named programs · 5 · from sources
What they call their work
American Chestnut Restoration
Advances restoration of blight-resistant American chestnuts, including launching the 1,000 Chestnut Challenge and opening NYC’s first Chestnut Trail
Community Gardens Initiative
Owns and operates more than 50 community gardens and builds or renovates an average of ten new gardens each year
Public Green Space Stewardship
Stewards over 80 acres of parkland and hosts free public programs to engage community members in green space maintenance
Tree Planting Program
Plants and distributes thousands of trees annually to lower temperatures, support public health, and increase biodiversity
Urban Agriculture Workshops
Organizes hundreds of workshops annually to help New Yorkers grow fresh and affordable produce
activities · 6 groups
What they do
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Community Stewardship Volunteer Programs 2 activities
- Large-scale trash removal and site cleanupRemoved over 6 million pounds of trash from neighborhood green spaces since founding, including 8,000 tires and 481 tons from Highbridge Park, with ongoing efforts to clear rubble, overgrowth, and waste from public lands to prepare them for greening.
- Volunteer mobilization for green space stewardshipEngages over 146,000 volunteers citywide in stewardship activities, with annual recruitment of more than 1,200 individuals to support park maintenance, urban forestry, shoreline monitoring, and garden care across Northern Manhattan and other areas.
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Horticultural Education and Community Gardening 2 activities
- Ownership and management of community gardensOwns, operates, and maintains more than 50 community gardens across all five boroughs of New York City, providing long-term stewardship and infrastructure support to ensure sustainable urban agriculture and community access.
- Urban agriculture support and educationProvides hands-on training, materials, and technical assistance to urban growers through workshops in vegetable growing, compost management, and mushroom farming; supports garden success with one year of personalized education and access to citywide resources.
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Onsite & Outreach Environmental Education Programs 1 activity
- Community engagement and public programmingHosts over 110 free public programs annually for thousands of community members, including access to the Community Room at Sherman Creek Center, seasonal volunteer opportunities, and public events that promote engagement with green spaces.
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Urban Park and Public Space Conservation 1 activity
- Development and restoration of public green spacesBuilt, renovated, or restored over 350 public green spaces across New York City, including parks and shared outdoor areas in underserved neighborhoods, through programs like Gardens for the City that provide site preparation, design consultation, and construction support at no cost to communities.
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Ecological Habitat Restoration 1 activity
- Ecological restoration and climate resilience projectsConducts forest and shoreline restoration across more than 80 acres of parkland, including constructing living shorelines with native plantings and Oyster Castles to create artificial oyster reefs, and expanding blight-resistant American chestnut plantings through initiatives like the 1,000 Chestnut Challenge and the city’s first Chestnut Trail.
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Tree Planting and Reforestation Initiatives 1 activity
- Urban tree planting and distributionPlanted and distributed over 280,500 trees citywide since inception, including through an annual free tree giveaway program that distributes thousands of trees to residents each year; co-led the MillionTreesNYC initiative to plant one million trees by 2015.
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financials · form 990 · fy2024
revenue
Total revenue$3.24M
Contributions & grants$3.37M104%
Program service revenue$00%
Investment income$191K6%
Other revenue$-313K
expenses
Total expenses$2.03M
Program expenses62%
Admin / overhead17%
Fundraising21%
Salaries & benefits$1.12M
Grants paid out$0
Largest expense lineCompensation
balance sheet
Total assets$16.61M
Cash$2.18M
Investments$4.76M
Liabilities$2.67M
Net assets$13.94M
Liquid reserves40.9 mo
6 years on record · 2019–2024 · YoY revenue -45.0%
leadership · form 990 part vii · fy2024
Who runs it
paid leadership · 5
| Name | Title | Hours/wk | Compensation |
|---|---|---|---|
| LYNN B KELLY | EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR / SECRETARY | 40 | $385K |
| CATHERINE HALL-BETTERTON | SVP, CHIEF OPERATING OFFICER | 40 | $251K |
| GARY R DEARBORN | CHIEF OF CAPITAL | 40 | $219K |
| JEFFREY MANZER FORMER CHIEF | FINANCIAL OFFICER (LEFT SEP 2024) | 40 | $153K |
| ROBYN REHAK | CHIEF ADVANCEMENT OFFICER | 40 | $118K |
board members · 20
- ANN ZIFF — DIRECTOR EMERITUS
- BETTE MIDLER — FOUNDER
- BETTY Y CHEN — DIRECTOR
- BRUCE BOZZI — DIRECTOR
- DARCY A STACOM — CO-CHAIR
- DAVID ROCKWELL — DIRECTOR
- ERHARD MARIUS — TREASURER
- HEATHER BUTTS — DIRECTOR
- JAMES L NEDERLANDER — DIRECTOR
- JANICE PARKER — DIRECTOR
- JOSHUA SIREFMAN — DIRECTOR
- KELEBOHILE NKHEREANYE — DIRECTOR
- KRYSTYNA BLAKESLEE — DIRECTOR
- MICHAEL KORS — DIRECTOR
- MICHAEL LORBER — DIRECTOR
- MIRIAM WHEELER — DIRECTOR
- RACHEL MATTES GREENBERG — DIRECTOR
- SAMUEL ASHNER — CO-CHAIR
- SARA ARNO — DIRECTOR
- SHANNON SZOKE — DIRECTOR
relationships · 10
Who they work with
- Bette Midler Government — Sponsored a match opportunity through The Rose Society Match to support NYRP’s planned giving program.
- Bette Midler Partner — Founded NYRP a quarter-century ago by picking up trash in a park.
- La Finca del Sur Partner — Collaborated with NYRP on the renovation of a community garden in Mott Haven, The Bronx, including the installation of 72 raised beds.
- NYC Parks Department Partner — Partnered with NYRP to lead the MillionTreesNYC initiative.
- New York City Department of Parks & Recreation Partner — Partnered to uncover buried pathways in Highbridge Park and co-led the MillionTreesNYC initiative.
- New York State Department of Environmental Conservation Government — Recipient of funding from NYSDEC
- Row New York Partner — Non-profit partner operating out of the Peter Jay Sharp Boathouse built by NYRP.
- Trust for Public Land Partner — Collaborated to save 114 community gardens from development in 1999.
- United States Department of Agriculture Government — Recipient of funding from USDA
- community organizations Partner — Collaborates with community organizations to develop public gardens and green spaces in underserved neighborhoods.
strategies · 3
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 Greening and Stewardshipmethodology: community_driven_greeningBy collaborating with local residents to co-design and implement greening projects, we produce more resilient and equitable green spaces because community ownership increases project relevance, sustainability, and public engagement.
- Environmental Justice as Institutional Missionmethodology: environmental_justiceBy operating as a citywide nature conservancy with an explicit environmental justice mandate, we ensure that green space preservation and expansion serve community resilience in historically marginalized areas because institutional identity shapes program prioritization and resource allocation.
- Equity-Targeted Urban Reforestationmethodology: equity_targeted_greeningBy prioritizing tree planting and green space development in low-income and underserved neighborhoods, we reduce environmental inequity because targeted investment corrects historical disparities in urban canopy and green access.