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HARLEM CHILDREN'S ZONE INC
NEW YORK, NY · EIN 237112974 · Form 990 · FY2024 · NTEE P300 · Human Services · Very Large (>$50M) · hcz.org
revenue
$77.1M
expenses
$148.6M
net assets
$1.1B
employees
1,611
program ratio
81%
mission · from form 990

WE ENHANCE THE LIFE FOR CHILDREN AND FAMILIES IN SOME OF NYC'S MOST DEVASTATED NEIGHBORHOODS.

profile · synthesized from sources

Harlem Children's Zone provides a cradle-to-career pipeline of educational, health, and community support services to children and families in Central Harlem. The organization directly operates schools, early childhood programs, and wellness initiatives while also sharing its place-based model nationally and globally through training and technical assistance. It aims to break the cycle of intergenerational poverty by combining direct service with systemic influence.

irs program accomplishments · form 990 part iii · fy2024

What they reported doing

  1. #1 primary $14.97M
    SEE SCHEDULE OCOLLEGE AND CAREER PROGRAMSCOLLEGE SUCCESS OFFICEOUR SCHOLARS MAY LEAVE THE ZONE TO GO TO COLLEGE, BUT THE ZONE NEVER LEAVES THEM. COLLEGE SUCCESS OFFICE (CSO) EMPOWERS OUR SCHOLARS TO SUCCEED IN COLLEGE AND EARN THEIR DEGREES SO THEY CAN EMBARK ON FRUITFUL CAREERS AND PAVE THE PATH TO SOCIAL AND ECONOMIC MOBILITY.WHEN SCHOLARS GET INTO COLLEGE, THEY GET THE HELP THEY NEED TO PERSIST THROUGH THEIR POST-SECONDARY JOURNEY. OUR COLLEGE SUCCESS OFFICE SERVICES INCLUDE: -ONE-ON-ONE COACHING -ACADEMIC, EMOTIONAL, AND FINANCIAL SUPPORT -CHECK INS WITH SCHOLARS TO ENSURE THEY'RE PROGRESSING ALONG THEIR COLLEGE JOURNEY -VISITS FROM CSO STAFF TO HELP SCHOLARS ESTABLISH AND MAINTAIN RELATIONSHIPS WITH CAMPUS AND COMMUNITY LIAISONS OVER 1,000 SCHOLARS CURRENTLY ENROLLED IN COLLEGE AND OVER 1900 HAVE GRADUATED FROM COLLEGE IN THE LAST TEN YEARS.
  2. #2 $11.16M
    SEE SCHEDULE O EARLY CHILDHOODTHE BABY COLLEGETHE BABY COLLEGE PROMOTES THE HEALTH AND SUCCESS OF NEWBORNS AND TODDLERS THROUGH A NINE-WEEK WORKSHOP SUPPORTING NEW AND EXPECTANT PARENTS AND CAREGIVERS THROUGH THE INS AND OUTS OF EARLY CHILDHOOD DEVELOPMENT.THE BABY COLLEGE G.R.A.D.S. EARLY HEAD STARTTHE BABY COLLEGE G.R.A.D.S. (GUARDIANS RESPONDING AND DEVELOPING STRATEGIES) EARLY HEAD START IS A YEAR-ROUND, HOME-VISITING PROGRAM THAT EMPOWERS EXPECTANT MOTHERS TO DEEPEN THEIR UNDERSTANDING OF EARLY CHILDHOOD DEVELOPMENT AND STRENGTHEN PARENT-CHILD RELATIONSHIPS.THE THREE-YEAR-OLD JOURNEYTHE THREE-YEAR-OLD JOURNEY PROVIDES LOTTERY WINNERS OF HCZ'S PROMISE ACADEMY CHARTER SCHOOLS WITH THE OPPORTUNITY TO CONTINUE TO LEARN, GROW, AND NURTURE FRIENDSHIPS IN THE LEAD UP TO THEIR ADMISSION TO PROMISE ACADEMY.HARLEM GEMSHARLEM GEMS PRESCHOOLS EMPOWER OUR YOUNGEST SCHOLARS TO SUCCEED IN K-12 AND BEYOND BY BUILDING A STRONG ACADEMIC FOUNDATION AND STARTING THEM ON THE PATH TO COLLEGE AND CAREER.
named programs · 6 · from sources

What they call their work

Baby College
Parenting education program that equips caregivers with tools to support child development and school readiness
Harlem Gems Pre-Schools
Early childhood education programs serving preschool-aged children in Harlem
Healthy Harlem
Nutrition and physical activity program promoting healthy lifestyles for children and families, also replicated as Healthy Ways elsewhere
Practitioners Institute
Training and technical assistance arm that shares HCZ’s cradle-to-career model with organizations across the U.S. and globally
Promise Academy Charter Schools
K-12 charter schools providing high-quality education as part of a cradle-to-career pipeline in Harlem
William Julius Wilson Institute
National hub for place-based solutions that supports communities in building cradle-to-career systems to advance social and economic mobility
activities · 11 groups

