irs program accomplishments · form 990 part iii · fy2025
What they reported doing
- #1 primary $82KWe worked with 46 local groups to develop new School Streets Play Streets and other types of public spaces across New York providing groups with planning technical and other assistance to build their capacity to launch and operate these new kinds of public spaces and put them on a path to sustainability and success. Of these 16 are operating as open streets today and 18 hit these and other milestones such as a mural permanent upgrades and or funding from the City. Two are operating today as permanent new pedestrian plazas. All were in areas where public safety and a lack of open space have been longstanding challenges.
- #2 $133KDesign and fabrication: We designed and fabricated two new pop-ups for the street that we quickly put into circulation-our OASIS and IMAGINE pop-ups. We also made improvements to existing pop-ups designs and fabricated additional kits to be able to loan more out for longer periods and have more in circulation. Lastly we designed and or fabricated and sold nine kits to other nonprofit organizations and government agencies to facilitate the activation of public space in NYC and around the world as follows: Center for Justice Innovation NY; Hanover NH; Lake Central School Corp IN; Santa Fe Springs CA; Marin County CA; Sonoma CA; Equity Design NY for NYC Dept of Health and Mental Hygiene; Qatar National Library Qatar; DOMANSA Korea.
named programs · 6 · from sources
What they call their work
IMAGINE
Interactive pop-up installation that invites public engagement and creative play in city streets
OASIS
Pop-up public space installation designed to offer rest, seating, and programming in underused urban areas
One Big Table
Provides communal, flat-packable tables designed for quick assembly in public spaces to encourage gathering and shared use
PLAY
Deploys a “no-touch” obstacle course for children in high-need neighborhoods, launched during the pandemic and now part of NYC Open Streets
Programming Kits
Designs and sells modular kits—including Uni Carts, Uni Towers, and Uni Benches—for pop-up libraries, art studios, and community programming in public spaces
School Streets and Play Streets
Partners with local groups to convert streets into safe, open spaces for children and families in neighborhoods with limited public space
activities · 3 groups
What they do
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Community-Engaged Public Art Projects 2 activities
- Deploy pop-up public space programming across New York CityDesigns, builds, and deploys modular pop-up installations—such as reading rooms, obstacle courses, bookcases, benches, tables, and kiosks—over 500 times per year across approximately 55 neighborhoods in New York City, engaging diverse communities in learning, play, and creative activities. Since 2011, has delivered over 3,000 days of programming in more than 500 locations, reaching over 120,000 New Yorkers.
- Develop and distribute public space activation kits for broader replicationDesigns, fabricates, and distributes programming kits—including PLAY, OASIS, and IMAGINE—for use by nonprofit and government entities in the U.S., Canada, and Australia to activate public spaces. Has produced and sold or provided over 70 kits to support public space programming both locally and internationally.
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Youth Leadership Development Programs 1 activity
- Engage youth in public space design and activationRuns youth-focused programs including paid summer internships, multi-week leadership training, and in-school workshops for K–12 students that teach urban planning concepts and involve young people in designing and activating public spaces in neighborhoods like Central Harlem and the Bronx.
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Transportation Policy Advocacy & Infrastructure Reform 1 activity
- Support communities in launching and operating Open Streets programsProvides planning, technical assistance, and operational support to schools and community organizations to launch and sustain School Streets, Play Streets, and other Open Streets initiatives across New York City. Collaborates with over 30 partner organizations annually and has supported the development of more than 40 public spaces, including permanent city-funded upgrades.
