Siddhartha Sanchez

Siddhartha has dedicated his career to building up low income communities of color by supporting community groups dedicated to creating systemic change. A Washington Heights native son, he has dedicated over two decades to building grassroots power in the South Bronx. He is passionate about environmental and economic justice and has approached these issues from different sectors.

Siddhartha’s background in government includes experience with federal funding and city and state urban policy. He advised Bronx Congressman Jose Serrano’s environmental justice earmarks where his work contributed to the clean up and improved access to the Bronx River, the creation and expansion of the South Bronx Greenway, restoration of the High Bridge, and other infrastructure projects. His political experience includes campaigning for city, state, and congressional representatives including leading President Obama’s historic first campaign in Miami Lakes, Florida.

In the private sector Siddhartha has spent eight years leading the philanthropic initiatives of the Simon Bolivar Foundation. He worked with local leaders to launch a community-advised grants program that invested over $8M into South Bronx groups and organizations. These grants seeded and sustained critical programs, many which aimed to address the root causes of social conditions through community organizing.

Most recently Siddhartha spent five years embedded in Youth Ministries for Peace (YMPJ) and Justice, a community-based organization leading the redevelopment of the Soundview and Parkchester neighborhoods. Siddhartha launched and advanced innovative community development initiatives such as the Bronx River Foodway, the Soundview Economic Hub, Morrison Plaza and Open Market, as well as NYC-CAPS, a citywide land use campaign to reclaim underutilized public spaces.