Meet our extraordinary community of David Prize winners who represent the best of New York City

2026

Aaliyah Duah

Making financial literacy relatable for the next generation of New Yorkers “When you change your life, you change everybody connected to your life” 230K+NYC households don’t have bank accounts

Aaliyah Duah

Financial Revolutionn

Dave Ores

Making healthcare accessible to every New Yorker at the lowest possible cost “My purpose is to provide health care to anyone who needs it to the best of my ability” ~1MNew Yorkers have no health insurance

Dave Ores

Isaac Adlerstein

Turning NYC houses of worship into lifelines for New Yorkers experiencing homelessness “Homelessness can happen to anyone” 80K+people sleep in NYC's shelter system

Isaac Adlerstein

Broadway Community

Placemaking & Neighborhoods

Oded Oren

Giving New Yorkers a clearer look at the judges and courts that shape their lives “Judges make decisions that affect the lives of New Yorkers every single day”

Oded Oren

Regina Carter

Giving discarded furniture a second life in the homes of New Yorkers who need it most “I've always seen furniture or their home as a part of a person's reflection of their mental health” 3.7M tonsof waste are collected by DSNY every year

Regina Carter

Repurposed Life

Environment & Sustainability

2025

Fostering a healing space for young men of color in Bed-Stuy

Barry Cooper

The BRO Experience Foundation

Portrait of Colby King

Portrait of Colby King

Building economic independence for NYC’s queer Kiki ballroom talent ~40%of homeless youth are LGBTQ+

Colby Xzavier King

Kiki Arts Collaborative

Creating a space for all New Yorkers to play a role in preserving and improving our subway 1B+people ride the subway annually

Jenny Bright

Friends of the Subway

Placemaking & Neighborhoods

Expanding legal education access to all New Yorkers — especially those historically excluded

Jhody Devon Polk

The Jailhouse Lawyers Initiative

Building a safer, stronger New York for Muslim and immigrant women

Rana Abdelhamid

Placemaking & Neighborhoods

2024

Image of Diana Imbert in black and white

Image of Diana Imbert outside of Fordham Law

Putting the Power of the Law Back Into New Yorkers’ hands “I'm an attorney building a world where the law is a tool everyone can use” 2.5Mlegal problems go unmet by attorneys

Diana Imbert-Hodges

Defying Legal Gravity

Image of Greg Purnell in black and white

Image of Greg Purnell in his barber shop

Helping Barbers Extend Their Reach to New Yorkers in Need “When we’re in front of a mirror as I’m cutting your hair, it’s like we’re reflecting one another.”

Gregory Purnell

Look Good, Feel Good

Placemaking & Neighborhoods

Image of J.C. Hall in black and white

Image of J.C. Hall in his studio

Making NYC the epicenter of Hip Hop therapy

J.C. Hall

Hip Hop Therapy

Image of Meghan Finn in black and white

Image of Meghan Finn at The Tank

Reinvigorating NYC theaters with a “backend-in-a-box” that supports theaters to use their spaces more “Now I get to say yes to thousands of artists every year”

Meghan Finn

Creativity & Culture

Image of Mi Jong Lee in black and white

Image of Mi Jong Lee working on a t-shirt

Bringing garment manufacturing back to NYC’s historic garment district “The best ideas are born from the necessity to change our reality”

Mi Jong Lee

Jobs & Economic Growth

2023

Christine DeMaria

Portrait of Christine DeMaria

Building Pathways And Support For Sex Workers To Choose Their Future “Christine has challenged powerful people to seek justice on behalf of women in need”

Christine DeMaria

Jobs & Economic Growth

Erika Sasson

Portrait of Erika Sasson

Proving that even the most difficult of crimes — homicide — can be treated with care “I really wanted to work in something that rewards truth telling and brings people together.⁠”

Erika Sasson

Portrait of Karen Blondel

Portrait of Karen Blondel

Advocating for the one in 15 New Yorkers who live in New York City Public Housing 1 in 15New Yorkers Live in Public Housing

Karen Blondel

Public Housing Civic Association

Placemaking & Neighborhoods

Portrait of Sam Rivera

Portrait of Sam Rivera

Expanding safe and loving spaces for people who use drugs “Sam embodies the essential virtues of New York: second chances, resilience, charm, humor, and inspiration”

