named programs · 6 · from sources
What they call their work
DNA Sequencing Workshops
Hands-on training in molecular techniques for fungal identification, supporting citizen science and contributing to the North American Mycoflora Project.
Fungus Festival
Annual public event featuring walks, workshops, displays, and family activities to engage broader audiences with fungal science and culture.
ID Meetings
Weekly in-person and Zoom gatherings every other Monday for members to share photos and specimens, receive expert feedback, and learn fungal identification skills.
Lecture Series
Regular online lectures on mycology topics, made accessible via Zoom and archived on YouTube, expanding reach beyond local participants.
Mushroom Walks
Year-round weekend forays throughout NYC and surrounding areas, including pop-up walks (Nov–Jun) and scheduled summer/fall walks, focused on observing and identifying wild fungi.
Myco Film Festival
Annual film festival showcasing fungal-themed media to promote public education and appreciation of fungi through storytelling.
activities · 5 groups
What they do
-
Wildlife Monitoring and Field Research 2 activities
- Operating a molecular biology lab for fungal researchOperates a PCR lab to sequence hundreds of fungal specimens collected during walks and contributes genetic data to the North American Mycoflora Project.
- Supporting community science through biodiversity documentationSupports fungal biodiversity monitoring by maintaining two iNaturalist projects for NYC and non-NYC areas, contributing to the most comprehensive documentation of urban fungal diversity since 2018.
-
-
Cultural Exchange and Community Integration Events 1 activity
- Hosting cultural and social events centered on fungiOrganizes book club meetings, film showings, picnics, dining events, supermarket outings, and festivals celebrating fungal-themed art and culture, including the annual Fungus Festival and Myco Film Festival.
-
-
Onsite & Outreach Environmental Education Programs 1 activity
- Organizing mushroom identification walks and meetingsConducts weekly mushroom identification walks nearly every weekend year-round, including pop-up and scheduled walks, and hosts weekly identification meetings every Monday evening in alternating Zoom and in-person formats.
-
-
Organizational Newsletter Production and Distribution 1 activity
- Producing newsletters and maintaining online resourcesProduces and publishes three to four newsletters per year and maintains digital resources including species lists, walk schedules, a searchable species database, and member access systems for shared scientific equipment.
-
-
Uncategorized 2 activities
- Conducting public education programs on fungi and slime moldsDelivers educational programming on fungal biology and ecology, including a four-part series on slime molds, published materials on their life cycle, and content to raise public awareness of slime molds in natural environments.
- Hosting lectures, workshops, and skill-building eventsRuns an annual lecture series from February to June featuring experts, offers occasional workshops in microscopy and DNA sequencing, and hosts over 40 lectures and workshops annually, many available on YouTube.
-
financials · form 990EZ · fy2023
revenue
Total revenue$48K
Contributions & grants$1K3%
Program service revenue$24K51%
Investment income——
Other revenue—
expenses
Total expenses$57K
Program expenses—
Admin / overhead—
Fundraising—
Salaries & benefits—
Grants paid out$5K
balance sheet
Total assets$44K
Cash—
Investments—
Liabilities—
Net assets$44K
1 years on record · 2023–2023
relationships · 23
Who they work with
- Biotech Without Borders Partner — Community of scientists increasing accessibility of scientific resources and knowledge, especially among socially and economically marginalized groups, through education and lab facilities
- Bronx River Alliance Partner — Watershed group protecting the Bronx River and cultivating mycelium networks in grow spaces through the Bronx River Foodway, an edible food forest
- CURB/Stuy Cove Park Partner — Collaborative urban resilience initiative adapting to climate crisis through multi-species engagement and a native food forest at Stuy Cove Park
- Cornell Small Farms Mushroom Educator Program Partner — Program building a cohort of educators from urban and rural centers to increase access to mushroom knowledge in diverse communities across the US
- Elan Trybuch Partner — Member or collaborator who contributed to the identification and documentation of Stemonitopsis typhina ssp. similis in New York City.
- Fungal Diversity Survey (FUNDIS) Partner — Nonprofit dedicated to fungal biodiversity and conservation in North America through education, community science, and partnerships with conservationists
- Fungi Foundation Partner — Global organization promoting knowledge of fungal diversity, innovative applications, education, and public policy for fungal conservation
- Green-Wood Cemetery Partner — Historic 478-acre cemetery in Brooklyn serving as a natural sanctuary with significant biodiversity, registered with the Audubon Cooperative Sanctuary System
- James Baldwin Outdoor Learning Center Partner — Garden community and farmers’ market in the Bronx focused on food, environmental and social justice, engaging low-income and marginalized communities
- Kelly Street Garden Partner — Community garden in the South Bronx providing free healthy food, nutrition education, and wellness programming to local residents
- Latino Outdoors Partner — Latinx-led organization expanding and amplifying the Latinx experience in outdoor recreation, conservation, and environmental education
- MiOhMy Farms Partner — Worker-owned hydroponic farm improving food access for food-insecure populations and creating economic opportunities for BIPOC communities through cooperative economics
- Museo de Hongo Partner — Pop-up museum at the intersection of arts, mycology, and technology, raising awareness about the socioecological relevance of fungi through immersive experiences
- NYC Parks GreenThumb Partner — Nation's largest urban gardening program, supporting over 550 community gardens and thousands of volunteer gardeners in New York City
- NYU Mycology Group Partner — NYU-based group focused on mycology education, cultivation, and ecological restoration
- Natural Areas Conservancy Partner — Organization dedicated to restoring and conserving green and blue spaces in New York City to enhance the lives of all New Yorkers
- New York Ecoflora Partner — Project engaging New Yorkers in protecting native plant species and gathering data on urban flora to inform conservation policy in NYC
- North American Mycoflora Project Partner — Collaborates on fungal DNA sequencing and contributes data from field collections.
- POC Psychedelic Collective Partner — Organization bringing psychedelic education to people of color, creating healing-centered spaces that prioritize care, affordability, and accessibility
- Partner Organizations Partner — Co-hosts events and forays with partner organizations, including joint tables and co-led walks.
- The Interbeing Project Partner — Research initiative exploring relational entanglements between species and ways of co-becoming through artistic, scientific, and subjective knowledge practices
- Tom Bigelow Partner — Lecture coordinator who handles requests for external organizations seeking NYMS-led lectures or walks.
- iNaturalist Partner — Collaborates with iNaturalist through two dedicated projects to document fungal biodiversity in and outside NYC.
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.
- Amateur Engagement in Conservation Sciencemethodology: amateur-engagementBy integrating passionate amateur mycologists into scientific and conservation efforts, the organization amplifies its research capacity and public impact because non-professional enthusiasts contribute sustained local observation and labor that professional networks alone cannot match.
- Community Science for Fungal Literacymethodology: community_scienceBy engaging citizen scientists in hands-on mycological activities such as forays and biodiversity documentation, the organization advances public fungal literacy and scientific engagement because experiential participation fosters deeper understanding and sustained interest in mycology.
- Inclusive Volunteer-Driven Model with Anarchist Principlesmethodology: anarchist organizational modelBy operating as an all-volunteer, rule-free organization that welcomes participants of all knowledge levels, the organization promotes open access and self-organized learning because removing hierarchical barriers encourages broader participation and ownership in collective mycological inquiry.
- Integrated Molecular Biology Educationmethodology: citizen science with DNA literacyBy incorporating DNA literacy and molecular biology into public mycology programming, the organization deepens scientific understanding among lay audiences because connecting tangible fungal observations with genetic analysis builds a more comprehensive and modern scientific framework.