Make the Road New York

More than 4.2 million immigrants live in New York State, including 600,000 individuals who are undocumented, in mixed-status households, or have special authorization to be present. Under the current federal administration, immigrants are facing the rollback of health care protections and access. Executive orders and proposals have created a climate of fear and uncertainty, especially for low-income and transgender immigrants. Immigrant communities are facing the potential for widescale untreated medical conditions, increased health disparities, and mental health problems, like anxiety and depression. New York’s immigrant-serving CBOs are on the frontlines, responding to urgent health care and mental health needs, advocating for immigrant and worker protections and policies, and countering anti-immigrant narratives in the media and public discourse. These organizations are stretched to the limit. In 2025, NYHealth awarded Make the Road NY (MRNY) a grant to provide services in urban and rural communities and coordinate activities across partners to support a broad statewide response.  

Under this grant, MRNY will provide up-to-date information and education about immigrant health care access and relevant policies to stakeholders. MRNY will conduct education and navigation for immigrants in New York City, Long Island, and Westchester. It will support health care institutions to uphold a universal standard of care for immigrants and produce culturally and linguistically appropriate materials about rapidly changing policies and eligibility guidelines. MRNY will also partner with statewide advocacy groups to increase public understanding about the impact of policy changes on immigrant and transgender communities.  

NYHealth also awarded complementary grants to the Neighborhood Funders Group and Asian American Federation.