What they do

  • Comprehensive Community Service Hubs 1 activity
    • Deliver comprehensive family and community services
      Provides after-school programs, health services, parenting support, and community spaces that enable learning, socialization, and holistic development for 20,000 children and adults annually. Programs aim to support self-sufficiency, personal growth, and physical, mental, and emotional health across generations.
  • Restorative Justice and Peer Mediation Programs 1 activity
    • Deliver youth development and violence prevention programs
      Operates the Peacemakers program in multiple Harlem public schools (PS 197, PS 180, PS 154, PS 149), providing school-based violence prevention, mentoring, and youth support services. Also runs A Cut Above, a barbershop-based youth engagement and mentoring program, and The Armory, which offers youth sports and recreation.
  • Admissions and Enrollment Support Services 1 activity
    • Enable school enrollment through digital systems
      Provides an online application portal for enrollment in HCZ Promise Academy schools, streamlining access to its charter education programs.
  • Digital Literacy Training and Technology Access 1 activity
    • Expand access to technology through public-private partnerships
      Partnered with Procter & Gamble and other companies to lead a national effort to bridge the digital divide by increasing student access to technology.
  • Arts Education Access Programs 1 activity
    • Offer arts and civic engagement programming
      Operates the Academy of Arts & Civic Engagement, providing structured programs that integrate arts education with civic learning and community involvement.
  • Charter School Operations 1 activity
    • Operate cradle-to-career educational programs
      Runs a network of charter schools (Promise Academy I, II Middle and High, II Elementary), preschool programs (Harlem Gems North and South), and early childhood initiatives (The Baby College, Three-Year-Old Journey, GRADS Early Head Start) serving children from birth through college. These programs provide structured educational and developmental support across all stages of youth development.
  • Youth and Family Cooking Education 1 activity
    • Promote health and wellness through Healthy Harlem
      Runs Healthy Harlem, a health and wellness program that includes nutrition and physical activity programming to promote healthy habits among children and families. Evaluation studies have demonstrated that the Healthy Ways component produces intended health impacts, with eight years of implementation and scaling experience.
  • Workforce Readiness Training 1 activity
    • Provide workforce development and technology training
      Operates the Employment and Technology Center, offering workforce development and digital skills training to support adult employment and economic self-sufficiency.
  • Integrated Community-Led Development Programs 1 activity
    • Scale proven community development models
      Provides place-based, people-focused solutions designed to promote social and economic mobility. Aims to connect one million young people to opportunities through community-level interventions and model dissemination.
  • College Access and Success Support 1 activity
    • Support college access and success
      Operates a College Success Office that supports over 1,000 scholars currently enrolled in college, achieving a 97% college acceptance rate among graduating scholars. Provides ongoing advising and resources to promote college completion, with over 1,900 college graduates supported since 2006.
  • Uncategorized 2 activities
    • Advocate for federal anti-poverty policy reform
      Used the success of its cradle-to-career model to inspire federal anti-poverty initiatives, including generating over 850 funding applications from communities across 48 states and U.S. territories for the Promise Neighborhoods program.
    • Lead national place-based initiative replication and capacity building
      Through the Promise Neighborhoods Institute at PolicyLink—co-founded with PolicyLink and the Center for the Study of Social Policy—supports the federal Promise Neighborhoods program by providing technical assistance and field-building resources. Since 2003, has hosted workshops for over 600 U.S. communities and 200 international delegations, promoting high-impact, place-based models for social and economic mobility.
financials · form 990 · fy2024
revenue
Total revenue$77.11M
Contributions & grants$70.24M91%
Program service revenue$120K0%
Investment income$1.88M2%
Other revenue$4.87M
expenses
Total expenses$148.60M
Program expenses81%
Admin / overhead18%
Fundraising2%
Salaries & benefits$73.44M
Grants paid out$14.41M
Largest expense lineCompensation
balance sheet
Total assets$1.33B
Cash$56.20M
Investments$1.02B
Liabilities$199.67M
Net assets$1.13B
Liquid reserves86.9 mo
6 years on record · 2019–2024 · YoY revenue -21.5%
leadership · form 990 part vii · fy2024

