Mutual Aid NYC Guiding Principles

Guiding Principles

Mutual Aid NYC is a volunteer group working to support and amplify mutual aid efforts across the city of New York. Our work is tied to our values, which are informed by the history of mutual aid. These values are articulated in our Guiding Principles, below.

Our responsibility as a community is to ensure that all people have what they need to thrive and we believe that all people have something to contribute.

Mutual aid means long-term solidarity with the community, not a momentary act of charity.

We share power, we do not hoard it.

We value all voices and are transparent and collaborative in how we relate to each other, make decisions, and operate.

We partner, we do not dominate.

We amplify and adapt to the needs of communities. Our work is based on what the folks doing mutual aid need right now.

We build in public.

We use open-source tools and methods when possible, and aim to de-weaponize and democratize technology through our work. We try to utilize and contribute to existing open-source projects and open data resources.

We do not share information in ways that we know will harm.

We will never share information with law enforcement, especially ICE or the NYPD. 

We are anti-racist.  

We actively work to undo systemic inequities in ourselves, existing structures, and the new structures we support.

We prioritize people over profit.

We recognize the inherent worth of all human beings, no matter their class background or economic output.

We meet people where they are.

We recognize that unequal access to information creates systemic barriers. We are committed to providing equal access to resources, tools, and information so that people of all languages, backgrounds, and abilities can make use of and contribute to our work.

We commit to being accountable for the impact of our actions while assuming good intent. We recognize that at times we will fall short and ask our community to support us by holding us accountable. 

Send us an email at accountability@mutualaid.nyc to share feedback on how we’re doing.