irs program accomplishments · form 990 part iii · fy2024
What they reported doing
- #1 primary $0DUES AND DONATIONS COLLECTED TO PROMOTE, PROTECT AND ADVOCATE FOR NEW YORK STATE CRAFT BREWERIES
named programs · 2 · from sources
What they call their work
Bill of Rights and Guidelines for Brewers
Provides member breweries with a framework for evaluating participation in beer festivals and events, asserting rights around compensation, licensing, and charitable giving.
Legislative Advocacy Program
Engages in ongoing lobbying and policy efforts to support craft breweries, including opposing or supporting specific state legislation related to alcohol regulation, taxation, and retail practices.
activities · 5 groups
What they do
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Trade Association Advocacy & Compliance 1 activity
- Advocacy and legislative lobbying for New York State craft breweriesEngages in sustained advocacy and lobbying efforts to advance pro-brewery legislation, including successful campaigns for tax relief, licensing reforms, expanded sales permissions, and production cap increases. Specific outcomes include the passage of laws related to temporary brewing licenses, tasting room tax exemptions, NYC excise tax credits, and increased annual production limits.
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Professional Networking Events 1 activity
- Organizing conferences, webinars, and regional networking events for breweriesHosts an annual craft brewers conference each March with speaking, exhibiting, and sponsorship opportunities; co-sponsors and produces educational webinars with public distribution via YouTube; facilitates nine annual regional meetings and smaller networking sessions across New York State, typically attended by 25–45 brewery representatives.
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Community Festival & Event Production 1 activity
- Organizing statewide craft beer festivals and fundraising eventsOrganizes the New York State Craft Brewers Festival, which travels to five locations annually to showcase craft beer, as well as fundraising festivals that generate proceeds supporting the state’s craft beer industry. Also facilitates no-cost brewery attendance at festival-adjacent Brewers Meetings through sponsorship.
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Organizational Newsletter Production and Distribution 1 activity
- Publishing communications and digital content for brewery membersDistributes a monthly newsletter to approximately 1,000 New York State brewery contacts and maintains a blog that publishes sponsored and educational content on operational efficiency and growth strategies, promoted through email and private social media channels.
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Uncategorized 3 activities
- Capacity building through operational guidance and technical resourcesProvides member breweries with practical tools and educational materials on compliance, human resources, quality control, and branding, including employee handbook templates, safety checklists, lab filtration best practices, and access to federal R&E tax credit guidance.
- Funding social impact grants and scholarships for member breweries and industry diversity initiativesAwards approximately $15,000 annually in grants to support social impact projects proposed by member breweries, including funding for community programs, diversity internships, staff certification, and mental health education. Recipients include Newburgh Brewing Company, The Lovibond Project, Eli Fish Brewing Company, and contributions to the Michael Jackson Foundation and American Foundation for Suicide Prevention.
- Operating a mobile app and passport rewards program to promote brewery tourismOperates The Official New York Craft Beer App, launched in 2017, which enables users to locate all New York State breweries within two clicks and participate in a passport rewards program. The app has over 40,000 downloads, a 92% engagement rate, and has generated more than 228,000 passport stamps and an estimated $1.5 million in economic impact from user spending.
