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PARTICIPANT INC
NEW YORK, NY · EIN 260017746 · Form 990 · FY2024 · NTEE A40 · Arts, Culture & Humanities · Medium ($1M-$10M) · participantinc.org
revenue
$1.7M
expenses
$1.4M
net assets
$793K
employees
5
program ratio
85%
profile · synthesized from sources

Artist-run nonprofit exhibition space in New York City that presents solo and curated exhibitions, performances, and installations by contemporary artists, with a focus on experimental and interdisciplinary practices. Founded in 2006, it supports under-recognized artists through public programs and archival documentation. The organization operates as a platform for critical dialogue at the intersection of art, culture, and social engagement.

irs program accomplishments · form 990 part iii · fy2022

What they reported doing

  1. #1 primary $56K
    JOHANNA CONSTANTINE - CONDUIT, WHICH MARKS THE ARTIST'S FIRST SOLO EXHIBITION INCLUDING PERFORMANCE, SCULPTURE, VINTAGE AND NEWLY PRODUCED PERFORMANCE VIDEOS. EIGHT OF CONSTANTINE'S ICONIC DANCE WORKS WERE VIDEOTAPED ON-SITE FOR THIS EXHIBITION. CONDUIT EMPHASIZES AND ACKNOWLEDGES CONSTANTINE'S LIFEWORK, CHANNELING THE STRUGGLE TO SURVIVE IN AN UNCERTAIN ENVIRONMENT.
  2. #2 $40K
    MARTI WILKERSON - THE 4TH GOLDEN CADILLAC, A MIX OF FORMAL PORTAITS AND VERITE DOCUMENTARY PHOTOGRAPHY BY MARTI WILKERSON, SHOWCASING VINTAGE PRINTS ALONGSIDE NEWER WORKS. FEAUTURING SUBCULTURAL SUBJECTS AND NEIGHBORHOOD PLACES, INCLUDING TOMPKINS SQUARE PARK, HOWIE PYRO, TERENCE SELLERS, HEATHER LITTEER, JAYNE COUNTY, AND BLACK PERFORMANCE CULT.
named programs · 4 · from sources

What they call their work

Anh Vo: Song and Sex: Before the Revolution
First solo exhibition in New York City by Vietnamese choreographer and performance artist Anh Vo, featuring a series of weekly performances and installations developed through a year-long apprenticeship in Ca Trù music
Johanna Constantine – Conduit
Artist's first solo exhibition including performance, sculpture, and video, documenting eight of Constantine's dance works and emphasizing her life’s work navigating survival in uncertain environments
Participant After Dark
Virtual performance, screening, and event platform launched in 2020 to commission and present artist projects for remote viewing
Queer Communion
Solo retrospective of a Los Angeles-based performance artist, curated by an art historian and performance studies scholar, exploring queer identity and artistic practice
activities · 4 groups

What they do

  • Curated Art Exhibitions and Public Displays 3 activities
    • Curating and presenting solo and group art exhibitions
      Curates and presents solo and group exhibitions featuring contemporary artists, including retrospectives and first-time solo shows in New York City, such as Johanna Constantine’s “Conduit,” Marti Wilkerson’s photography series, and the group exhibition “[minna | منا] of us” co-organized with SALMA.
    • Developing digital and hybrid exhibition platforms
      Launched PARTICIPANT AFTER DARK in 2020 as a virtual platform for commissioned artist projects, performances, and screenings, and hosts online exhibitions such as “Cate Giordano, early movies,” expanding access to artistic work beyond physical space.
    • Operating a public exhibition and performance space
      Operates a gallery space open to the public Thursday through Sunday, hosting multidisciplinary exhibitions, performances, screenings, and public talks that are free to the community. The space is located at 116 Elizabeth Street in Manhattan, following a relocation in February 2023 to support expanded programming and sustainability.
  • Literary Events & Workshops 1 activity
    • Hosting public talks, readings, and artist conversations
      Organizes and hosts public programs including artist talks, readings, and panel discussions, such as conversations with Penny Arcade, Lilia Rocio Taboada, and Adam HajYahia, as well as book launches and events centered on oral history and social practice.
  • Artist and Curatorial Publications 1 activity
    • Publishing artist books and exhibition-related publications
      Produces and publishes books in conjunction with exhibitions, including illustrated novellas and artist publications such as Kathe Burkhart’s The Double Standard (2005) and the publication "distinguish the limit from the edge" (2024), supporting artistic documentation and public engagement.
  • Artist Legacy Preservation and Documentation 1 activity
    • Supporting archival projects and artist legacy activation
      Collaborates with artist estates and archives—including the Alvin Baltrop Trust, Dash Snow Archive, and Greer Lankton Archives Museum—to manage, preserve, and activate under-recognized artistic legacies through exhibitions, print production, and public programming.
financials · form 990 · fy2024
revenue
Total revenue$1.73M
Contributions & grants$1.72M100%
Program service revenue$00%
Investment income$90%
Other revenue$7K
expenses
Total expenses$1.37M
Program expenses85%
Admin / overhead5%
Fundraising10%
Salaries & benefits$173K
Grants paid out$611K
Largest expense lineFacilities
balance sheet
Total assets$976K
Cash$116K
Investments$0
Liabilities$183K
Net assets$793K
Liquid reserves1.0 mo
5 years on record · 2020–2024 · YoY revenue +128.4%
leadership · form 990 part vii · fy2024