Who runs it

paid leadership · 14
NameTitleHours/wkCompensation
KWAME OWUSU-KESSE CEO 40 $1.28M
GEOFFREY CANADA PRESIDENT 40 $869K
JUSTIN MAKER FORMER SR. MANAGING DIR, HR 40 $674K
JAZMINE LEWIS CHIEF STRATEGY OFFICER 40 $628K
JOSEPH CORDERO THRU 0724 MANAGING DIRECTOR, PLACE 40 $556K
JENNIFER KLEIN CHIEF DEVELOPMENT OFFICER 40 $515K
SERINA MOYA THRU 0824 MGN DIRECTOR, HCZ K-12 AFTERSCHOOL 40 $475K
MICHAEL POHLY CHIEF INVESTMENT OFFICER 40 $450K
CHRISTIAN RHODES DEPUTY EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR 40 $446K
STEPHANIE C LILAVOIS CHIEF COMMUNICATIONS OFFICER 40 $403K
RALPH STEFANO CFO 2 $357K
MICHELLE A FIELD CHIEF PROGRAM OFFICER 40 $356K
REBECCA NAVARRO MGN DIRECTOR, EARLY CHILDHOOD 40 $350K
TIFFANY FOUNTAIN SENIOR ADVISOR 40 $326K
board members · 11
  • ALEXANDER Z COHEN — BOARD MEMBER
  • ANITA ELBERSE — BOARD MEMBER
  • ASHOK VARADHAN — BOARD MEMBER
  • BENITA MELTON — BOARD MEMBER
  • BRIAN HIGGINS — BOARD MEMBER
  • DON K CORNWELL — BOARD MEMBER
  • DOUG BUCKMINSTER — BOARD MEMBER
  • ERIC W MANDELBLATT — BOARD MEMBER (THRU 07/02/24)
  • KEITH MEISTER — CHAIRMAN
  • KENNETH G LANGONE — BOARD MEMBER
  • MARK KINGDON — BOARD MEMBER
relationships · 13

Who they work with

  • Center for the Study of Social Policy Partner — Partner in the Promise Neighborhoods Institute at PolicyLink to support federal Promise Neighborhoods program implementation.
  • Department of Housing and Urban Development Government — Launched the Choice Neighborhoods program inspired by HCZ's model.
  • Harvard University Government — William Julius Wilson is a professor at Harvard University and lends his scholarly work on poverty and inequality to inform the Institute's mission.
  • JPMorgan Chase Partner — Financial institution used for wire transfer donations to Harlem Children’s Zone.
  • Mathematica Partner — Conducted evaluation studies on the Healthy Harlem program showing increased physical activity and improved weight outcomes.
  • Matthew C. Blank Partner — Secretary of the Board of Trustees of Harlem Children's Zone Inc.
  • Merrill Lynch Partner — Financial institution used for stock donations to Harlem Children’s Zone.
  • PolicyLink Partner — Co-founded the Promise Neighborhoods Institute at PolicyLink to support federal Promise Neighborhoods program implementation.
  • Procter & Gamble Partner — Lead corporate partner in a coalition to bridge the digital divide through the One Million Connected Devices Now initiative.
  • Stanley F. Druckenmiller Partner — Chair of the Board of Trustees of Harlem Children's Zone Inc.
  • Stephanie Coleman Partner — Vice Chair of the Board of Trustees of Harlem Children's Zone Inc.
  • U.S. Department of Education Government — Federal agency overseeing the Promise Neighborhoods program, inspired by HCZ's model.
  • William Julius Wilson Institute Partner — Founded to partner with communities in addressing poverty, affiliated with Harlem Children's Zone.
strategies · 5

How they approach the work

Named approaches extracted from this org’s sources. Where others share an approach, follow it to see the full set of orgs running it.

  • College as Pathway to Economic Mobility
    methodology: college-as-pathway-to-mobility
    By supporting students to and through college, we produce upward economic mobility, because higher education is the most reliable route to breaking the cycle of intergenerational poverty in the current economic system.
  • Cradle-to-Career Pipeline
    methodology: cradle-to-career pipeline
    By providing a continuous pipeline of integrated services from early childhood through college and career, we produce long-term educational and economic mobility, because sustained, coordinated support addresses the cumulative disadvantages faced by children in under-resourced communities.
  • Holistic Health Integration
    methodology: holistic health integration
    By embedding healthy living principles across all programs, we produce better academic and personal outcomes, because lifelong health habits are foundational to sustained learning and development.
  • Place-Based Comprehensive Support
    methodology: place-based_comprehensive_support
    By concentrating coordinated, culturally responsive services within a defined geographic area, we produce better outcomes for children and families, because addressing education, wellness, and economic opportunity simultaneously—where people live—creates a reinforcing ecosystem that overcomes systemic barriers to mobility.
  • Place-Based, Comprehensive Support Model
    methodology: place-based_comprehensive_support
    By concentrating a wide range of educational, social, and wellness services within a defined geographic area, we produce greater impact on intergenerational poverty, because families are more likely to access and benefit from coordinated support when it is culturally responsive, proximate, and designed by and for the community.