Radical socialist New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani has purged a longstanding advisory board of business and civic leaders.
The Mayor’s Fund to Advance New York City is a city-affiliated 501(c)(3) nonprofit that raises private donations to support public programs and City Hall priorities by partnering with agencies, philanthropies, and community groups.
According to Bloomberg News, Mamdani sent letters thanking the advisory board members for their service. A separate communication from the fund stated that the entire board of advisers would be disbanded.
It’s raised hundreds of millions since its 1995 inception – including a staggering $107 million to support family members of rescue workers killed or injured in the Sept. 11, 2001 terror attacks.
During the darkest days of the COVID-19 pandemic, the fund raised $54.5 million for an emergency relief fund that covered meals and personal protective equipment (PPE) for healthcare workers.
But Mamdani started eroding the fund’s lucrative business connections as soon as he took office in April, appointing a former dockworker and a high school teacher to serve on the fund’s board of directors.
In April 2026, Mamdani started to overhaul the Fund’s Board of Directors, shifting it away from lucrative corporate and business leadership toward working New Yorkers and progressive advocates.
He added a Bronx public school teacher, a former longshoreman/UAW organizer, and his own chief of staff, Elle Bisgaard-Church, as chair.
Hellbound and Down 