irs program accomplishments · form 990 part iii · fy2024
What they reported doing
- #1 primary $353KNuLegacy - connects New Yorkers of color whose lives have been devastated by incarceration to the regenerative power of nature and land. Right now, through our live-in residency at WILDSEED Community Farm & Healing Village, we provide experiences such as camping, farming training, medicine workshops, healing circles, wellness retreats, reconnection gatherings, creative space for artists, and respite for family members visiting loved ones in upstate prisons. NuLegacy nurtures the skills and provides the experiences necessary for people to live, heal, and thrive in nature and to steward land in healthy and harmonious ways. Through NuLegacy, we organized three first-time exposure and experience gatherings for a total of 160 people from the five boroughs of NYC through our organizational residency with the Wildseed Community Farm which we won in 2021. We also organized 3 camping trips for 6 Brooklyn youth who have never camped before.
- #2 $326KHuman Justice Lab for Training and Policy (HJLTP)- provides a space for sharing best practices, expertise, tools and access to resources for service providers/educators; system-impacted individuals; and families/caregivers/parents whose children are system-impacted. The training services are designed to provide political education, tools for daily application, and convening everyone in our resource hub, which coordinates referrals and feedback, to ensure continuity and assessment of services provided by the system. A major goal of HJTRL is to fill the gap between vision and mission alignment among activists focused on dismantling the oppressive system; service providers relying on the system for their livelihoods; community members eager for better, community-based alternatives for safety and accountability; and, most importantly, system-impacted people deserving of better from all of us. Through HJLTP, we provided over 35 trainings and workshops for credible messenger organizers, Bed-Stuy residents and youth, system stakeholders from Mayor's Office of Criminal Justice and the Kings County District Attorney's office. Our hallmark project is Communiversity which we launched in late 2021. Communiversity is our engine for educational, emotional and political edquity by locating and generating educational resources, assets (people), and opportunities within our neighborhoods and holding courses that are often only offered through higher education institutions.
named programs · 5 · from sources
What they call their work
Communiversity
Community-led education initiative offering free, barrier-free courses taught by activists, academics, and community members on history, politics, power, and healing. Aims to shift from individualism to community cooperation.
Human Justice Lab for Training and Policy (HJLTP)
Provides political education, training, and convening for system-impacted individuals, service providers, and community members. Hosts Communiversity, offering accessible courses on history, politics, and organizing.
NuLegacy
Connects system-impacted New Yorkers of color to land-based healing through camping, farming, medicine workshops, and retreats at WILDSEED Community Farm and the newly acquired 20-acre "People’s Land" in Enfield, NY. Focuses on ancestral reconnection, trauma healing, and land stewardship.
The Village Apprenticeship Program (VAP)
Decolonizing workforce development program that trains participants in cooperative economics, provides seed funding to Black-owned businesses, and supports employment through apprenticeships with local employers.
Village Takeback
Hyper-local intervention in Bed-Stuy’s Million Dollar Blocks providing post-bail support, guaranteed income, arrest diversion, gun violence intervention, and community healing circles. Includes needs assessments with over 250 residents.
activities · 11 groups
What they do
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Criminal Justice Policy Advocacy 2 activities
- Advocating to stop prison expansion and reduce private prison influenceLeads city, state, and national campaigns to halt prison expansion and weaken the private prison industry, contributing to systemic criminal justice reform.
- Mentoring youth organizers and building intergenerational leadershipMentored youth organizers in forming the Prison Moratorium Project and merged the Center for NuLeadership with the project to create an intergenerational justice organization.
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Gun Violence Prevention & Intervention 1 activity
- Advising government on credible messenger programs to reduce gun violenceProvided expert guidance to the City of New York on establishing Credible Messenger Programs, contributing to a $10 million city investment aimed at reducing gun violence.
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Community Capacity Building & Leadership Networks 1 activity
- Delivering training and workshops through the Human Justice LabConducts trainings and workshops for credible messenger organizers, community residents, youth, and government stakeholders on community organizing and policy. Delivered over 35 trainings as reported in IRS-990 data.
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Worker Rights Advocacy & Wage Protection 1 activity
- Developing and promoting the Human Justice framework and theory of changeCreated and publicly launched the Human Justice Theory of Change in collaboration with 1199 SEIU and has implemented it through programs, policy development, and community organizing since its inception in 2011.
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Justice System Innovation & Inclusion Programs 1 activity
- Diverting youth and young adults from the criminal justice systemOperates an arrest diversion program in Bedford-Stuyvesant and has diverted over 150 youth and young adults through bailouts, post-release services, and community-based support.
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Restorative Justice and Peer Mediation Programs 1 activity
- Facilitating Human Justice Circles for community conflict resolutionRuns community-led restorative justice circles to resolve conflicts in families, schools, and communities without law enforcement involvement, promoting accountability and relationship restoration.
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Affordable Housing Development and Management 1 activity
- Operating a cooperatively owned community house for safe housingManages a community house in Brooklyn that provides safe, cooperative housing for people in need, including those impacted by the criminal justice system.
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Youth Scouting Leadership Programs 1 activity
- Operating land-based healing and nature exposure programsIntroduces individuals affected by incarceration to camping, farming, and land-based healing activities. Organized three camping trips for Brooklyn youth and nature exposure gatherings for 160 New Yorkers of color affected by incarceration through the NuLegacy program.
