For over thirty years, the Fund for the City of New York has been pioneering the development of emerging technology for public-minded missions. In the 1970's, the Fund began working with mainframe computers to create Sanitation Scorecard, the first systematic methodology that used direct observation to measure government services in the United State. Sanitation Scorecard remains a vital tool for New York City government and is currently managed by the Mayor's Office of Operations.

In the mid-1980's, the Fund shifted to innovative applications of personal computers to help government agencies streamline operations, expand services and improve performance. In 1985, the Fund, with its partner, the Office of Pupil Transportation of the New York City Board of Education, placed first in the Microsoft Windows World Open, for the best use of technology to improve government or nonprofit performance in the U.S.  

With the emergence of the Internet in the 1990's, the Fund shifted its primary technology focus to the development of Web-based applications to streamline operations and build capacity for nonprofit organizations. In 2000, Fast Company Magazine named the Fund one of the 16 "fastest" technology companies in the U.S.