Sam Rivera

Portrait of Talia Scott

Portrait of Talia Scott

Providing Resources to Aspiring Black Female Attorneys Only 2%of all lawyers in the U.S. are Black women

Talia Scott

Legally Blk Fund

2022

Portrait of David Shalleck-Klein

Portrait of David Shalleck-Klein

Protecting New York Families From Unnecessary And Harmful Separation 92%of NYC foster kids are Black or Latino

David Shalleck-Klein

Family Justice Law Center

Portrait of Dianna Rose

Portrait of Dianna Rose

Creating A Healthy And Sustainable Food Ecosystem In Southeast Queens “Sustainability is something Black and Indigenous people of color have always practiced”

Dianna Rose

Essential Kitchen Co.

Environment & Sustainability

Portrait of Geneva White

Portrait of Geneva White

Building A More Inclusive And Equitable Creative Economy In NYC “SCOPE OF WORK AIMS TO FUNDAMENTALLY SHIFT THE LANDSCAPE OF NYC’S CREATIVE SECTOR”

Geneva White

Creativity & Culture

Portrait of Jason Gibson

Portrait of Jason Gibson

TEACHING FREE CODING CLASSES TO NYCHA’S YOUNGEST LEARNERS “These are the jobs of the future, and Hood Code gives our kids access where there is very little”

Jason Gibson

Technology & Science

Portrait of Mark Winston Griffith

Portrait of Mark Winston Griffith

REDEFINING AND REVOICING NEW YORK CITY’S PUBLIC NARRATIVES

Mark Winston Griffith

Creativity & Culture

2021

Portrait of Cesar Vargas

Portrait of Cesar Vargas

Fighting For Immigrants In The Armed Forces And Their Right To Stay In The U.S. “Cesar isn’t afraid to swim against the tide”

Cesar Vargas

Portrait of Fela Barclift

Portrait of Fela Barclift

SPARKING POSITIVE SELF-ESTEEM AMONG NYC’S YOUNGEST LEARNERS

Fela Barclift

Little Sun People

Portrait of Felicia Wilson

Portrait of Felicia Wilson

Inspiring Foster Care Alumni To Support Young People “Aging Out”

Felicia Wilson

What About Us Inc.

Portrait of Five Mualimm-ak

Portrait of Five Mualimm-ak

Creating Essential Community For Justice-Impacted Youth Serving Supervision Sentences “NO YOUNG ADULT SHOULD HAVE TO SURVIVE ALONE IN NEW YORK CITY”

Five Mualimm-ak

Incarcerated Nation

Portrait of Jaime-Jin Lewis

Portrait of Jaime-Jin Lewis

Envisioning A Childcare System Where Providers, Families, And Children Can Thrive

Jaime-Jin Lewis

Technology & Science

2020

Portrait of Cielo Villa

Portrait of Cielo Villa

REDEFINING COLLEGE ACCESS AND GUIDANCE FOR ALL YOUNG NEW YORKERS “Road to Uni creates leaders like nothing I’ve seen before”

Cielo Villa

Portrait of Domingo Morales

Portrait of Domingo Morales

Reusing New York city’s organic waste and making it cool to compost “Recycling wasn't an option when I was a kid — NYCHA is designed to be wasteful” 33%of New York City’s trash is compostable

Domingo Morales

Environment & Sustainability

Portrait of Edafe Okporo

Portrait of Edafe Okporo

Welcoming new LGBTQ+ immigrants to New York through storytelling, community and human connection “I had to create a home here because in Nigeria, there was no longer a sense of home”

Edafe Okporo

Portrait of Manuel Castro

Portrait of Manuel Castro

Manny grew up in fear of deportation, despite only knowing New York City as his home “You will not make a better investment in the future of New York City than Manny Castro”

Manuel Castro

Jobs & Economic Growth

Portrait of Suzette Brown

Portrait of Suzette Brown

Addressing medical, behavioral, and social needs holistically “Suzette could be doing anything, but she chooses to focus on the most vulnerable children”

Suzette Brown

Strong Children Wellness