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Another Choice Youth and Family Outreach Inc
New York, NY · EIN 464436206 · Form 990 · FY2024 · NTEE P20 · Human Services · Micro (<$100K) · anotherchoicenyc.org
revenue
$13K
expenses
$27K
net assets
$-59K
employees
0
program ratio
95%
mission · from form 990

To interrupt violence, criminality and cycles of the carceral system by strategically providing families with indivualized art-centered interventions and supportive services to enable, empower and strengthen individuals, families and communities.

profile · synthesized from sources

Another Choice Youth and Family Outreach Inc (ACYFO) is an East Harlem-based nonprofit that uses strategic arts engagement to disrupt cycles of violence, incarceration, and poverty. The organization provides supportive services, artistic programming, and community empowerment initiatives for youth, families, seniors, and returning citizens. Its Center for Solutions serves as a hub for artistic expression, civic engagement, and holistic community development.

named programs · 5 · from sources

What they call their work

Arts Justice Safety Coalition
Coalition that advances alternative-to-incarceration strategies by integrating trauma-informed arts practices into public safety and reentry initiatives
Community Service Learning (CSL) Initiative
Provides youth and young adults with service opportunities and training in digital design and documentary filmmaking, fostering leadership and professional development through civic engagement
Food Pantry Program
Distributes fresh produce and shelf-stable food while integrating wellness education and connecting families to supportive services and workforce development resources
Open Streets Initiative
Transforms East 115th Street into a pedestrian zone every Friday from July to August, featuring wellness activities, art installations, and community resources focused on physical, emotional, environmental, and spiritual health
The Confined Arts (TCA)
Uses visual and performing arts, poetry, and music to empower system-impacted individuals, challenge stigmatizing narratives, and advocate for policy change through creative expression and education
activities · 16 groups

What they do

  • Neighborhood Civic Engagement 2 activities
    • Community forums, art showcases, and civic dialogues
      Hosts public events including community forums, health and wellness workshops, art showcases, and civic dialogues to promote community empowerment, shared learning, and public engagement.
    • Community symposiums and discussions on public safety and poverty
      Hosts community symposiums and discussions to promote public safety, reduce poverty, and develop community-based solutions in East Harlem, including convenings with stakeholders in 2022.
  • Artist Residencies and Studio Programs 2 activities
    • Entrepreneurship and community enhancement training for artists
      Offers a platform for artists and justice-involved individuals to learn about entrepreneurship and community enhancement through the arts.
    • Fiscal sponsorship for justice-involved artists
      Fiscally sponsors The Confined Arts, a program that supports artists impacted by incarceration, enabling them to use visual and performing arts, poetry, and music for advocacy and stigma reduction.
  • Creative Arts Therapy Programs 1 activity
    • Art-centered interventions to disrupt cycles of violence and incarceration
      Provides individualized, arts-based supportive services to youth, families, seniors, and individuals returning from incarceration in East Harlem to interrupt violence, criminality, and systemic entanglement with the carceral system.
  • Criminal Justice Policy Advocacy 1 activity
    • Arts Justice Safety Coalition leadership and advocacy
      Co-founded and leads the Arts Justice Safety Coalition in partnership with Phoenix Players Theatre Group and artist Shaun Leonardo to advance art-based approaches to justice reform and community safety.
  • Youth Leadership Development Programs 1 activity
    • Community Service Learning (CSL) initiative for youth and young adults
      Runs a hands-on service, leadership, and professional development program for youth and young adults aged 16 and older, including participants from SYEP, YouthBuild, and John Jay College, through civic and creative community projects.
  • Youth and Community Research Initiatives 1 activity
    • Community-centered research on poverty and incarceration
      Conducts participatory research with youth and adult community members in East Harlem to generate actionable data and inform solutions to systemic poverty and incarceration.
  • Community Stewardship Volunteer Programs 1 activity
    • Environmental and community improvement events
      Hosts community events promoting environmental wellness, sustainability, and neighborhood improvement in East Harlem.
  • Artist Support Grants 1 activity
    • Funding and amplification for art and justice reform initiatives
      Funds and amplifies the work of artists and organizations operating at the intersection of art and justice reform.
  • Workforce Readiness Training 1 activity
    • Job and Career Fairs for workforce development
      Hosts annual Job and Career Fairs featuring employers, training programs, entrepreneurship resources, and financial literacy support to promote education, career development, and financial stability in East Harlem.
  • Direct Mental Health Counseling and Support Services 1 activity
    • Mental wellness coaching and social-psychological support
      Delivers mental wellness coaching, individualized mentorship, and referrals to mental health services through ordained ministers and licensed social workers with lived experience in East Harlem.
  • 12-Step Recovery Support Services 1 activity
    • Narcotics Anonymous (NA) meetings and spiritual wellness events
      Hosts weekly Narcotics Anonymous meetings and community events focused on spiritual wellness to support recovery and holistic well-being in East Harlem.
  • Community-Engaged Public Art Projects 1 activity
    • Neighborhood and national art activations for narrative change
      Organizes local art activations and national convenings to shift public narratives about incarceration and promote community care through artistic expression.
  • Financial Literacy Education Programs 1 activity
    • Occupational, financial, and intellectual wellness programming
      Hosts workshops and events on budgeting, career planning, entrepreneurship, academic growth, and project proposal development to support financial and intellectual wellness in the community.
  • Community Wellness Movement Classes 1 activity
    • Open Streets community health and wellness initiative
      Organizes the Open Streets program in partnership with NYC DOT, transforming East 115th Street into a pedestrian wellness space with weekly yoga, dance, mindfulness, art activations, and resource fairs from July to August 2026.
  • Youth & Emerging Filmmaker Training 1 activity
    • Professional development and artistic literacy programs
      Offers workshops in digital design, documentary filmmaking, and artistic literacy to build skills and enable youth to share stories from East Harlem.
  • Food Distribution and Hunger Relief 1 activity
    • Weekly food pantry program for food-insecure households
      Operates a weekly food pantry distributing fresh, frozen, and shelf-stable food items—including fresh produce—to address food insecurity in East Harlem.
financials · form 990 · fy2024
revenue
Total revenue$13K
Contributions & grants$13K100%
Program service revenue$00%
Investment income$00%
Other revenue$0
expenses
Total expenses$27K
Program expenses95%
Admin / overhead5%
Fundraising0%
Salaries & benefits$795
Grants paid out$0
Largest expense lineProfessional Fees
balance sheet
Total assets$10K
Cash$10K
Investments$0
Liabilities$69K
Net assets$-59K
Liquid reserves4.5 mo
5 years on record · 2020–2024 · YoY revenue -64.0%
leadership · form 990 part vii · fy2024

