irs program accomplishments · form 990 part iii · fy2019
What they reported doing
- #1 primary $297K
named programs · 6 · from sources
What they call their work
Bridging Brooklyn: Bridges to Culture
Brooklyn-focused program using puppetry, art, and performance to explore local history, landmarks, and cultural contributions, aligned with ELA, Social Studies, and Science curricula.
Early Childhood
Programs for young children using puppetry, storytelling, and creative play to explore themes like friendship and cooperation, supporting literacy and social-emotional learning.
Puppet Movie Productions
Arts-integrated residency combining puppetry and filmmaking, allowing students to create live-action films with self-made puppets, incorporating STEAM and curriculum content.
Puppet Shows
Culturally based interactive puppet performances featuring folktales from around the world, designed for schools and community organizations to promote multiculturalism.
Stop-Motion Animation
10-session residency where students create animated shorts using laptops, webcams, and animation software, integrating curriculum themes in poetry, social studies, and culture.
Toy Theater
Residency introducing students to historical toy theaters through hands-on creation of cardboard stages and puppets, emphasizing storytelling, collaboration, and language development.
activities · 6 groups
What they do
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Youth Theater Arts Education 5 activities
- Bilingual puppetry residencies in NYC schoolsOffers bilingual puppetry residencies in Spanish, Haitian Creole, Mandarin, and French within New York City schools to support language learning and cultural engagement.
- Collaborative puppet creation with students and educatorsCreates puppets with students and teachers for use in classrooms, schools, and homes, integrating artistic expression with educational goals.
- Educational puppetry and arts programming for students and educatorsProvides curriculum-linked puppetry and arts-based educational programs, performances, and workshops for students, teachers, and administrators in schools and community settings. Programs integrate literacy, cultural education, and social-emotional learning through puppetry, storytelling, and the creative arts.
- International cultural exchange through puppetryHosts international puppeteers from countries including Brazil, Russia, China, Peru, and Israel to share cultural stories and art forms in educational programs, fostering cross-cultural understanding.
- Puppet-making and classroom performance residenciesConducts puppet-making residencies that include story-building, scriptwriting, and staging classroom performances, culminating in student-led presentations for peers, parents, and teachers.
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Community Art Education Workshops 2 activities
- Arts programming for community and cultural institutionsDelivers puppetry and arts-based programs to cultural centers, community centers, museums, libraries, and senior centers beyond the school setting, expanding access to creative learning for diverse audiences.
- Hands-on arts and puppetry for early childhoodProvides hands-on art-making and puppetry programs for early childhood students, including puppet making, performances, animation, film, and sound recording to support developmental skills.
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Community-Engaged Public Art Projects 1 activity
- Brooklyn-focused multidisciplinary arts projectsEngages students in creating artwork and participating in multidisciplinary activities centered on Brooklyn’s history and culture, including historical reenactments, model-building with recycled materials, giant puppet creation, and Hip-Hop dance.
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Special Education Support Services 1 activity
- Distance-learning arts education servicesOffers curriculum-linked programs, presentations, and family engagement activities through distance-learning platforms to support remote education.
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Social-Emotional Learning (SEL) Programs 1 activity
- Storytelling and social-emotional learning programs for young childrenOffers storytelling-based programs that explore social-emotional themes such as friendship, sharing, cooperation, and acceptance through character role-play, puppet creation, and shadow plays.
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Youth & Emerging Filmmaker Training 1 activity
- Technology-integrated creative learning programsDevelops students’ creative problem-solving, critical thinking, communication, and collaboration skills through hands-on, technology-based learning, including stop-motion animation and digital filmmaking aligned with curriculum studies.
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financials · form 990 · fy2024
revenue
Total revenue$597K
Contributions & grants$128K21%
Program service revenue$442K74%
Investment income$27K5%
Other revenue$0
expenses
Total expenses$327K
Program expenses66%
Admin / overhead34%
Fundraising0%
Salaries & benefits$284K
Grants paid out$0
Largest expense lineCompensation
balance sheet
Total assets$1.04M
Cash$789K
Investments$0
Liabilities$98K
Net assets$944K
Liquid reserves28.9 mo
6 years on record · 2019–2024 · YoY revenue +12.6%
leadership · form 990 part vii · fy2024
Who runs it
paid leadership · 1
| Name | Title | Hours/wk | Compensation |
|---|---|---|---|
| BORUCH ACKERMAN | President | 40 | $26K |
board members · 2
- ALAN SIEGEL — Treasurer
- RIVKA R MANDELBAUM — Secretary
relationships · 15
Who they work with
- Bridging Brooklyn Partner — Program partner for arts-integrated exploration of Brooklyn's culture and history.
- Brooklyn Bridge Partner — Featured subject in student animations as part of the MY NEW YORK program.
- Brooklyn College Partner — Houses the Puppet Center within its School of Education.
- Brooklyn College Partner — Originated as a club at Brooklyn College; founded by a faculty member affiliated with the School of Education.
- Early Childhood Center Partner — Collaborates on educational initiatives, festivals, and special events
- Ellis Island Partner — Featured subject in student animations as part of the MY NEW YORK program.
- Empire State Building Partner — Featured subject in student animations as part of the MY NEW YORK program.
- PS 28Q Partner — Collaborates with PiP on early childhood programming; feedback provided by a Pre-K teacher at the school.
- PiP artists Partner — Collaborates with in-house artists to deliver puppetry programs in educational settings.
- STEM Network — Aligns Toy Theater residencies with STEM education standards and interdisciplinary learning frameworks.
- School of Education at Brooklyn College Partner — Housed within and collaborates with academic departments on educational initiatives
- community-based organizations Partner — Delivers puppetry programs in partnership with community-based organizations.
- libraries Partner — Provides puppet shows and educational programming for libraries.
- program partners Partner — Collaborates with existing program partners to deliver curriculum-linked and family engagement programs.
- schools Partner — Collaborates with schools to deliver puppet shows and educational residencies.
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.
- Arts-Integrated Learning Through Puppetry and Storytellingmethodology: arts-integrated learningBy integrating puppetry, storytelling, and multiple art forms into academic and social-emotional learning, students engage more deeply with curriculum content and develop language, empathy, and creative expression because the arts provide a low-pressure, experiential medium that supports diverse learners, including English Language Learners and Special Education students.
- Culturally Responsive Storytelling for Global Awareness and Inclusionmethodology: culturally-responsive storytellingBy using global folktales and culturally diverse stories in puppetry and animation, students develop self-awareness, cultural appreciation, and global connection because engaging with narratives from different cultures through creative performance fosters empathy and reduces cultural distance.
- Expressive Arts for Language and Literacy Developmentmethodology: arts-integrated language learningBy using puppetry, toy theater, and multiarts expression, students—especially English Language Learners—develop language and literacy skills because embodying characters and co-creating performances reduces self-consciousness and creates meaningful, contextualized opportunities for verbal practice.
- STEAM and Project-Based Learning Through Integrated Media Artsmethodology: STEAM-integrated arts educationBy combining puppetry with digital animation, stop-motion, and engineering design, students learn STEM and academic concepts through hands-on, interdisciplinary projects because creative production motivates engagement and reinforces learning through making, problem-solving, and narrative construction.
- Social-Emotional Learning Through Story and Role-Playingmethodology: story-based social-emotional learningBy engaging children in storytelling, puppet creation, and role-playing around themes like cooperation and acceptance, social-emotional skills are developed because imaginative play allows safe exploration of emotions and relationships, building empathy and classroom community.