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FRESH YOUTH INITIATIVES INC
NEW YORK, NY · EIN 133723207 · Form 990 · FY2024 · NTEE P20Z · Human Services · Medium ($1M-$10M) · freshyouth.org
revenue
$3.5M
expenses
$3.7M
net assets
$3.8M
employees
95
volunteers
10
program ratio
80%
mission · from form 990

THE MISSION OF FRESH YOUTH INITIATIVES (FYI) IS TO EMPOWER YOUTH WHO HAVE THE FEWEST RESOURCES TO ACHIEVE THEIR GREATEST POTENTIAL.

profile · synthesized from sources

FRESH YOUTH INITIATIVES (FYI) is a youth development organization based in Washington Heights, New York, that empowers low-income and immigrant youth ages 5–18 through academic support, mental health services, and enrichment programs. Operating in partnership with public schools, FYI provides after-school, in-school, and summer programs focused on literacy, college readiness, social-emotional learning, and career preparation. The organization serves over 1,300 students annually across five sites in Upper Manhattan.

irs program accomplishments · form 990 part iii · fy2024

What they reported doing

  1. #1 primary $1.01M
    COMPREHENSIVE FULL DAY HIGH SCHOOL SERVICES: FYI'S TEAM OF MENTAL HEALTH AND SOCIAL WORK PROFESSIONALS OFFERED SOCIAL SERVICES, COUNSELING, AND CRISIS INTERVENTION TO THE ENTIRE STUDENT BODY OF 675 STUDENTS AT GREGORIO LUPERON HIGH SCHOOL, THE MAJORITY OF WHOM WERE NEW IMMIGRANTS. THE EXTENDED TEAM ADDITIONALLY PROVIDED EXTENSIVE YOUTH DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMS INCLUDING ADVISORY AND GUIDANCE; ACADEMIC INSTRUCTION; HIGH IMPACT TUTORING; REGENTS PREP; STEAM EDUCATION; COLLEGE ACCESS; FINE AND PERFORMING ART; SPORTS AND RECREATION.
  2. #2 $455K
    MIDDLE SCHOOL PROGRAM COHORT: FYI OPERATED AFTERSCHOOL AND SUMMER CAMP PROGRAMS FOR 120 STUDENTS IN THE SIXTH THROUGH EIGHTH GRADES AT FYI'S HEADQUARTERS AND AT M311 AMISTAD DUAL LANGUAGE. PROGRAMS PROVIDED INTENSIVE DEVELOPMENTAL AND ACADEMIC SUPPORTS, ADVISORY AND COUNSELING, PREPARATION FOR HIGH SCHOOL, STEM LEARNING, SPORTS, THE ARTS, AND RECREATION.
named programs · 7 · from sources

What they call their work

Comprehensive Full-Day High School Services
In-school program at Gregorio Luperon High School providing academic instruction, counseling, crisis intervention, college access, and enrichment for immigrant youth.
Middle School Program
Comprehensive after-school and summer program for grades 6–8 offering academic support, advisory, SEL groups, STEM, arts, and sports.
Musical Arts
Program offering guitar, choir, and Samba drumming for students in grades K–12 to explore musical interests and talents.
Reading Zone
Intervention program for struggling readers in grades K–5, building foundational reading skills and supporting older students with significant delays.
Social-Emotional Learning (SEL) Discussion Groups
Weekly evidence-based groups for all age groups focusing on emotional vocabulary, self-identity, relationships, and social awareness.
Sports and Recreation
After-school and summer activities including Saturday Sports for middle schoolers, focusing on volleyball, basketball, teamwork, and self-esteem.
Welcome Program
After-school and summer program for Pre-K to 5th grade students, especially new immigrants, focusing on adaptation, literacy, and academic readiness.
activities · 10 groups

What they do

  • Supportive and Emergency Housing Services 1 activity
    • Connecting families to social services and critical resources
      Supports over 600 families annually by connecting them to unemployment assistance, housing support, legal aid, and other essential services through an ongoing social service program.
  • Culturally Specific Support Services 1 activity
    • Delivering in-school and community-based youth development programs for Latinx and immigrant youth
      Offers targeted educational, social-emotional, and enrichment programming to over 1,300 immigrant and first-generation Latinx youth ages 5–18 in Northern Manhattan, with a focus on academic achievement, college access, and healthy development.
  • Structured Literacy Instruction and Dyslexia Support 1 activity
    • Delivering literacy intervention and reading instruction programs
      Provides targeted reading instruction and intervention services for struggling readers in grades K–5, with support extended to older students with significant reading delays; 73% of students in the Reading Zone program advanced by two reading levels, and 88% of third graders achieved grade-level proficiency.
  • Food Distribution and Hunger Relief 1 activity
    • Operating a food pantry program for children and families
      Distributes fresh groceries three times per month to 800 children and adults in the Washington Heights community.
  • Comprehensive Student Enrichment Programs 1 activity
    • Operating arts, music, and cultural enrichment programs
      Provides music instruction in guitar, choir, and Samba drumming for grades K–12, along with visual arts, cultural activities, and STEM enrichment as part of afterschool and summer programming.
  • After-School Academic and Enrichment Programs 1 activity
    • Operating comprehensive afterschool and summer programs for elementary, middle, and high school students
      Provides full-day and afterschool programming including academic support, literacy instruction, social-emotional learning, arts, sports, and recreation for students in grades Pre-K through 12 across multiple school and community-based sites in Washington Heights. Programs serve over 1,200 youth annually, with specific initiatives at P.S. 128M, Amistad Dual Language School, M.S. 319, and FYI’s headquarters.
  • Virtual Education Continuity Programs 1 activity
    • Providing academic support during remote learning
      Engaged 1,100 students during remote learning through individual tutoring, academic support, and regular check-ins, and operated hybrid in-person and virtual programs for 1,200 students in Fall 2020.
  • College Access and Success Support 1 activity
    • Providing college access and post-secondary readiness programs
      Offers college readiness workshops, in-person college tours, application guidance, and post-secondary planning support to middle and high school students, including 440 seventh graders through a DOE-funded program and 210 high school students receiving weekly guidance.
  • School-Based Mental Health and Family Support 1 activity
    • Providing mental health counseling and social-emotional learning services
      Offers individual mental health counseling, crisis intervention, support groups, and weekly Social-Emotional Learning (SEL) discussion groups using evidence-based curricula to over 600 students across program sites.
  • Youth Leadership Development Programs 1 activity
    • Running youth-led community service and civic engagement initiatives
      Organizes youth-led community service projects including graffiti removal, park cleanups, and gardening, and supports youth journalism through the Newspaper Club and publication of The General and QuaranTimes.
financials · form 990 · fy2024
revenue
Total revenue$3.51M
Contributions & grants$3.46M98%
Program service revenue$00%
Investment income$28K1%
Other revenue$26K
expenses
Total expenses$3.65M
Program expenses80%
Admin / overhead13%
Fundraising7%
Salaries & benefits$2.77M
Grants paid out$0
Largest expense lineCompensation
balance sheet
Total assets$4.10M
Cash$381K
Investments$478K
Liabilities$343K
Net assets$3.76M
Liquid reserves2.8 mo
6 years on record · 2019–2024 · YoY revenue +4.3%
leadership · form 990 part vii · fy2024

