Pantry in New York received a $5,000 Social Impact Award, while Grassroots Grocery in New York and Teens for Food Justice in New York each received $6,000 and $7,000 donations, respectively. Leadership and organizational development are another thread. Legal Information for Families Today in Brooklyn received a $5,000 Rising Star Award, which is aimed at nonprofit organizations under $5 million in revenue. The awards framework suggests attention to mission delivery, measurable outcomes, and leadership advancement.
$85K
$50K
$401K
$414K
Most grants fall between $5K and $6K, with a median of $6K.
25th Percentile
$5K
Median
$6K
75th Percentile
$6K
KENNETH CERINI
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Typical grant sizes cluster tightly around the middle of the program awards: p25 is $5,000, median is $6,000, and p75 is $6,125. Most active awards are fixed at $5,000, with a smaller fan-voted award at $3,000 and a few grants at $6,250, $7,000, $7,555, and $8,000 in the recent record. The pattern looks recurring rather than one-off: the foundation runs annual awards and also makes direct donations. It is classified as a regular funder, and the public-voting Fan Favorite award is a distinct part of the model. Several award programs accept unsolicited entries.
Giving is entirely within the United States, and all recorded grants go to New York recipients. The foundation’s top giving state is NY, with 100% of grants there. Recent recipient cities include New York, Brooklyn, Garden City, Huntington Station, Hauppauge, and Long Island City. The pattern reaches both New York City and Long Island, with multiple grants in Brooklyn and New York City alongside awards in Nassau and Suffolk County locations.
The foundation supports New York nonprofits through award programs focused on innovation, social impact, DEIA, arts and culture, and leadership. Named award criteria also include organizations under $5 million in revenue and nonprofits that demonstrate measurable community impact in New York City.
Typical awards are tightly clustered: p25 is $5,000, the median is $6,000, and p75 is $6,125. Most named award programs give $5,000, while the fan-voted award gives $3,000.
Several programs do. The Rising Star Award, Innovation Award, Social Impact Award, Arts & Culture Award, DEIA Award, Cerini & Associates Social Impact Award, and Leadership Excellence Award all accept unsolicited entries. The Webster Bank Fan Favorite Award does not.
All recorded grants go to New York recipients. Recent cities include New York, Brooklyn, Garden City, Huntington Station, Hauppauge, and Long Island City, and the foundation’s top state by grant count is NY with 100% of grants there.
Yes. The active programs are annual awards, including the Rising Star Award, Innovation Award, Social Impact Award, Arts & Culture Award, DEIA Award, and Leadership Excellence Award. The recent grants list also shows both award payments and direct donations across 2024 and 2025.
2025
Source: IRS Form 990-PF, fiscal year 2025.
Current and upcoming funding from Imagine Awards Inc C/O Cerini & Associates Llp that your nonprofit may be able to apply for.
Who can apply: All finalists in the NYC Imagine Awards are automatically entered into the voting pool; the finalist with the most public votes wins.
Deadline: Voting typically runs for 3 weeks in August/September.
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Create a free accountDeadlines and eligibility are summarized from public sources and may change — always confirm the details on the funder's official application page before applying.
Most recent grants reported to the IRS.