Who runs it

board members · 1
  • Kahlil G James — President and Executive Director
relationships · 25

Who they work with

  • Art + Justice National Collective Partner — Co-hosts a national virtual convening for artists, organizers, and educators focused on justice and creative practice.
  • Center for Justice Partner — Collaborates with ACYFO to engage participants from the Women’s Transcending Program and support community initiatives.
  • Center for Solutions Network — Initiative of Another Choice Youth and Family Outreach Inc. serving as a hub for artistic expression and community problem-solving in East Harlem.
  • DLR Group Partner — Supports ACYFO’s vision through design and planning for the Center for Solutions and Performance Space.
  • Food Bank of New York City Funder — Funding partner contributing to the provision of essential services for vulnerable populations.
  • Ford Foundation Funder — Funding partner supporting essential services for youth, families, and citizens returning from incarceration.
  • HRA-Emergency Food Assistance Program (EFAP) Government — Government-affiliated funding partner supporting emergency food assistance services.
  • Isaac's Quarterly, LLC Partner — Collaborates to create and operate The Confined Arts program.
  • Isaac’s Quarterly, LLC Partner — Partner in hosting the Community Service Learning (CSL) initiative
  • Isaac’s Quarterly, LLC Partner — Partner organization in the Community Service Learning initiative.
  • Mount Zion A.M.E. Church Partner — Hosts the ACYFO Food Pantry Program at its location.
  • Mt. Zion A.M.E. Church Government — Hosts the ACYFO Center for Solutions on the second floor of its historic building in East Harlem.
  • NYC DOT Partner — Partner in the Open Streets Initiative to transform city blocks into pedestrian-friendly community spaces.
  • Narcotics Anonymous Partner — Hosts weekly NA meetings at the organization's facility.
  • Open Streets Partner — Collaborates on organizing and promoting Open Streets events in 2025.
  • Phoenix Players Theatre Group Partner — Co-founding partner in the Arts Justice Safety Coalition.
  • Shaun Leonardo Partner — Collaborating multidisciplinary artist in the Arts Justice Safety Coalition.
  • Street Lab Partner — Co-facilitates interactive street activities during the Open Streets initiative.
  • The Confined Arts Partner — Collaborates with ACYFO to develop the Community Service Learning Initiative and support artists impacted by incarceration.
  • The Reentry Theater of Harlem Partner — Partner in hosting the Community Service Learning (CSL) initiative
  • The Reentry Theater of Harlem Partner — Partner organization in the Community Service Learning initiative.
  • United Way of NY Funder — Funding partner enabling the delivery of essential services in East Harlem.
  • academic institutions Partner — Shares community-centered research findings with academic institutions to support informed solutions to poverty and incarceration.
  • nonprofits Partner — Collaborates with other nonprofits to disseminate research and implement community-based solutions to poverty and public safety.
  • policy makers Partner — Engages policy makers through research dissemination and community discussions to inform public safety and poverty reduction strategies.
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.

  • Art as a Catalyst for Justice Reform
    methodology: art_as_catalyst
    By integrating trauma-informed arts practices with justice system pathways, the organization advances alternatives to incarceration and reduces recidivism because artistic expression centers the humanity of system-impacted individuals, builds community trust, and fosters public safety through connection rather than coercion.
  • Community-Led Co-Creation of Solutions
    methodology: community_cocreation
    By forming relationships among community members and centering youth and adult voices in research, dialogue, and public space activation, the organization develops locally grounded solutions to systemic issues because collective action and relational capacity-building amplify impact and ensure cultural relevance and ownership of change.
  • Holistic Support Through Integrated Services
    methodology: integrated_wellness
    By using food distribution and cultural hubs as gateways to connect individuals with workforce development, recovery support, and social services, the organization promotes long-term resilience because addressing material needs alongside systemic barriers enables sustained personal and community advancement.
  • Youth Empowerment Through Arts and Media Education
    methodology: youth_media_empowerment
    By combining community service with digital media education and artistic programming, the organization empowers youth to tell their own stories and engage in mission-driven action because skill-building in creative expression fosters agency, identity, and long-term civic participation.