Eric Adams sets up $2M emergency fund for transgender care after fed cuts

Mayor Eric Adams carved out $2 million for transgender and “gender nonconforming” care in what he said Tuesday was an emergency action for nonprofits to offset massive federal funding cuts.

The money is not enough to cover the $47 million in cuts made by the Trump administration to education grants tied to the city’s transgender-inclusive school policies in October, part of a broader clash over bathroom and locker room access for transgender students in public schools.

“Our administration will always ensure that members of the LGBTQ+ community are protected and have access to the care they need and deserve,” Adams said in a statement announcing the fund.

The outgoing mayor vowed to protect access to transgender care as federal support falls away — even after Adams previously questioned the city’s school bathroom policy and said he’s “not for boys going into the same bathroom with little girls.”

“We are putting our money where our values are and stepping up to serve those who need our care,” Adams said Tuesday.

City officials said the new fund will be administered by the Department of Health and Mental Hygiene and provide grants of up to $92,000 each to about 20 community-based nonprofits.

The organizations are expected to use the money in 2026 for program costs such as staff, supplies and services that deliver gender affirming health care, legal advocacy, housing help and other support, with most clients required to be transgender, gender nonconforming, or nonbinary New Yorkers.

First Deputy Mayor Randy Mastro framed the move as a direct response to Washington. 

“We saw a need after federal budget cuts, and we are responding to it,” he said. “There are essential services at stake for this community. Therefore, it was an imperative for us to take action and fill that need.”