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Startup Acceleration & Business Growth Support 1 activity
- Operating the Village Apprenticeship Program for employment and business developmentMatches participants with local and Black-owned businesses, provides seed investments, and supports employment retention. Matched 10 participants, provided $10,000 seed investments to three businesses, and achieved 80% employment retention after one year, with 70% of the first cohort obtaining employment post-completion.
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Reentry Support Services 1 activity
- Providing post-bail and reentry support servicesOffers comprehensive stabilization support to formerly incarcerated individuals, including housing assistance, medical care, transportation, court support, and basic necessities. Served over 300 people through this program, with 5 individuals receiving intensive post-bail support as reported in IRS-990 data.
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Neighborhood Civic Engagement 1 activity
- Running the Village Takeback program for community stabilizationProvides monthly guaranteed income to 12 families and organizes community events and resident surveys in Bed-Stuy, Brooklyn. Surveyed over 250 residents as part of community engagement efforts.
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financials · form 990 · fy2024
revenue
Total revenue$2.03M
Contributions & grants$1.37M68%
Program service revenue$607K30%
Investment income$00%
Other revenue$51K
expenses
Total expenses$2.12M
Program expenses69%
Admin / overhead21%
Fundraising10%
Salaries & benefits$600K
Grants paid out$0
Largest expense lineCompensation
balance sheet
Total assets$1.37M
Cash$116K
Investments$0
Liabilities$453K
Net assets$916K
Liquid reserves0.7 mo
5 years on record · 2020–2024 · YoY revenue -34.0%
leadership · form 990 part vii · fy2024
Who runs it
paid leadership · 2
| Name | Title | Hours/wk | Compensation |
|---|---|---|---|
| CHINO HARDIN | CO-EXEC Dir. | 41 | $108K |
| Kyung-Ji Rhee | CO-EXEC Dir. | 41 | $108K |
board members · 8
- Bina Ahmed — Director
- Eun Joung Lee — Director
- Gus Newport — Director
- Javier Lopez — Director
- Joseph Coello — Chairman
- Maryam khaja — Director
- Natalia Kennedy — Secretary
- Rakhii Holman — Treasurer
relationships · 13
Who they work with
- 1199 SEIU Partner — Hosted the public launch of the Human Justice Theory of Change with the Center for NuLeadership.
- Black-owned businesses in East New York, Crown Heights and Bed-Stuy Partner — Receives seed investments and participates in the VAP program to hire apprentices and transform business models
- City of New York Government — Advised on the development of Credible Messenger Programs to address gun violence.
- Future Allies Partner — Partnered with Future Allies to purchase 20 acres of land in Enfield, New York for The NuLegacy Center.
- Kings County District Attorney's Office Partner — Engaged as a system stakeholder in trainings and workshops through the Human Justice Lab for Training and Policy.
- Mayor's Office of Criminal Justice Partner — Collaborated with through the Human Justice Lab for Training and Policy to deliver trainings for credible messenger organizers and system stakeholders.
- Open Society Institute Funder — Provided a $250,000 grant to support the creation of the Center for NuLeadership on Urban Solutions.
- People’s Bail Out Partner — Collaborates with People’s Bail Out, which pays bail for arrested individuals, after which The Center provides reentry support
- WILDSEED Partner — Collaborated on a 2-year residency program connecting violence interrupters, gang-involved individuals, and NYCHA resident leaders to land-based healing.
- WILDSEED Community Farm & Healing Village Partner — Hosted the NuLegacy program through an organizational residency, providing land and infrastructure for nature-based healing and programming.
- bail projects Partner — Partners with bail projects to secure release and provide post-bail support for individuals leaving jail.
- governments Partner — Advises governments on Human Justice resource distribution and grantmaking.
- philanthropies Partner — Advises philanthropies on Human Justice resource distribution and grantmaking.
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.
- Community-Led Public Safety and Repairmethodology: community-centered-repairBy centering community members in public safety, conflict mediation, and bail support, the organization reduces incarceration and recidivism because community-driven responses—rooted in relationship and repair rather than punishment—produce greater accountability and reintegration.
- Guaranteed Income and Cooperative Economic Modelsmethodology: guaranteed-incomeBy providing guaranteed income and advancing cooperative ownership models, the organization enables economic self-determination and reduces recidivism because financial stability and community-controlled wealth-building address structural drivers of incarceration.
- Human Justice Frameworkmethodology: human-justice-frameworkBy replacing criminal justice paradigms with an integrated approach combining human rights and human development, the organization produces community safety and accountability because addressing root causes of incarceration through healing, economic stability, and community power is more effective than system reform alone.
- Land-Based and Ancestral Healingmethodology: land-based-healingBy using land-based healing, nature immersion, and ancestral knowledge, the organization supports trauma recovery and community reintegration for people impacted by incarceration because reconnecting with land and cultural roots disrupts cycles of violence and fosters collective healing.
- Leadership Development from Lived Experiencemethodology: leadership-development-from-affected-communitiesBy developing leaders from within incarcerated and formerly incarcerated communities, the organization drives systemic change because those most impacted are best positioned to lead transformative solutions and shift power structures.