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financials · form 990 · fy2024
revenue
Total revenue$975K
Contributions & grants$171K18%
Program service revenue$735K75%
Investment income$11K1%
Other revenue$58K
expenses
Total expenses$949K
Program expenses—
Admin / overhead—
Fundraising—
Salaries & benefits$314K
Grants paid out$415
Largest expense lineCompensation
balance sheet
Total assets$764K
Cash$685K
Investments$0
Liabilities$279K
Net assets$486K
Liquid reserves8.7 mo
5 years on record · 2020–2024 · YoY revenue -8.5%
leadership · form 990 part vii · fy2024
Who runs it
paid leadership · 1
| Name | Title | Hours/wk | Compensation |
|---|---|---|---|
| PAUL LEONE | EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR | 40 | $113K |
board members · 15
- CHRIS CUZME — BOARD MEMBER - JOINED DURI
- DAWN SCHULZ — VICE PRESIDENT
- FRED MATT — BOARD MEMBER - RESIGNED DURI
- HUTCH KUGEMAN — PRESIDENT
- JASONN SAHLER — BOARD MEMBER - RESIGNED DURI
- JEFF O'NEIL — BOARD MEMBER - JOINED DURI
- JEFF WARE — SECRETARY
- KEVIN MULLEN — BOARD MEMBER
- KRISTEN LUNKENHEIMER — BOARD MEMBER
- KRISTEN LYONS — BOARD MEMBER - JOINED DURI
- LAURA DIERKS — TREASURER - RESIGNED DURING YEAR
- MICAH KRICHINSKI — BOARD MEMBER
- PAUL KOMSIC — BOARD MEMBER
- PAUL MROCKA — BOARD MEMBER
- RICH VANDENBURGH — PAST PRESIDENT/ACTING TREASURER
relationships · 20
Who they work with
- 501(c) organization Partner — Requires written verification of valid 501(c) status when breweries consider donating to charitable events.
- American Foundation for Suicide Prevention – New York City Chapter Partner — Partner organization receiving NYSBA funding to deliver suicide prevention education and mental health resources to the craft beer workforce.
- Brewers Association Network — Member organization whose leadership and initiatives are referenced in content for industry guidance.
- Canalside Partner — Host venue for the NYS Craft Brewers Festival in Buffalo.
- Chloe Kay Partner — Marketing Manager serving as contact for brand asset usage and support.
- Eli Fish Brewing Company Partner — Member brewery awarded funding to certify female staff as Cicerone® Certified Beer Servers.
- Fedex Partner — Shipping partner for merchandise orders.
- Flour City Brewers Fest Partner — Collaborates on festival programming in Rochester, with shared branding and participation pathways.
- Governor Kathy Hochul Government — Recognized for providing support to New York State breweries through favorable legislation and reduction of regulatory barriers.
- Local Explorers Partner — Partners with Local Explorers to host and manage brewery profiles and user access through the Local Explorers portal.
- NYS Craft Brewers Conference Network — Hosts annual conference for New York State breweries and allied members.
- Newburgh Brewing Company Partner — Member brewery awarded funding to support literacy and food security initiatives in the local community.
- Plattduetsche Biergarten Partner — Host venue for DAS BOCK! New York’s Original Lager Festival in Franklin Square, Long Island.
- State Liquor Authority Government — Provides regulatory information and licensing guidance for New York State breweries.
- TTB Government — Provides federal licensing and labeling guidance for brewers.
- The Desmond Hotel Partner — Host venue for the NYS Craft Brewers Festival in Albany.
- The Landmark Theatre Partner — Host venue for the NYS Craft Brewers Festival in Syracuse.
- The Lovibond Project Partner — Organization receiving NYSBA funding to run an internship program introducing People of Color to the craft brewing industry.
- The Michael Jackson Foundation for Brewing and Distilling Partner — Recipient of NYSBA funding to support technical education and career opportunities for people of color in brewing and distilling.
- White Labs Partner — Collaborates on educational content about yeast production for brewers.
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.
- Collective Branding and Coordinated Promotion to Amplify Consumer Reachmethodology: collective brandingBy providing shared branding assets, co-branded merchandising, and member-exclusive promotional platforms—including digital tools and festivals—the association increases consumer recognition of New York craft beer, because unified marketing generates stronger market presence than individual breweries can achieve alone.
- Peer-Led Knowledge Sharing to Strengthen Operational Resiliencemethodology: peer_learning_networkBy facilitating a private peer network, the association enables breweries to collaboratively solve operational challenges and adopt best practices, because shared experiential learning builds adaptive capacity more effectively than top-down training in a rapidly evolving industry.
- State-Level Advocacy to Protect and Expand Market Accessmethodology: state-level advocacyBy advocating for favorable policies and opposing threats to market share—such as grocery wine sales or costly regulations—the association preserves business viability and growth opportunities for small breweries, because policy directly shapes competitive conditions in the beverage alcohol sector.