irs program accomplishments · form 990 part iii · fy2024
What they reported doing
- #1 primary $9.63MSCHOOL BASED YOUTH AND COMMUNITY PROGRAMSFOR MORE THAN FOUR DECADES, CFL HAS DEVELOPED A THRIVING CONTINUUM OF YOUTH DEVELOPMENT AND COMMUNITY-BUILDING PROGRAMS AT TEN NEIGHBORHOOD SCHOOLS: PS 1, PS 94, PS 169, PS 503/PS 516, PS 971, MS 136/MS 821, AND SUNSET PARK HIGH SCHOOL. THESE PROGRAMS ARE HUBS OF ENRICHING, AND SUPPORTIVE ACTIVITIES THAT BRING TOGETHER CHILDREN, YOUTH, AND ADULTS FROM OUR DIVERSE COMMUNITY IN SUNSET PARK.THE PROGRAMS ARE GROUNDED IN THE BELIEF THAT STRONG CONNECTIONS BETWEEN FAMILIES, SCHOOLS, AND NEIGHBORHOOD ORGANIZATIONS ARE ESSENTIAL TO PROMOTING POSITIVE OUTCOMES FOR CHILDREN AND TEENS. YEAR-ROUND AFTERSCHOOL, EVENING, AND WEEKEND ACTIVITIES FOR ALL AGES USE SOCIAL GROUP WORK METHODS TO ENGAGE YOUTH IN EDUCATIONAL, CULTURAL, AND RECREATIONAL ACTIVITIES, INVOLVING PARTICIPANTS IN GROUP EXPERIENCES THAT FOSTER THEIR DEVELOPMENT INTO CONFIDENT, CAPABLE ADULTS.
named programs · 8 · from sources
What they call their work
Adult Employment Program
Job readiness, placement, and literacy services including ESL and civics instruction for adults. Funded by DYCD and includes case management for immigrant families.
Cooperative Business Development Program
Incubates worker cooperatives and provides technical assistance to operating businesses, supporting economic development and entrepreneurship in the community.
Family Counseling Program
Provides counseling and support services to families, with a focus on immigrant families. Includes clinical supervision and foster care coordination.
Life Lines Community Arts Project
Arts-based youth development program at Sunset Park High School that uses theater and performance to build community, leadership, and creative expression.
R.I.S.E U.P Family Enrichment Center
Community-based program that co-designs services with families in Sunset Park to amplify community voices and strengthen family engagement.
School-Based Early Support (SBES)
Early intervention and support services in District 15 and District 20 schools, using expressive arts and healing-centered approaches to support students and families.
School-Based Youth and Community Programs
Year-round after-school, evening, and weekend programs at ten neighborhood schools including PS 1, PS 94, PS 169, PS 503/516, MS 136/MS 821, and Sunset Park High School. Programs use social group work methods to engage youth in educational, cultural, and recreational activities that foster development into confident, capable adults.
Summer Youth Employment Program (SYEP)
Provides summer job opportunities and workforce development for youth in Sunset Park.
activities · 11 groups
What they do
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Education Policy Advocacy & Reform 1 activity
- Advocate for child and family-friendly policiesConducts advocacy for policies that support children and families in partnership with local schools, service providers, and the Community Board, including successful advocacy for the opening of the first public high school in Sunset Park, which opened in 2009.
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School-Based Mental Health and Family Support 1 activity
- Deliver counseling and family support servicesProvides individual, group, and family counseling, along with drop-in afterschool centers and integrated services to sustain and nurture families, promote child development, and support family stability to keep children in safe, permanent homes within their neighborhood.
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Free Tax Preparation Services 1 activity
- Deliver free tax preparation and financial servicesProvides free VITA tax-filing services to eligible individuals and families with low incomes through in-person services at CFL’s main building and NYU Langone from January to April, and offers year-round specialized tax preparation, workshops, consultations, and toolkits for self-employed individuals through the Self-Employed Tax Program (SETP), having secured tax refunds for 2,500 residents.
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After-School Academic and Enrichment Programs 1 activity
- Deliver school-based youth and community programsOperates year-round afterschool, evening, weekend, and summer programs for children, youth, and adults at ten neighborhood schools in Sunset Park, including PS 1, PS 94, PS 169, PS 503/PS 516, PS 971, MS 136/MS 821, and Sunset Park High School, using social group work methods to support academic, cultural, and recreational development. These programs are funded by NYC DYCD, NYS OCFS, and the NYC Department of Education as part of community school partnerships.
