named programs · 5 · from sources
What they call their work
Marine Highway and Last-Mile Freight Advocacy
Initiative promoting waterborne freight movement to reduce truck traffic and support sustainable urban logistics.
PortSide Campus (proposed)
Planned maritime center to serve as a hub for education, culture, recreation, and green freight; currently unrealized due to lack of space.
Visiting Vessels Program
Brings historic and educational vessels to Brooklyn to promote maritime heritage and public engagement.
WaterStories Programs
Place-based educational programs that illuminate the history and potential of NYC’s waterways for students and the public.
Youth Education and Maritime Career Pipeline
Programs providing maritime education and career pathways for youth, including partnerships with schools like PS 676, Brooklyn’s first maritime elementary school.
activities · 10 groups
What they do
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Historic Vessel and Equipment Preservation 2 activities
- Hosts public access and cultural programming on waterfront sitesProvides free daily access to the MARY A. WHALEN ship and hosted PortSide Park (2020–2022) as a public space during the pandemic, offering cultural events such as TankerTunes, TankerFlicks, and TankerTalks, and hosting visiting vessels and ferry rider services.
- Restores and maintains historic vessels and maritime infrastructureUndertakes restoration of historic ships including the MARY A. WHALEN and a 1941 Hyster Karry Krane, acquires original engine parts, and maintains ship systems such as shorepower connections and rodent control.
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Urban Resilience Planning & Advocacy 1 activity
- Advocates for maritime-centered waterfront development and policyEngages in advocacy to center maritime activity in urban planning and resilience, demonstrated through physical programming, public presence, and influencing city adoption of FEMA flood signage programs post-Sandy.
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Recreational Boating and Sailing Programs 1 activity
- Develops innovative public access services for harbor useInvented and operates the "kayak valet" service, a harbor-wide practice modeled after bike valet, to enable safe and accessible public use of waterfront locations by kayak.
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Museum Volunteer Engagement & Operations Support 1 activity
- Engages volunteers in organizational operations and outreachInvites volunteers to participate in shipwork, administrative tasks, creative projects, outreach, and event hosting, including roles as docents, greeters, and committee members for fundraising.
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Real-Time Environmental Monitoring and Community Engagement 1 activity
- Installs and maintains environmental monitoring systemsInstalled and operates a weather station on Pier 11, Atlantic Basin, Brooklyn, providing real-time weather and air quality data for public and research use.
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Youth Workforce Readiness Programs 1 activity
- Offers vocational internships and workforce trainingProvides job and life skills training through maritime-focused vocational internships and volunteer programs aboard the MARY A. WHALEN, including youth opportunities in partnership with CTE schools and serving as Brooklyn’s only training site affiliated with union District Council 9.
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Local History Preservation and Education 1 activity
- Operates Red Hook WaterStories digital museumMaintains and expands a virtual maritime museum at RedHookWaterStories.org using Omeka software, documenting over 400 years of coastal and community history in Red Hook through oral histories and curated exhibits.
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Nonprofit Retail and Merchandise Sales 1 activity
- Operates on-site retail and fundraising eventsRuns on-site retail operations launched in August 2021 and organizes fundraising events supported by volunteer committees that solicit donated auction items.
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Marine and Coastal Education Programs 1 activity
- Provides place-based maritime education programsOffers educational programming for students from elementary through graduate school, including NYC public, private, and charter schools, as well as local and international participants, using the MARY A. WHALEN ship and virtual platforms. Programs include curriculum modules on Robert Smalls and New York State-aligned earth science and resiliency curricula.
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Uncategorized 1 activity
- Conducts resiliency education and flood preparedness programmingDelivers education focused on flood awareness, hurricane recovery, and community resilience, including development of a FEMA-recognized high water mark signage program and curricula aligned with state standards, following Hurricane Sandy.
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financials · form 990EZ · fy2024
revenue
Total revenue$41K
Contributions & grants$11K26%
Program service revenue$31K74%
Investment income——
Other revenue$10
expenses
Total expenses$87K
Program expenses—
Admin / overhead—
Fundraising—
Salaries & benefits—
Grants paid out—
balance sheet
Total assets$36K
Cash—
Investments—
Liabilities—
Net assets$36K
3 years on record · 2020–2024 · YoY revenue -68.0%
leadership · form 990 part vii · fy2024
Who runs it
board members · 3
- CAROLINA SALGUERO — EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR & FOUNDER
- JOHN SPEAKMAN — BOARD MEMBER
- JONATHAN ATKIN — BOARD MEMBER
relationships · 32
Who they work with
- Behind the Book Partner — Co-taught Hurricane Sandy resiliency lessons to third graders in Bed Stuy in partnership with Behind the Book.
