Opportunity NYC
Opportunity NYC was an experimental Conditional Cash Transfer program (CCT) by the Mayor of New York City, Michael Bloomberg. Announced in April 2007, it was the first CCT program to be launched in the United States or any other developed nation. Its initial phases were funded by a number of private partners including The Rockefeller Foundation, Robin Hood Foundation, the Open Society Institute, Starr Foundation, AIG, and Mayor Bloomberg's own Bloomberg Family Foundation. The program is being evaluated by MDRC, a nonprofit research firm, using a random assignment research design. Opportunity NYC is administered by Seedco, a nonprofit community development organization. The program ended on August 31, 2010.
Chirlane McCray
Chirlane Irene McCray (born November 29, 1954) is an American writer, editor, communications professional, and political figure. She has published poetry and worked in politics as a speechwriter. Married to current New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio, McCray is the First Lady of New York City. McCray and de Blasio have two children, Chiara and Dante. After de Blasio became Mayor of New York in 2014, McCray and her family moved from their home in Park Slope, Brooklyn into Gracie Mansion, the traditional residence of New York City mayors. As an unpaid member of the de Blasio administration, McCray chairs the Mayor's Fund to Advance New York City; has led ThriveNYC, a mental health initiative; and has been described as de Blasio's "closest advisor."