irs program accomplishments · form 990 part iii · fy2024
What they reported doing
- #1 primary $20KFACILITIES AND RESOURCES: ABC No Rio facilities and resources during our exile period include the ABC No Rio Printshop, a skills-sharing resource and workshop for silk-screen printing; the ABC No Rio Zine Library, one of the largest libraries of its type on the east coast, holding almost 13,000 independent and alternative publications; and the ABC No Rio Archive + Collection, a body of organizational documents and artworks that expresses the history of ABC No Rio. Since COVID, access to the resources and facilities by the general public is by appointment only.
named programs · 6 · from sources
What they call their work
ABC No Rio Darkroom Collective
Community-run photography darkroom offering space and resources for analog photography, exhibitions, and collective artistic practice.
ABC No Rio Printshop
Silkscreen printing workshop and skills-sharing space that supports artist-led production and political expression; accessible to the public by appointment.
ABC No Rio Zine Library
One of the largest collections of independent and alternative publications on the East Coast, holding nearly 13,000 zines; serves as a resource for research, education, and community engagement.
COMA Experimental Music Series
Performance series for experimental, improvisational, free jazz, and avant-garde music, offering open slots for solo and group improvisation.
Punk and Hardcore Music Series
Long-running all-ages music program featuring DIY punk, hardcore, and experimental bands; enforces anti-racist, anti-sexist, and anti-homophobic booking policies.
Visual Arts Exhibitions
Curated gallery exhibitions by the Visual Arts Collective, focusing on politically engaged and emerging artists; themes include labor, identity, and urban life.
activities · 9 groups
What they do
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Community Art Education Workshops 2 activities
- Deliver educational and skill-building programsOffers free or low-cost educational programs including photography, drawing, comedy improv, and a 19-session online course on comics as political expression, featuring structured assignments, activist interviews, and final projects.
- Operate the ABC No Rio PrintshopRuns a skills-sharing workshop for silk-screen printing, offering screenprint workshops and producing ABC No Rio merchandise through its printshop collective.
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Cultural Facility Development and Management 1 activity
- Construct and transition to a new permanent buildingIs constructing a new cultural center on the Lower East Side at 156 Rivington Street, having acquired ownership in 2006 and broken ground on a permanent facility designed to support its mission, with ongoing documentation of progress through monthly 4D virtual walkthroughs.
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Housing Policy Advocacy & Tenant Organizing 1 activity
- Engage in community advocacy to defend organizational spaceSuccessfully defended against eviction attempts by the city and nonprofit developers in the 1990s through legal and community-based advocacy.
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Curated Art Exhibitions and Public Displays 1 activity
- Host visual arts exhibitionsOrganizes group and solo art exhibitions, often thematically focused on socially and politically engaged topics, including installation and deinstallation, through its visual arts collective.
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Archival Digitization and Preservation 1 activity
- Maintain the ABC No Rio Zine LibraryPreserves and maintains one of the largest collections of independent and alternative publications on the east coast, containing nearly 13,000 zines, with ongoing volunteer efforts to catalogue, categorize, and digitize the collection.
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Artist Legacy Preservation and Documentation 1 activity
- Preserve the ABC No Rio Archive + CollectionManages a body of organizational documents and artworks that reflect the history of ABC No Rio, including relocating and maintaining archival materials during periods of displacement.
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Live Music Performances & Concerts 1 activity
- Produce and host music performancesHosts punk, hardcore, experimental, and free jazz music events, including long-running weekly matinees, benefit shows, and festivals like ENDLESS FEST, with volunteer-led setup and cleanup, and a policy of not booking racist, sexist, or homophobic bands.
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Community Space Provision 1 activity
- Provide community space and resourcesMakes facilities available at low or no cost for community use, including meetings, workshops, forums, benefits, and space for organizations such as Food Not Bombs and Books Through Bars, both historically and during displacement.
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Uncategorized 1 activity
- Support analog photography practiceOperates a darkroom collective that supports community engagement and analog photography practice.