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Startup Acceleration & Business Growth Support 1 activity
- Incubate and support worker-owned cooperativesIncubates and supports the development of worker-owned cooperatives such as Sí Se Puede! cleaning, Beyond Care childcare, Golden Steps elder care, Émigré Gourmet catering, and Cooportunity Cleaning, including the development of BrightlyⓇ, the first worker cooperative franchise of cleaning cooperatives in the U.S., and Up & Go, a gig platform owned by member cooperatives.
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Food Distribution and Hunger Relief 1 activity
- Operate food and emergency support servicesRuns a food pantry and emergency storefront that provides food packages with dry, canned, fresh, and frozen goods to community members experiencing food insecurity, along with emergency support for families facing homelessness and legal crises.
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Pro Bono Legal Representation and Support 1 activity
- Provide legal and immigration support servicesOffers legal support in immigration, family, housing, bankruptcy, and education matters through the Community Services Advocacy Clinic.
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Public Benefits Navigation and Enrollment 1 activity
- Provide public benefits and financial counseling servicesOffers screenings and application assistance for public benefits including SNAP, WIC, health insurance, unemployment, housing, disability, childcare, Qualified Health Plan, Child Health Plus, and Medicare, and connects individuals with financial counselors for credit reports, debt management, credit card reduction, settlements, student loans, and identity theft.
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Youth Workforce Readiness Programs 1 activity
- Provide workforce development and employment servicesOffers job readiness training, job placement assistance, and employment programs for youth and adults, including the WIOA Learn & Earn initiative and a city-contracted Summer Youth Employment Program that has provided job opportunities for young people in Sunset Park.
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Puppetry and Improv Theater Programs 1 activity
- Support arts and cultural programmingOffers arts-based programs for children and adults, including the Life Lines Community Arts Project and the “Life Lines” Improvisational Family Life Theater Company, supported by funding from the NYS Council on the Arts.
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Uncategorized 1 activity
- Develop community leadership and staff pathwaysEmploys over 200 staff, most of whom were former program participants and community residents, with a leadership development pathway that enables advancement into roles such as program director, as demonstrated by staff who began as participants and progressed into leadership roles.
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financials · form 990 · fy2024
revenue
Total revenue$32.92M
Contributions & grants$32.25M98%
Program service revenue$376K1%
Investment income$140K0%
Other revenue$157K
expenses
Total expenses$30.68M
Program expenses92%
Admin / overhead7%
Fundraising0%
Salaries & benefits$17.78M
Grants paid out$8.72M
Largest expense lineCompensation
balance sheet
Total assets$17.27M
Cash$6.63M
Investments$0
Liabilities$8.16M
Net assets$9.11M
Liquid reserves2.6 mo
5 years on record · 2020–2024 · YoY revenue +41.5%
leadership · form 990 part vii · fy2024
Who runs it
paid leadership · 6
| Name | Title | Hours/wk | Compensation |
|---|---|---|---|
| JULIA JEAN-FRANCOIS | CO-EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR | 35 | $288K |
| JULIE STEIN BROCKWAY | CO-EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR | 35 | $287K |
| KRISTIE MANCELL | DIVISION DIRECTOR, SCHOOL BASED | 35 | $133K |
| JHODESSA REIMER | DIVISION DIRECTOR- SCHOOL BASED | 35 | $129K |
| CARRIE STEWART | DIVISION DIRECTOR - FAMILY & ECONOMIC SUPPORT | 35 | $120K |
| CYNTHIA TAYLOR | DIRECTOR OF FINANCE | 35 | $117K |
board members · 13
- BONNIE GREAVES — VICE CHAIR
- CHARLES ALLEN — BOARD MEMBER
- CYRIL PIETRAFESA — BOARD MEMBER
- DOUGLAS POLAK — TREASURER
- JARRETT HOFFMAN — BOARD MEMBER
- JASON SCHLESSEL — SECRETARY
- KATHRYN CHEN — BOARD MEMBER
- MICHELLE MULCAHY — BOARD MEMBER
- NATHAN POTTER — BOARD MEMBER
- PETER MEILAND — BOARD MEMBER
- PHILLIP MARRIOTT — BOARD MEMBER
- PUNEET PARDASANI — BOARD MEMBER
- TIMOTHY SHEEHAN — CHAIR
relationships · 42
Who they work with
- Administration for Children’s Services Government — Funder of the Family Enrichment Center
- AmeriCorps Government — Federal service program providing funding or programmatic support.