Who runs it

paid leadership · 4
NameTitleHours/wkCompensation
CATHERINE SHUGRUE DOS SANTOS CEO 55 $206K
CINDY MORRIS INTERIM COO 30 $161K
BEATRIZ OLIVA DEPUTY DIRECTOR 40 $123K
SUSAN GONZALEZ DEPUTY DIRECTOR 40 $122K
board members · 10
  • AMIT JAIN — VICE CHAIR
  • BOBBY JAHANI — DIRECTOR
  • DAN TEMPLE — DIRECTOR
  • DAVIS CHHEANG — DIRECTOR
  • EDWARD LEHIMAN — TREASURER
  • ILYA FELDMAN — DIRECTOR
  • LISA BRESTANSKY — DIRECTOR
  • MANUEL LORENZO — DIRECTOR
  • REBECCA SALE — CHAIRMAN
  • YURIY BOYKIV — SECRETARY
relationships · 18

Who they work with

  • Barclays Funder — Provides corporate matching for employee donations to Fresh Youth Initiatives
  • Better Business Bureau Government — FYI is an accredited charity with the BBB.
  • BlackRock Funder — Provides corporate matching for employee donations to Fresh Youth Initiatives
  • Charity Navigator Government — Rated FYI as a four-star charity for financial accountability and transparency.
  • Citizens Committee for Children of NYC Partner — Collaborates through shared insights on youth challenges in Northern Manhattan.
  • City of New York Government — Purchased building from the City of New York at auction.
  • DYCD Government — Collaborated with FRESH YOUTH INITIATIVES INC to operate a Learning Lab in Fall 2020
  • Department of Education Government — Funded the College Access for All program that provided college planning workshops and tours for seventh graders.
  • Google Funder — Provides corporate matching for employee donations to Fresh Youth Initiatives
  • Gregorio Luperon High School for Science & Math Partner — Hosts The General, a youth newspaper published by FYI's Newspaper Club program.
  • HSBC Funder — Provides corporate matching for employee donations to Fresh Youth Initiatives
  • JP Morgan Chase Funder — Provides corporate matching for employee donations to Fresh Youth Initiatives
  • Jeremiah Roman Partner — Director of Sports and Youth Culture at FRESH YOUTH INITIATIVES INC, contact point for the Summer Youth Employment Program
  • NY City Council Government — Provided funding for the construction or renovation of FYI's headquarters building.
  • New York Common Pantry Partner — Partnered with FRESH YOUTH INITIATIVES INC to distribute fresh groceries during the pandemic
  • PepsiCo Funder — Provides corporate matching for employee donations to Fresh Youth Initiatives
  • Robin Hood Funder — Supported FRESH YOUTH INITIATIVES INC through funding a Recovery Lab in Fall 2020
  • Washington Heights Network — Location-based community presence and service focus in Washington Heights, New York
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.

  • Holistic Youth Development
    methodology: holistic_youth_development
    By integrating academic support, social-emotional learning, mental health services, and family resources into a unified model, we produce more sustainable youth development outcomes because addressing multiple interconnected needs simultaneously reduces systemic barriers and strengthens individual resilience.
  • Relationship-Centered Programming
    methodology: relationship_centered_programming
    By prioritizing strong, trusting relationships between staff and participants, we produce meaningful life improvements because consistent, supportive connections serve as a foundational lever for behavioral change, engagement, and sustained program impact.
  • System Navigation Support
    methodology: system_navigation_support
    By guiding families through complex public systems such as high school applications, we increase access and equity because personalized navigation reduces structural disadvantages related to language, technology, and bureaucratic literacy.
  • Youth-Led Community Development
    methodology: youth_led_community_development
    By engaging youth as active agents in identifying and addressing community needs, we produce deeper civic engagement and leadership development because participatory ownership fosters responsibility, relevance, and long-term commitment.