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financials · form 990 · fy2024
revenue
Total revenue$988K
Contributions & grants$974K99%
Program service revenue$4K0%
Investment income$5K1%
Other revenue$5K
expenses
Total expenses$153K
Program expenses52%
Admin / overhead45%
Fundraising3%
Salaries & benefits$60K
Grants paid out$0
Largest expense lineCompensation
balance sheet
Total assets$24.72M
Cash$656K
Investments$0
Liabilities$58K
Net assets$24.66M
Liquid reserves51.3 mo
6 years on record · 2019–2024 · YoY revenue +1066.0%
leadership · form 990 part vii · fy2024
Who runs it
paid leadership · 1
| Name | Title | Hours/wk | Compensation |
|---|---|---|---|
| GAVIN MARCUS | EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR | 40 | $6K |
board members · 9
- ALEXANDER CAMPOS — BOARD MEMBER
- ANIKA PARIS — BOARD MEMBER
- CHRISTINE HALVORSON — BOARD MEMBER
- EAN MURPHY — TREASURER
- ERIC GOLDHAGEN — CO-CHAIR
- JACK BRATICH — BOARD MEMBER
- JULIE HAIR — BOARD MEMBER
- RICK JUNGERS — CO-CHAIR
- TERRY ROMERO — SECRETARY
relationships · 18
Who they work with
- Alan Moore Partner — Board member emeritus
- Books Through Bars Partner — Provided space and resources to Books Through Bars.
- Clemente Soto Vélez Cultural & Educational Center Partner — Hosts ABC No Rio’s office, archive, and Zine Library during construction of its new building.
- Department of Housing Preservation and Development Government — Partnered with HPD to acquire and rehabilitate the building at 156 Rivington Street.
- Exile Partner — Hosts ABC No Rio's website and digital infrastructure.
- Food Not Bombs Partner — Provided space and resources to Food Not Bombs.
- New York City Council Government — Engaged in public hearings and advocacy efforts regarding the inclusion of ABC No Rio’s property in urban development projects.
- New York City Department of Cultural Affairs Government — Funds ABC No Rio exhibitions.
- New York State Council on the Arts Government — Funds ABC No Rio exhibitions.
- P.I.T Partner — Co-hosted multiple punk and experimental music shows as benefit events for ABC No Rio.
- P.I.T Partner — Hosts ABC No Rio punk shows during its period of displacement.
- Seth Tobocman Partner — Collaborates with ABC No Rio to organize an online comics class.
- Seth Tobocman Partner — Noted comics artist leading the "Comics as Political Expression" course.
- Steven Englander Partner — Former executive director and board member emeritus
- The Clemente Partner — Hosts the ABC No Rio zine library during relocation.
- The New York Times Partner — Frequently covered ABC No Rio’s activities, legal battles, and cultural significance over multiple decades.
- Zeffy Government — Platform used for processing donations to the ABC No Rio building fund.
- other organizations Partner — Collaborates with other organizations across New York City to host in-exile programs and events.
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 Critical Political Practicemethodology: socially-engaged_artBy using art exhibitions, comics, and illustration as mediums for critical inquiry and political expression, ABC No Rio enables accessible, concept-driven art that challenges dominant power structures, because prioritizing narrative and political clarity over technical skill lowers barriers to participation and amplifies dissent.
- Collaborative Exile Model for Program Continuitymethodology: collaborative-exile-modelBy maintaining programming during displacement through temporary venues and collaborative partnerships, ABC No Rio ensures institutional continuity and deepens community ties, because treating physical transition as an opportunity for collaboration reinforces resilience and collective ownership.
- DIY Fundraising and Mutual Aid Infrastructuremethodology: mutual_aidBy organizing DIY punk and hardcore festivals and operating through mutual aid principles, ABC No Rio builds self-sustaining, anti-capitalist infrastructure, because community-generated resource sharing and alternative funding models reduce dependence on institutional funding and preserve political autonomy.
- Participatory Art and Collective Organizing for Cultural Resistancemethodology: participatory_artsBy centering non-professionals and marginalized voices in art-making and using collective, non-hierarchical decision-making, ABC No Rio fosters autonomous cultural spaces that resist institutional exclusion and urban gentrification, because participatory practices build community ownership and sustain oppositional culture.