Who runs it

paid leadership · 1
NameTitleHours/wkCompensation
LIA GANGITANO FOUNDER/DIRECTOR 40 $36K
board members · 18
  • ANNIE OHAYON — BOARD MEMBER (RESIGNED ON AUGUST 2024)
  • APRIL HUNT — BOARD MEMBER
  • DERRICK ADAMS — BOARD MEMBER (RESIGNED IN 2024)
  • ELISABETH SUSSMAN — BOARD MEMBER
  • ELLEN F SALPETER — BOARD MEMBER (RESIGNED ON OCTOBER 2024)
  • ETHAN JARDINE — TREASURER
  • JEFFREY GIBSON — BOARD MEMBER
  • JOSEPH R WOLIN — BOARD MEMBER (RESIGNED ON SEPTEMBER 2024)
  • JUSTIN VIVIAN BOND — BOARD MEMBER
  • MARI SPIRITO — VICE PRESIDENT
  • MARISA NEWMAN — BOARD MEMBER
  • RAMSEY MCPHILLIPS — BOARD MEMBER
  • RENAUD PROCH — BOARD MEMBER
  • ROSE LORD — BOARD MEMBER
  • SHERI PASQUARELLA — BOARD MEMBER
  • THALIA FEILEN — SECRETARY
  • TONY OURSLER — BOARD MEMBER
  • VAGINAL DAVIS — PRESIDENT
relationships · 48

Who they work with

  • Adams and Ollman Partner — Named supporter and collaborator in the arts community.
  • Alhena Katsof Partner — Curated the exhibition "Song and Sex: Before the Revolution" in collaboration with PARTICIPANT INC.
  • Alvin Baltrop Trust Partner — Collaborated on estate management and archival projects.
  • Ames Family Foundation Funder — Provides generous support
  • Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts Funder — Provides generous support
  • Anh Vo Partner — Presented a solo exhibition and performance series in partnership with PARTICIPANT INC.
  • Book Works Partner — Co-presented the book launch for "Distinguish the Limit from the Edge" by Theresa Hak Kyung Cha and Jimmy Robert.
  • Book Works Partner — Commissioned the publication of "distinguish the limit from the edge."
  • Büro Koray Duman Architects Partner — Collaborated on the renovation of PARTICIPANT INC's new space at 116 Elizabeth Street.
  • Coalition of Small Arts New York City (CoSA NYC) Network — Regrant partnership through which multiple foundations provide support
  • Dash Snow Archive Partner — Collaborated on estate management and archival projects.
  • FRIENDS of PARTICIPANT INC Funder — Provides generous support
  • Greer Lankton Archives Museum Partner — Collaborated on estate management and archival projects.
  • HOUSING NY Partner — Collaborated on the curation and presentation of "Botched Garden of Earthly Delights – III Acts."
  • Harriett Ames Charitable Trust Funder — Provides generous support
  • Henry Luce Foundation Funder — Provides support through CoSA NYC
  • Itziar Barrio Partner — Designed the website for the Participant After Dark exhibition "Cate Giordano, early movies".
  • Jacques Louis Vidal Charitable Fund Funder — Provides generous support
  • Jerome Foundation Funder — Provides generous support
  • Korea Arts Management Services Government — Supported the publication of "distinguish the limit from the edge."
  • Lambent Foundation Fund, a fund of Tides Foundation Funder — Provides generous support
  • Laura Parnes Partner — Artist whose solo exhibition was presented at Participant Inc.
  • MAT Charitable Foundation Funder — Founding funder that enabled PARTICIPANT INC to proceed with plans for the space.
  • Marcelo Gabriel Yáñez Partner — Curator of the Sheyla Baykal exhibition and moderator of public programs.
  • Materials for the Arts, NYC Department of Cultural Affairs/NYC Department of Sanitation/NYC Dept. of Education Partner — Provides materials support
  • Mellon Foundation Funder — Provides generous support and support through CoSA NYC
  • Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism Government — Supported the publication of "distinguish the limit from the edge."
  • National Endowment for the Arts Government — Supports archiving and documentation projects
  • New York City Department of Cultural Affairs Government — Supports programs through public funding in partnership with the City Council
  • New York Lawyers for the Public Interest Partner — Assisted with incorporation of PARTICIPANT INC in December 2001.
+ 18 more
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.

  • Art as Interdisciplinary Transmission of Cultural and Intergenerational Dialogue
    methodology: cultural_transmission_through_art
    By using interdisciplinary art practices that blend narrative forms and formal strategies like 'the fold', the organization fosters intergenerational and cross-cultural dialogue, because art becomes a conduit for transmitting endangered traditions and forming expansive identities.
  • Decolonial and Community-Centered Archiving
    methodology: decolonial_reckoning
    By centering minoritized communities in archival practices and integrating historical reckoning with land acknowledgment, the organization activates artistic legacies in ways that support decolonization, repair, and self-determined cultural transmission.
  • Long-Term Artist and Community Engagement
    methodology: long_term_artist_engagement
    By fostering durational relationships with artists and communities, the organization sustains artistic legacies and enables cross-generational dialogue, because ongoing relational commitment ensures care for artists' work beyond discrete projects or lifetimes.
  • Radical Care and Resistance as Foundational Practice
    methodology: radical_care_resistance
    By grounding artistic and organizational work in radical acts of care and resistance—particularly inspired by queer responses to the HIV/AIDS crisis—the organization creates a model for sustaining marginalized artistic voices and challenging systemic erasure.
  • Removing Systemic Barriers to Art Access
    methodology: barrier_free_access
    By eliminating social, cultural, and physical barriers through free access, ASL interpretation, open captioning, and inclusive design, the organization increases equitable engagement with art, because accessibility is foundational to inclusion and justice in cultural participation.