From the Washington Free Beacon: A nonprofit group linked to anti-Semitic activist Linda Sarsour, an ally of New York City mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani (D.), received $4.1 million in city and state funds over a period of seven years, public records show.
The Arab American Association of New York (AAANY), which Sarsour led from 2005 to 2017, received more than $3.3 million from New York City and $854,000 from New York state between Sarsour’s last year atop the organization and 2024. The state-level funding came primarily from the New York State Department of State, with $20,000 disbursed from the Office of Children and Family Services. Its city-level funding is much murkier: One $60,000 payment came from the Department of Small Business Services, but the rest of the funding was not attributed to any particular agency, watchdog group OpenTheBooks found.
The revelations of the AAANY’s public funding come after a week in which Sarsour made news for her comments about Mamdani’s campaign, raising questions about whether the mayor-elect will offer Sarsour’s former organization more municipal funds. Mamdani did not respond to a Washington Free Beacon inquiry about whether he will do so as mayor, and New York governor Kathy Hochul (D.) did not answer a request for comment on whether she will continue to grant state money to AAANY going forward.
Anti-Semitism watchdog group Canary Mission released a video showing Sarsour bragging at a September Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) conference that a CAIR-backed PAC was Mamdani’s largest financial backer, news the Free Beacon reported in June. CAIR’s executive director, Nihad Awad, gained attention in late 2023 after saying he was “happy to see” Hamas’s Oct. 7 attack against Israel.
The report notes that while Sarsour no longer leads the AAANY, the organization’s current leader, Marwa Janini, a former Students for Justice in Palestine activist, is no just as radical. In 2021, Janini signed a petition in 2021 pushing for global boycotts of Israel.
“Surprise, surprise. Radical groups tied to Zohran Mamdani have been raking in taxpayer money. Linda Sarsour’s Arab American Association of New York alone received $4.1 million between 2017 and 2024. Why are we funding this rot with public dollars?” Open The Books demanded.
Read more: https://t.co/6RRGqpW8zJ
— Open the Books (@open_the_books) November 10, 2025
Emboldened by Mamdani’s victory last week, Sarsour declared on Thursday that she will continue fighting to oust all pro-Israel Democrats from office.
Antisemitie Linda Sarsour is a Mamdani advisor and confidant. Her organizations raked in $4.1 million in govt $. How much will she get when Mamdani becomes mayor? 🤔,” Open The Books asked.
Antisemitie Linda Sarsour is a Mamdani advisor and confidant. Her organizations raked in $4.1 million in govt $. How much will she get when Mamdani becomes mayor? 🤔
🔗 https://t.co/ETAelL35Gg https://t.co/I3rQyngFa5
— Open the Books (@open_the_books) November 10, 2025
READ MORE from the Washington Free Beacon.
Nonprofit Tied to Anti-Semitic Mamdani Ally Linda Sarsour Received Millions in Public Funds From New York City and State, Records Showhttps://t.co/7t0xID6DXP
— Washington Free Beacon (@FreeBeacon) November 10, 2025
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