named programs · 4 · from sources
What they call their work
Continuing Teacher & Leader Education (CTLE)
Professional development workshops for educators that align with curriculum in Social Studies, Sciences, and the Arts using museum collections
Old City Hall Station Tours
Exclusive guided tours of the decommissioned 1904 City Hall subway station for New York Transit Museum members, featuring historic architecture and design
On View Exhibits
Permanent and rotating exhibits at the Brooklyn museum and Grand Central Gallery showcasing the history of New York City’s transit system, including vintage vehicles and archival materials
School and Youth Tours
Guided educational tours for school groups aligned with learning standards, including Rails & Roads, Art on the Go, Journey to the Past, Moving the Millions, and Subway Tracks, offered at the Brooklyn museum location
activities · 11 groups
What they do
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Railroad and Canal Heritage Preservation 2 activities
- Facilitate member-only and historic train experiencesOffers exclusive guided tours of the historic Old City Hall Station for members, including exploration of its architecture and history of Alfred Beach’s Pneumatic Tube. Also provides member-only historic train rides using vintage BMT Standard cars and nostalgia rail rides using vintage equipment from the past 120 years.
- Operate and maintain the New York Transit Museum in BrooklynOperates a museum dedicated to mass transit history in a decommissioned subway station in Downtown Brooklyn, featuring permanent and rotating exhibits including twenty vintage subway and elevated cars on display, a functioning signal tower, and historical artifacts related to subway construction, fare systems, surface transit, and transit workers. The museum is wheelchair-accessible at Schermerhorn and Court Streets.
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Local History Archival Access 1 activity
- Collect, preserve, and provide access to transit-related materialsCollects, preserves, and provides public access to materials related to the region's land-based mass transit systems, past and present, including archival collections, photographs, artifacts, and a research center.
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Digital Visitor Engagement via Mobile App 1 activity
- Develop digital and mobile engagement experiencesOffers a mobile app with four interactive experiences, including a citywide scavenger hunt across 50 transit history sites in all five boroughs, a family-focused version at Grand Central Terminal, and trivia quizzes on MTA history where users earn digital badges. Also provides photo filters by NYC artists and virtual access to vintage train cars via Google Maps.
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Historic Preservation Support Grants 1 activity
- Fund the New York Transit Museum’s operations and programsFunds the New York Transit Museum’s operations, exhibitions, educational programming, and public events through fundraising initiatives.
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Play-Based Early Childhood Education 1 activity
- Host family and public programsHosts monthly and select Sunday family programs featuring story-time, crafts, imaginative play, and hands-on workshops for young children. Offers immersive birthday party experiences for children ages 7–12 involving puzzle-solving in vintage train cars. Also hosts public events such as trivia nights, live performances, lectures, and sensory-inclusive programs.
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Curated Art Exhibitions and Public Displays 1 activity
- Host public exhibitions and galleries at Grand Central Terminal and other locationsOperates a free public gallery and retail store in Grand Central Terminal with rotating exhibits, including artistic interpretations of transit history such as the MetroCard and vintage seat designs. Also curates special exhibitions at satellite locations like 2 Broadway in Lower Manhattan.
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Guided Historic Site Tours 1 activity
- Offer guided tours and excursionsConducts staff-led group tours for school, youth, and adult groups of eight or more, as well as seasonal guided walking tours and excursions across all five boroughs focusing on transit art, design, and neighborhood history. Offers exclusive behind-the-scenes access to archival collections at the Gabrielle Shubert Research Center.
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Organized Vehicle Show Events 1 activity
- Organize special events and festivalsHosts an annual Bus Festival allowing the public to board and explore vintage buses from the collection, along with family-friendly activities. Organizes the Parade of Trains event featuring shuttle rides using historic train cars between Brighton Beach and Kings Highway stations along a historic Brooklyn route.
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Podcast and Radio Production 1 activity
- Produce virtual and media contentHosts virtual programs including online conversations, presentations, workshops, and performances based on museum exhibitions. Produces and airs a video series titled "50 Secrets of Transit" exploring hidden stories and artifacts of New York’s transit system, and maintains digital exhibits chronicling institutional history and the role of transit workers during crises like 9/11 and Hurricane Sandy.
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Accessibility Services for Cultural Programs 1 activity
- Promote accessibility and inclusive programmingOffers discounted admission for adults with disabilities and provides accommodations including guided tours for visitors who are blind or have low vision, American Sign Language interpreters upon request, FM assistive listening devices, and free sensory-support toolkits. Hosts twice-yearly Day Habilitation Day programs for adults with disabilities.
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Educational Field Trips and Experiential Outings 1 activity
- Provide educational programs for school and youth groupsOffers five curriculum-based guided tour programs for school and youth groups focused on public transportation history, engineering, art, and social history using vintage trains and interactive exhibits. Provides free educational resources including lesson plans, virtual visit videos, archival images, and reading lists for classroom use.