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financials · form 990 · fy2025
revenue
Total revenue$891K
Contributions & grants$779K87%
Program service revenue$115K13%
Investment income$6220%
Other revenue$-4K
expenses
Total expenses$804K
Program expenses67%
Admin / overhead16%
Fundraising17%
Salaries & benefits$596K
Grants paid out$0
Largest expense lineCompensation
balance sheet
Total assets$530K
Cash$136K
Investments$0
Liabilities$10K
Net assets$520K
Liquid reserves2.0 mo
6 years on record · 2020–2025 · YoY revenue +18.1%
leadership · form 990 part vii · fy2025
Who runs it
paid leadership · 2
| Name | Title | Hours/wk | Compensation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Leslie Davol | Executive Director | 40 | $110K |
| Sam Davol | Creative Director and Clerk | 30 | $78K |
board members · 10
- Angella Brown — Director
- Jane Sujen Bock — President and Chair
- Jared Eigerman — Director
- Judith Hilton — Treasurer
- Ken Gordon — Director
- Laura Fleder — Director
- Laura Hansen — Director
- Sharon Pope-Marshall — Director
- Willard Donham — Director
- Zara Mannan — Director
relationships · 93
Who they work with
- Arnold & Porter Partner — Provided in-kind donation
- Bill Bancroft Design Partner — Provided in-kind donation
- Bill Bancroft Furniture Design Partner — Partnered with Street Lab to adapt and fabricate cart designs and develop moveable tables and storage units.
- Blick Art Materials Partner — Donor of program materials and founding sponsor of DRAW program
- Boston Children’s Museum Partner — Partners on family-focused educational programming.
- Brooklyn Children’s Museum Partner — Collaborates on youth and family engagement activities.
- Brooklyn Public Library Partner — Recipient of Uni programming kits for public space programming.
- Burning Man Partner — Founding sponsor of the DRAW program
- Buro Koray Duman Partner — Provided in-kind donation
- Büro Koray Duman Partner — Collaborated with Street Lab to create a flat-packable, colorful table system for public spaces.
- Calgary Public Library Partner — Recipient of Uni programming kits for public space programming.
- Candlewick Press Partner — Donor of program materials
- Center for Justice Innovation Partner — Received a programming kit from Street Lab to support public space activation.
- Chicago Public Library Partner — Received programming kits from Street Lab in both 2022 and 2023 for public space activation.
- City’s Summer Youth Employment Program Government — Government program that funds part of the summer internship program.
- DC Public Library Partner — Recipient of Uni programming kits for public space programming.
- DOMANSA Partner — Received a programming kit from Street Lab to support public space activation in Korea.
- Design Across Scales Lab Cornell AAP Partner — Provided in-kind donation
- Design Trust for Public Space Partner — Partners on public space design and community engagement initiatives.
- Empire Rent A Car Partner — Provided in-kind donation
- FileMaker Inc Partner — Provided in-kind donation
- Fordham University: The Center for Community Engaged Learning Partner — Collaborates on community-based learning and public programming.
- Frankfurt Kurnit Klein & Selz PC Partner — Provided in-kind donation
- Fresh Air Fund Partner — Received a programming kit from Street Lab for public space programming.
- Green Thumb Partner — Collaborates on community gardening and green space programming.
- HBH Design, Inc. Partner — Provided in-kind donation
- HarperCollins Partner — Donor of program materials
- Höweler + Yoon Architecture Partner — Collaborated on the design of early pop-up infrastructure including a modular bookcase-bench system and a foldable cart for public space.
- Jaywalk Studio Partner — Collaborated with Street Lab on improving bench designs and has been a fabrication partner since the beginning.
- Kickstarter Partner — Platform used to fund the first pop-up reading room through a community campaign
+ 63 more
strategies · 4
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 Placemaking Modelmethodology: community_led_placemakingBy providing local organizations with portable, modular designs and supporting community-initiated requests, Street Lab enables communities to lead their own public space activations, because local leadership increases relevance, engagement, and sustainability of urban interventions.
- Iterative, Prototype-Driven Urban Innovationmethodology: iterative_designBy rapidly prototyping and refining public space designs in real urban contexts, then scaling what works, Street Lab improves the effectiveness of placemaking, because iterative testing ensures designs are functional, adaptable, and ready for replication.
- Open-Source Replication Networkmethodology: networked_knowledge_sharingBy distributing portable programming kits and fostering knowledge-sharing among organizations, Street Lab enables decentralized replication of successful models, because open access to tools and best practices accelerates equitable adoption across diverse communities.
- Youth-Led Civic Engagementmethodology: youth_led_civic_engagementBy involving K–8 students and teens in hands-on urban planning and public space design, Street Lab fosters long-term civic engagement and leadership, because early, experiential involvement in community change builds lasting agency and ownership over public spaces.