named programs · 8 · from sources
What they call their work
Design Transforms Borders
Community event series in Brooklyn exploring migration, design, and belonging through workshops, dinners, and debates.
Going North
Research project mapping the connection between climate disasters in Central America and migration patterns to the U.S.
H.earth
Community sanctuary and garden in the South Bronx that addresses food insecurity, climate migration, and cultural preservation through sustainable design and ancestral knowledge.
Learning Outside the Box
Design of outdoor classroom components to support safe, engaging, and educational environments during and after the pandemic.
Real Integration Hub
Digital archive documenting the movement to integrate New York City’s public schools, featuring data, timelines, and advocacy tools.
Segregation is Killing Us
Spatial analysis and Story Map platform linking historical redlining to disproportionate pandemic impacts in NYC communities of color.
The People's Bus
Mobile community center transformed from a former Rikers Island jail bus, used for civic engagement and public education on urban inequities in NYC.
Unaccompanied Assault
Mapping and research project exposing sexual assault and systemic abuse of unaccompanied minor children at the U.S. border.
activities · 8 groups
What they do
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Urban Policy and Equity Research 2 activities
- Conducting spatial and policy research on urban segregation and public healthConducted award-winning spatial analysis linking historical redlining to disproportionate COVID-19 impacts on communities of color in New York City, and used findings to inform community interventions and policy proposals, including innovative admissions policies for public school integration.
- Creating data visualization tools to expose urban inequitiesDevelops interactive digital platforms and physical installations such as a 6-foot LED map of New York City and the "Segregation is Killing Me" Story Map to visualize systemic inequities, including the impacts of redlining and school segregation, and to inform policy and public understanding.
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Education Policy Advocacy & Reform 1 activity
- Advocating for public school integration through policy analysis and digital archivesConducts urban analysis and develops policy proposals advocating for public school integration in New York City, supported by a digital archive documenting the integration movement and a multilingual public platform with research, timelines, and organizational directories.
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Onsite & Outreach Environmental Education Programs 1 activity
- Developing educational architectural programming for youthProvides hands-on educational activities and designs outdoor classroom components that teach children core architectural principles such as spatial design, physics, and geometry, creating safe and engaging learning environments.
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Cultural Exchange and Community Integration Events 1 activity
- Facilitating participatory public events and community engagement programsOrganizes and facilitates community-driven events such as week-long programs in Sunset Park, Brooklyn, and the People’s Bus Festival, using studios, dinners, debates, and multi-modal activities to explore migration, design, home, and place in culturally sensitive settings.
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LGBTQ+ Legal and Policy Advocacy 1 activity
- Investigating human rights violations in immigration detentionLaunched the "Unaccompanied Assault" project to expose vulnerabilities of unaccompanied minor children under the Trump administration’s Family Separation policy, using FOIL-obtained data to analyze and map the prevalence of sexual assault among detained minors.
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Community-Engaged Public Art Projects 1 activity
- Repurposing decommissioned vehicles into mobile community centersTransforms former correctional and detention transport vehicles, including a Department of Corrections bus and a Rikers Island jail bus, into mobile community centers that promote civic engagement, art, and joy. The People’s Bus project deploys these spaces across all five boroughs of New York City, prioritizing neighborhoods most affected by systemic inequities and the pandemic.
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Climate Change Public Awareness & Advocacy 1 activity
- Researching climate change, environmental risk, and migration patternsConducts investigative research on the relationship between climate disasters, drought, and migration from Central America, analyzing two decades of hazard data and mapping intersections of environmental harm, economic instability, and displacement to reframe migration narratives.
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Uncategorized 2 activities
- Co-creating resilient public spaces through participatory designEngages directly with underserved and overlooked communities to co-design public spaces and civic infrastructure using collaborative, intersectional, and culturally responsive processes that transcend traditional urban planning boundaries.
- Designing permanent community spaces in underserved urban areasDesigns and operates permanent community hubs such as H.earth in the South Bronx, which serve as sanctuaries for immigrants and address food insecurity, climate-induced migration, and urban challenges through community care, cultural preservation, and resilient design. These spaces incorporate sustainable infrastructure including solar power and rainwater collection.
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financials · form 990 · fy2024
revenue
Total revenue$231K
Contributions & grants$121K52%
Program service revenue$109K47%
Investment income$00%
Other revenue$500
expenses
Total expenses$246K
Program expenses91%
Admin / overhead9%
Fundraising0%
Salaries & benefits$0
Grants paid out$0
Largest expense lineProfessional Fees
balance sheet
Total assets$83K
Cash$83K
Investments$0
Liabilities$0
Net assets$83K
Liquid reserves4.0 mo
5 years on record · 2020–2024 · YoY revenue +109.7%
relationships · 18
Who they work with
- Black Box Engineering Partner — Technical partner supporting the engineering aspects of the H.earth project.
- Central Saint Martins University Partner — Co-presented the event "Design Transforms Borders" with Territorial Empathy.
- Civic Engagement Commission Partner — Co-conceived The People's Bus project with Territorial Empathy and led the youth engagement component through its People’s Fellows program.
- Columbia University Partner — Collaborative relationship through faculty affiliation and academic engagement, including teaching and research.
- Illuminate Cities Project Partner — Collaborated with Territorial Empathy to develop the 6-foot LED map of NYC that highlights urban inequities exacerbated by the pandemic.
- Institute of Latin American Studies of Columbia University (ILAS) Partner — Research collaboration and publication outlet for architectural and territorial studies related to Latin America.
- IntegrateNYC Partner — Collaborated to create the "Segregation is Killing Me" interactive Story Map platform and develop policy proposals for equitable school reopening.
- La Morada Partner — Collaborates with Territorial Empathy to co-lead the H.earth community project in the South Bronx.
- La Morada Partner — Participating organization in the "Design Transforms Borders" event.
- Mujeres en Movimiento Partner — Collaborated with Territorial Empathy and community members to create the beaded mural on the ceiling of The People's Bus.
- New York City Council Government — Co-commissioned the development of the Real Integration Hub.
- New York University Metro Center The Integration and Innovation Initiative (i3) Partner — Commissioned the development of the Real Integration Hub.
- Shelter Suit Partner — Participating organization in the "Design Transforms Borders" event.
- Spitzer School of Architecture at CUNY Partner — Academic partnership through faculty appointment in architecture studio instruction.
- Ted Deutch Partner — Collaborated with Representative Ted Deutch to obtain and analyze data on unaccompanied minor children through a FOIL request.
- Touching Land Partner — Co-presented the event "Design Transforms Borders" with Territorial Empathy.
- Zarith Pineda Partner — Founder and leader of Territorial Empathy, Colombian-American architectural and urban designer specializing in spatial justice.
- re:arc institute Funder — Provides funding support for the H.earth project through its Practice Lab initiative.
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.
- Co-Creation Across Boundariesmethodology: co_creation_across_boundariesBy facilitating collaborative creation across social, cultural, and spatial boundaries, we produce more inclusive and transformative urban spaces because shared ownership fosters deeper community engagement, equity, and sustained stewardship.
- Design as Civic Reflection and Healingmethodology: art_as_civic_reflectionBy using design and public art to reframe infrastructure as a mirror of collective identity and ancestral resilience, we produce social healing and civic belonging because symbolic representation and ritual space restore dignity and challenge legacies of oppression.
- Intersectional Justice Framingmethodology: intersectional_justice_framingBy analyzing migration and urban inequity through interconnected environmental, economic, and social systems, we produce more effective advocacy and policy change because this framing reveals root causes and challenges reductive narratives, particularly around climate migration and racial injustice.