Overview
- The mayor dismissed the entire advisory board that helps the Mayor’s Fund to raise private donations for city initiatives, a step announced in early August after he had already reshaped the fund’s board of directors.
- The advisory roster removed included prominent business figures such as Richard Born, Jeffrey Gural, Alex Katz, Edward Skyler and James Whelan, who previously helped mobilize major private gifts for New York programs.
- The Mayor’s Fund will continue to operate and had $16.4 million in cash on hand in its 2025 filing, and the administration says it will form a new advisory board and name replacements later this year.
- Reactions split: some advocates hail the change as reducing private-sector influence on public priorities, while philanthropy leaders including Bloomberg Philanthropies argue the advisors mainly mobilize donations rather than decide city spending.
- The shake-up deepens tensions between Mamdani and the city’s corporate and real estate leaders and could change how private money is raised for emergencies and programs, so observers will watch the composition and fundraising capacity of the new board.