| Recipient | Location | Amount | Year | Purpose |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| TEENS FOR FOOD JUSTICE | NEW YORK, NY | $7,000 | 2025 | DONATION |
| NEW YORK LGBT NETWORK INC | HAUPPAUGE, NY | $7,000 | 2025 | DONATION |
| SCO FAMILY OF SERVICES | GARDEN CITY, NY | $7,000 | 2025 | DONATION |
| SPIRIT OF HUNTINGTON NETWORK INC | HUNTINGTON STATION, NY | $7,000 | 2025 | DONATION |
| CHILDRENS MUSEUM OF MANHATTAN | NEW YORK, NY | $6,000 | 2025 | DONATION |
| GREEN INSIDE AND OUT | HUNTINGTON STATION, NY | $6,000 | 2025 | DONATION |
| GRASSROOTS GROCERY | NEW YORK, NY | $6,000 | 2025 | DONATION |
| YOUNG PEOPLES CHORUS OF NEW YORK CITY | NEW YORK, NY | $6,000 | 2025 | DONATION |
| FIVE CHILDRENS FOUNDATION | NEW YORK, NY | $6,000 | 2025 | DONATION |
| THE WOMEN'S DIVERSITY NETWORK | MILLER PLACE, NY | $6,000 | 2025 | DONATION |
| HOLOCAUST MEMORIAL AND TOLERANCE CENTER | GLEN COVE, NY | $6,000 | 2025 | DONATION |
| THE VISCARDI CENTER INC | ALBERTSON, NY | $5,000 | 2025 | DONATION |
| HAIR WE SHARE | ROSLYN HEIGHTS, NY | $5,000 | 2025 | DONATION |
| INSPIRING MINDS NYC | BROOKLYN, NY | $5,000 | 2025 | DONATION |
| BOOKFAIRIES | FREEPORT, NY | $7,555 | 2024 | DONATION |
| ECLI-VIBES | ISLANDIA, NY | $6,250 | 2024 | DONATION |
| ACLD | BETHPAGE, NY | $6,250 | 2024 | DONATION |
| LONG ISLAND CHILDREN'S MUSEUM | GARDEN CITY, NY | $6,250 | 2024 | DONATION |
| HAIR WE SHARE | ROSLYN HEIGHTS, NY | $6,250 | 2024 | DONATION |
| EXALT YOUTH | NEW YORK, NY | $6,000 | 2024 | DONATION |
| EMMA'S TORCH | BROOKLYN, NY | $6,000 | 2024 | DONATION |
| THE CENTER FOR FICTION | BROOKLYN, NY | $6,000 | 2024 | DONATION |
| CENTER FOR EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITIES INC | NEW YORK, NY | $6,000 | 2024 | DONATION |
| THE VISCARDI CENTER INC | ALBERTSON, NY | $6,000 | 2024 | DONATION |
| LIVEONNY INC | LONG ISLAND CITY, NY | $6,000 | 2024 | DONATION |
| HEAR YOUR SONG | NEW YORK, NY | $6,000 | 2024 | DONATION |
| FAMILY AND CHILDREN'S ASSOCIATION | GARDEN CITY, NY | $5,250 | 2024 | DONATION |
| THE CAMPAIUGN AGAINST HUNGER INC | BROOKLYN, NY | $8,000 | 2023 | AWARD FOR FAN FAVORITE |
| RIP MEDICAL DEBT | LONG ISLAND CITY, NY | $5,000 | 2023 | AWARD FOR INNOVATION |
| HARMONY HEIGHTS SCHOOL | OYSTER BAY, NY | $5,000 | 2023 | AWARD |
| NEW YORK COMMON PANTRY | NEW YORK, NY | $5,000 | 2023 | AWARD FOR SOCIAL IMPACT |
| EDUCATION THROUGH MUSIC INC | NEW YORK, NY | $5,000 | 2023 | AWARD FOR ARTS & CULTURE |
| BACKSTRETCH EMPLOYEE SERVICE TEAM OF NEW YORK INC | ELMONT, NY | $5,000 | 2023 | AWARD |
| EGLEVSKY BALLET COMPANY OF LI INC | BETHPAGE, NY | $5,000 | 2023 | AWARD |
| ANDREW MCMORRIS FOUNDATION INC | WADING RIVER, NY | $5,000 | 2023 | AWARD |
| FAMILY SERVICE LEAGUE INC | HUNTINGTON, NY | $5,000 | 2023 | AWARD |
| LEGAL INFORMATION FOR FAMILIES TODAY | BROOKLYN, NY | $5,000 | 2023 | AWARD FOR RISING STAR |
NEW YORK LGBT NETWORK INC
$7,000DONATION
SPIRIT OF HUNTINGTON NETWORK INC
$7,000DONATION
GREEN INSIDE AND OUT
$6,000DONATION
GRASSROOTS GROCERY
$6,000DONATION
THE WOMEN'S DIVERSITY NETWORK
$6,000DONATION
HOLOCAUST MEMORIAL AND TOLERANCE CENTER
$6,000DONATION
HAIR WE SHARE
$5,000DONATION
INSPIRING MINDS NYC
$5,000DONATION
ECLI-VIBES
$6,250DONATION
ACLD
$6,250DONATION
HAIR WE SHARE
$6,250DONATION
THE CENTER FOR FICTION
$6,000DONATION
HEAR YOUR SONG
$6,000DONATION
HARMONY HEIGHTS SCHOOL
$5,000AWARD
EGLEVSKY BALLET COMPANY OF LI INC
$5,000AWARD
ANDREW MCMORRIS FOUNDATION INC
$5,000AWARD