- Billion Oyster Project Partner — Hosts a Billion Oyster Project basket as part of waterfront habitat and marine life education initiatives.
- Billion Oyster Project Partner — Shared pier space in Red Hook where Billion Oyster Project expanded operations.
- Brooklyn Greenway Partner — Located at the intersection of the Brooklyn Greenway at Pioneer and Conover Streets, integrating with regional active transportation infrastructure.
- Citibike Partner — Close to the Citibike dock at Pioneer St & Van Brunt St, supporting bike access for visitors.
- Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton LLP Partner — Provides pro bono legal services to PortSide NewYork, including dedicated support for nonprofits and small businesses.
- Coastal History Network Network — PortSide NewYork is part of the Coastal History Network, aligning its WaterStories programs with global coastal history scholarship.
- Columbia University Partner — Worked with Columbia University’s graduate program in historic preservation on a resiliency studio project in 2020.
- Department of City Planning Government — Policy influence reflected in the 2016 Waterfront Revitalization Program, which incorporated PortSide's concept as "maritime hubs."
- Department of City Planning Government — PortSide's plans are referenced in the 2016 Waterfront Revitalization Plan as policy recommendations.
- Department of Small Business Services Funder — Funded PortSide's first business plan with a $50,000 grant.
- District Council 9 Partner — Partnered to provide maritime workforce training on the MARY A. WHALEN.
- District Council 9 Partner — Provides ship preservation training through apprentice programs using the MARY A. WHALEN for hands-on work in painting, metal polishing, and glazing.
- FEMA Government — Developed the Sandy High Water Mark signage program influenced by PortSide’s recommendations.
- FEMA Government — Inspired FEMA to adopt a flood signage program based on PortSide's resiliency and Sandy recovery work.
- Gotham Whale Partner — Director of Education provided advisory support for the development of a wet lab in 2018
- Gowanus Canal Conservancy Partner — Collaborated with Emma Garrison, a Citizen Scientist from Gowanus Canal Conservancy, to install man-made in-water habitats near the MARY A. WHALEN.
- Holland & Knight Partner — Represents PortSide NewYork on maritime (admiralty law) matters.
- MADE Partner — Red Hook firm that offered to design a wet lab structure for PortSide.
- NOAA Partner — Collaborates with NOAA on research related to the historical location of the PLANTER and Civil War-era maritime heritage.
- NY Emergency Management Government — Adopted the Sandy High Water Mark signage program inspired by PortSide’s advocacy.
- NYC Department of Education Partner — Collaborated to transform PS 676 into NYC’s first maritime middle school.
- NYC Department of Small Business Services Funder — Funded PortSide NewYork's first business plan in 2005 with $50,000
- NYC Economic Development Corporation Government — Engaged with NYC EDC on maritime policy, whose 2008 study adopted PortSide's model as "maritime support service hubs."
- NYC Economic Development Corporation Government — Government agency with which PortSide NewYork engaged through RFP processes and business planning for space at Atlantic Basin and Brooklyn Marine Terminal.
- NYC Economic Development Corporation (EDC) Government — Engaged with EDC on waterfront planning and was promised a permanent home at the Brooklyn Marine Terminal.
- NYC Economic Development Corporation (EDC) Government — Engaged with PortSide NewYork through RFEI and business planning processes in 2006 and 2018
- NYC Ferry Partner — Located adjacent to the NYC Ferry stop in Red Hook/Atlantic Basin, promoting access via public water transit.
- Pratt Institute Partner — Collaborated with Pratt graduate students, including Saba Mahmoud, on community flood preparedness and participatory planning projects.
- Red Hook WaterStories Partner — Collaborative digital museum project focused on local waterfront history and community engagement.
+ 2 more
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.
- Do-Tank Model for Maritime Policy Demonstrationmethodology: do-tankBy prototyping maritime revitalization through direct action and on-the-ground programs, we produce tangible policy change because demonstrating functional models in real contexts makes abstract planning goals visible, credible, and replicable.
- Experiential Maritime Education Modelmethodology: experiential-educationBy using the harbor and repurposed maritime vessels as immersive, hands-on learning environments, we produce deeper educational engagement across diverse populations because experiential connection to place fosters lasting inquiry and understanding.
- Interdisciplinary and Inclusive Narrative Buildingmethodology: interdisciplinary_educationBy weaving history, sociology, art, and environmental science with underrepresented stories—particularly African-American maritime agency—into public programming, we produce broader public understanding and inclusion because diverse narratives deepen cultural relevance and challenge dominant historical myths.
- Maritime-Centered Community Revitalizationmethodology: maritime-centered waterfront developmentBy integrating maritime activity, historical preservation, and inclusive storytelling into waterfront development, we produce equitable neighborhood revitalization because anchoring change in local maritime heritage fosters community ownership and challenges exclusionary planning.