- Brightly Partner — Developer of Brightly, a worker cooperative franchise of cleaning cooperatives
- City University of New York (CUNY) Partner — Sponsored training courses led by the Center’s PS 1 Beacon Director for youth development practitioners.
- Columbia University School of Social Work Partner — Conducted a 3-year research project on the Center published in the monograph “Good Works.”
- Cooportunity Cleaning Partner — Launched Cooportunity Cleaning as a new worker-owned cooperative in the cleaning sector
- Enterprise Community Partners, Inc. Partner — Board member Michelle Mulcahy is Director, Public Housing and Vulnerable Populations at this organization
- MS 136 Partner — Hosts school-based youth and community programs
- MS 821 Partner — Hosts school-based youth and community programs
- NYC Administration for Children's Services (ACS) Government — City agency funding child maltreatment prevention and immigrant family services.
- NYC Department of Consumer and Worker Protection (DCWP) Government — City agency supporting tax initiative programs.
- NYC Department of Education (DOE) Government — City agency funding community schools and educational programs.
- NYC Department of Youth and Community Development (DYCD) Government — Primary city funder for youth development, afterschool, and employment programs.
- NYC Mayor's Office of Immigrant Affairs (MOIA) Government — City office funding immigrant integration services through Action NYC.
- NYC Small Business Services (SBS) Government — City agency supporting cooperative business development initiatives.
- NYS Council on the Arts (NYSCA) Government — State arts council providing funding for cultural and artistic programming.
- NYS Education Department (NYSED) Government — State agency funding 21st Century Community Learning Centers.
- NYS Office of Children and Family Services (OCFS) Government — State agency funding afterschool programs including Advantage, EMPIRE, and LEAPS.
- NYU Langone Partner — Collaborates to provide in-person VITA tax-filing services.
- New York City Department of City Planning Government — Source of community-level data and interactive maps for Sunset Park through its Community District 7 Profile.
- New York University Partner — Lectures in research methods at graduate social work program
- PS 1 Partner — Hosts school-based youth and community programs
- PS 169 Partner — Hosts school-based youth and community programs
- PS 503 Partner — Hosts school-based youth and community programs
- PS 516 Partner — Hosts school-based youth and community programs
- PS 94 Partner — Hosts school-based youth and community programs
- PS 971 Partner — Hosts school-based youth and community programs
- Page 73 Productions Partner — Liz Jones was Co-Executive Director before joining CFL
- Public Policy Productions Partner — Collaborated on the production of documentary films about the Center, including “A Brooklyn Family Tale” and “Why Can’t We Be A Family Again?”
- Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Funder — Board member Nishi Shah is Director, Public Markets at this foundation, indicating a potential funding relationship
+ 12 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.
- Community-Driven Cooperative Economic Developmentmethodology: worker_cooperative_model_for_immigrant_economic_integrationBy organizing immigrant women into worker-owned cooperatives with access to education and social supports, the organization advances economic justice and integration because collective ownership fosters dignity, stability, and long-term resilience.
- Community-Rooted Mutual Sustenancemethodology: community-rooted mutual sustenanceBy grounding services in the daily, lived experience of community members, the organization fosters collaborative growth between families and social institutions, producing stronger engagement and sustainable outcomes because trust and shared responsibility are central to the model.
- Healing-Centered, Arts-Based Developmentmethodology: healing-centered engagementBy using expressive arts and theater within a healing-centered, anti-oppressive framework, the organization fosters youth leadership, self-expression, and community belonging because creative engagement builds emotional resilience and counters systemic trauma.
- Integrated Family and Community Supportmethodology: integrated_family_supportBy combining social services—such as food access, legal advocacy, and benefits enrollment—with youth development and family strengthening programs, the organization produces holistic stability for families because interconnected needs are addressed within a single, trusted community institution.
- Ladder of Leadership for Participant Advancementmethodology: ladder_of_leadershipBy hiring former program participants and supporting their education and internal advancement, the organization builds organizational accountability and community ownership because lived experience informs leadership and strengthens trust in services.