New York Road Runners offers blocks of non-complimentary, guaranteed entries to qualified and selected non-profits through the Official Charity Partner Program of the United Airlines NYC Half. The application for charities to become Official Charity Partners of the 2027 United Airlines NYC Half is closed. All applicants will find out their status in October. 

Charity Fee

Official Charity Partners pay a charity fee of $250 for each guaranteed entry that they are allotted. Please note that this fee does not cover the runners' race registration fee, which the runner will pay when they register for the race. 

Fundraising

Selected charities will offer guaranteed entry to runners who agree to raise at least $1,000 for the charity. Each charity can set its own fundraising requirement as long as it is higher than the program minimum of $1,000 per runner as set by NYRR and specified in the charity partner contract. It is the Official Charity Partner’s responsibility to hold its runners to the required minimum. 

Allocations

Accepted charities will be allocated a minimum of 3 entries based on partnership history and the data collected in the application. No charity will be allocated more entries than requested on the application. We recommend that charities be conservative in the number of entries requested as there will be no refunds for entries not filled. New charities will only be offered 3 entries.

Application

The application for charities to become Official Charity Partners of the 2027 United Airlines NYC Half is closed. All applicants will be notified of their status in late October.

Selection Criteria

NYRR strives to partner with organizations with demonstrated capacity to execute the program successfully. Charity Partners must meet specific requirements throughout the partnership; below is a list of the requirements. On the application, charities are asked to demonstrate a fundraiser recruitment plan; resources to support their runners’ fundraising goal; and recognition programs to connect fundraisers with the charity’s mission and the TCS New York City Marathon.

Accepted charities must meet all the following requirements throughout the agreement term:

(* New this year)

1. 501(c)(3) status in good standing and good repute for a minimum of three years 
2. Registered 501(c)(3) and in good standing in every state that it operates, solicits, and receives funds *
3. Registered 501(c)(3) in New York State and in good standing with the New York State Attorney General Charities Bureau* 
4. Designated charity staff member or volunteer to administer the charity program 
5. $1,000.00 fundraising minimum for fundraiser
6. Fundraising agreement with runners/fundraisers *
7. Recruitment plan to recruit runners/fundraisers  
8. Resources and support to help fundraisers to raise funds 
9. Resources and incentives, such as access to coaching, volunteer opportunities, experiences, events, community building, and recognition programs to connect fundraisers with your charity’s mission and the NYRR Marquee Event 
10. Access to a peer-to-peer fundraising platform for fundraisers to raise funds online and track their individual progress toward their fundraising pledge 

NYRR also considers partnership history for those charities who have participated in the past.

As NYRR receives far more applications than the Official Charity Partner Program can accommodate, not all charities that apply will be selected. Applications will be evaluated first for meeting the minimum required criteria and then for substantive responses to the other evaluation criteria.