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financials · form 990 · fy2024
revenue
Total revenue$4.07M
Contributions & grants$2.04M50%
Program service revenue$1.24M30%
Investment income$812K20%
Other revenue$-26K
expenses
Total expenses$3.28M
Program expenses57%
Admin / overhead27%
Fundraising16%
Salaries & benefits$2.22M
Grants paid out$0
Largest expense lineCompensation
balance sheet
Total assets$15.41M
Cash$1.41M
Investments$13.73M
Liabilities$761K
Net assets$14.65M
Liquid reserves55.4 mo
5 years on record · 2020–2024 · YoY revenue +64.0%
leadership · form 990 part vii · fy2024
Who runs it
paid leadership · 2
| Name | Title | Hours/wk | Compensation |
|---|---|---|---|
| SARAH LANDRETH | DIRECTOR OF DEVELOPMENT | 40 | $134K |
| CONCETTA BENCIVENGA | MUSEUM DIRECTOR | 20 | $109K |
board members · 14
- ALFREDO QUINTERO — SECRETARY/TREASURER
- BEVERLY DOLINSKY — TRUSTEE
- CARLA CRAFT — TRUSTEE
- EDWARD T SEAMAN — TRUSTEE
- GERALD WEINSTEIN — TRUSTEE
- JOHN DI DOMENICO — TRUSTEE
- JOHN VASILJ — TRUSTEE, THRU NOVEMBER 2024
- KURT A GODDARD — TRUSTEE
- MARTIN APPEL — TRUSTEE, THRU DECEMBER 2024
- RUBY SIEGEL — TRUSTEE
- STEVEN VACARRO — TRUSTEE
- SUSAN GILBERT — CHAIRPERSON
- VIRGINIA BORKOSKI — TRUSTEE
- WYNTON HABERSHAM — TRUSTEE
relationships · 22
Who they work with
- Boldyn Networks Funder — Supports the development and operation of the New York Transit Museum App.
- DYCD Government — Provides certificates for free transportation to school groups through the DYCD Transportation Program.
- Fifth Avenue Coach Company Partner — Preserves Bus #3100, which was purchased by the Fifth Avenue Coach Company.
- Film Forum Partner — Collaborates with Film Forum on a film series exploring transit in New York City.
- Grand Central Terminal Partner — Operates a gallery and store within Grand Central Terminal.
- Jamaica Buses Inc. Partner — Preserves Bus #3865, which was formerly operated by Jamaica Buses Inc.
- Liberty Lines Express Partner — Preserves Bus #3006, which was formerly operated by Liberty Lines Express.
- MTA Government — Collaborates on transit-related content and references MTA agencies in educational programming and trivia.
- MTA Government — Follows MTA accessibility practices in language and policy.
- MTA Partner — Collaborates with MTA to create civics curriculum presentations and lesson plans about public transportation for grades K-12.
- MTA Bus Company Government — Preserves buses formerly operated by MTA Bus Company and its predecessor private lines.
- Metropolitan Transportation Authority Government — Parent agency under which the New York Transit Museum operates as a self-supporting division.
- Metropolitan Transportation Authority Government — Reference to MTA's founding objective of standardizing wayfinding and informational signage in the transit system.
- New York Bus Service Partner — Preserves Bus #1502, which was formerly operated by New York Bus Service.
- New York City Department of Cultural Affairs Funder — Provides public funds for New York Transit Museum programs in partnership with the City Council.
- New York City Transit Authority Government — Operates the subway system used for Nostalgia Rides and public access to historic train operations.
- New York State Council on the Arts Funder — Provides public funding for New York Transit Museum programs.
- New York Transit Museum Network — Operates as the primary public-facing institution supported by FRIENDS OF THE NEW YORK TRANSIT MUSEUM
- New York Transit Museum Partner — Co-organizes and operates the Old City Hall Station tours in partnership with the Friends of the New York Transit Museum.
- New York Transit Museum Partner — Primary beneficiary of fundraising and promotional efforts
- Richie Guzmán Partner — NYC-based artist who created exclusive photo filters for the museum's mobile app.
- Triboro Coach Partner — Preserves Bus #621, which was formerly operated by Triboro Coach.
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.
- Experiential Immersion in Historic Contextmethodology: experiential_educationBy situating exhibitions and educational programs within authentic, preserved transit environments—such as a decommissioned 1936 subway station and vintage train cars—the museum deepens public engagement with transportation history because physical immersion makes abstract historical concepts tangible and emotionally resonant.
- Inclusive Design for Sensory and Tactile Accessibilitymethodology: sensory_inclusive_designBy incorporating tactile exploration and sensory-inclusive scheduling—such as quiet hours and designated quiet rooms—the museum increases accessibility for visitors with disabilities because these adaptations reduce barriers to engagement and affirm diverse ways of experiencing history.
- Inquiry- and Play-Based Learning for Diverse Learnersmethodology: inquiry_based_learningBy using inquiry-based and play-centered pedagogical approaches aligned with educational standards, the museum fosters deeper learning and engagement among children and students because these methods activate curiosity, support social-emotional development, and make historical content accessible through active participation.
- Preservation as Public Access and Legacy Buildingmethodology: preservation_and_accessBy collecting, preserving, and providing access to historical materials and operational vintage transit vehicles, the museum ensures sustained public understanding of mass transit’s role in urban life because long-term stewardship of artifacts and infrastructure enables ongoing education and cultural continuity.
- Private Fundraising to Sustain Public Cultural Missionmethodology: private_fundraising_for_public_cultureBy raising private funds to complement public support, the organization ensures the financial sustainability of exhibitions, educational programs, and operations because diversified funding reduces dependency on volatile public budgets and enables long-term planning for cultural preservation.