named programs · 4 · from sources
What they call their work
Abolition in Chinatown
Public programs and artistic interventions that challenge carceral systems and promote community-based safety alternatives, particularly in response to proposed jail construction in the neighborhood
From Chinatown, With Love
Annual Lunar New Year initiative that provides mutual aid to small businesses, features intergenerational arts afternoons, exhibitions, and lion dance performances to combat gentrification through cultural celebration
Resist, Recycle, Regenerate (RRR)
School-year mentorship program for Asian American high school and college students that combines art-making, political education, and leadership development to build youth leadership in the Chinatown community
W.O.W. Lions
Women, queer, and trans lion dance troupe that performs during Lunar New Year and at protests to honor ancestors and Chinatown's queer legacy
activities · 7 groups
What they do
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Community-Engaged Public Art Projects 1 activity
- Community-based public art and artistic interventionsCreates public murals, projections, parades, and artistic interventions that use art as activism to address issues such as abolition, anti-Asian violence, climate justice, and opposition to carceral systems. Includes a permanent mural on Mosco Street, the People’s Abolition Parade, and collaborations with artists and collectives like The Illuminator and Chinatown Art Brigade.
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Youth Leadership Development Programs 1 activity
- Intergenerational art and activism youth programsOffers year-round and summer youth programs for high school and college students in Manhattan's Chinatown, centered on art, activism, peer mentorship, and intergenerational learning. Programs include the school-year "Resist, Recycle, Regenerate" cohort (October–June) and multiple 3-week summer fellowships focused on arts and urban studies, with public showcases and stipends for participants.
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Oral History Collection and Preservation 1 activity
- Intergenerational dialogue and community archiving projectsFacilitates intergenerational conversations, archiving, and discussion series to strengthen community ties and examine historical continuity in activism. Includes a 2021–2022 archiving cohort using Bridge Magazine to explore Civil Rights era lessons, and a three-part discussion series on sustaining community space amid displacement.
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Community Festival & Event Production 1 activity
- Lunar New Year and cultural celebration programmingHosts annual Lunar New Year events in Chinatown that combine art, mutual aid, and cultural traditions, including a lion dance procession, intergenerational arts afternoon, public exhibition, and community confetti paper-making workshops using recycled materials from celebrations.
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Community Service and Charitable Outreach 1 activity
- Mutual aid and community support initiativesProvides mutual aid to Chinatown small businesses through the "From Chinatown, With Love" program and supported small businesses during the pandemic through virtual programming and community campaigns. Also includes collecting and sharing community-submitted love letters to local institutions during the early pandemic.
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Artist and Curatorial Publications 1 activity
- Specialty community tours and publicationsOrganizes thematic walking tours such as the Queer Chinatown tours (conducted in 2019 and 2023) and produces reflective publications like the 2025 zine "Maps and Altars" to document and share community narratives.
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Volunteer Engagement and Capacity Support 1 activity
- Volunteer engagement and capacity supportAccepts ongoing volunteer applications to support public programs and provide translation services, expanding community participation in organizational activities.
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financials · form 990 · fy2024
revenue
Total revenue$1.30M
Contributions & grants$1.30M99%
Program service revenue$00%
Investment income$7K1%
Other revenue$0
expenses
Total expenses$775K
Program expenses57%
Admin / overhead18%
Fundraising25%
Salaries & benefits$471K
Grants paid out$0
Largest expense lineCompensation
balance sheet
Total assets$1.25M
Cash$507K
Investments$478K
Liabilities$41K
Net assets$1.21M
Liquid reserves15.3 mo
4 years on record · 2021–2024 · YoY revenue +60.2%
leadership · form 990 part vii · fy2024
Who runs it
paid leadership · 2
| Name | Title | Hours/wk | Compensation |
|---|---|---|---|
| MARISA LUM | EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR | 40 | $124K |
| DI WANG | DEPUTY DIRECTOR | 40 | $99K |
board members · 4
- ELIZABETH MOY — SECRETARY
- EMILY CHOW BLUCK — BOARD CHAIR
- EMILY MOCK — DIRECTOR
- JADE LEVINE — FORMER CHAIR
relationships · 19
Who they work with
- Angela Chan Partner — Youth leader and moderator of the opening conversation in the W.O.W. at 10 series.
- Bridge Magazine Partner — Used the defunct Chinatown-based art publication as a foundation for an intergenerational archiving project on civil rights and Asian American activism.
- Chinatown Partner — Location of program operations and field trip base for the youth fellowship.
- Chinatown Art Brigade Partner — Co-hosted the public projection event "The People's Projection: Community, Not Cages" to highlight land history and call for a boycott of jail-related artistic design.
- Chinatown Art Brigade Partner — Collaborates on community organizing and public advocacy, including opposition to the proposed megajail in Chinatown.
- Chinatown community Partner — Youth fellows engage with and lead art-making workshops for residents of the Chinatown community.
- Creatives Rebuild New York Partner — Partnership to support artists through the fellowship program, enabling public programming on social justice issues in Chinatown.
- Denise Zhou Partner — Artist collaborator incubating and piloting art programs with the W.O.W. Project
- Jess X. Snow Partner — Collaborated on the creation of the permanent "In the Future" mural on Mosco Street.
- Joy Mao Partner — Artist collaborator incubating and piloting art programs with the W.O.W. Project
- Juliet Phillips Partner — Artist collaborator incubating and piloting art programs with the W.O.W. Project
- Lorraine Lum Partner — Artist collaborator incubating and piloting art programs with the W.O.W. Project
- Manhattan's Chinatown Partner — Community base and geographic focus for organizing, programming, and cultural preservation efforts.
- Mei Lum Partner — Co-curator of the W.O.W. at 10 community discussion series.
- Professor Diane Wong Partner — Co-curator of the W.O.W. at 10 community discussion series.
- Sasa Yung Partner — Youth leader and moderator of the opening conversation in the W.O.W. at 10 series.
- Singha Hon Partner — Artist collaborator incubating and piloting art programs with the W.O.W. Project
- The Illuminator Partner — Collaborated on the public projection event "The People's Projection: Community, Not Cages" to oppose the new Borough-Based Jail plan.
- Wing On Wo Partner — Lion dance troupe named after and affiliated with the Wing On Wo organization in Manhattan's Chinatown.
strategies · 5
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 Activism for Community Safety and Accountabilitymethodology: art_as_activismBy using art as a form of activism, the organization builds community-based responses to harm that prioritize care, accountability, and collective healing over carceral systems, policing, and surveillance, because creative expression fosters transformative dialogue and rejection of punitive aesthetics.
- Cultural Organizing for Community Resiliencemethodology: cultural_organizingBy using art and culture as tools for organizing, the organization connects historical struggles with present-day activism to combat gentrification and displacement, because culturally rooted practices strengthen community identity, solidarity, and collective resistance.
- Intergenerational Empowerment through Cultural Stewardshipmethodology: intergenerational-youth-empowermentBy combining art, activism, and intergenerational learning, the organization empowers youth—particularly young Asian Americans, immigrant, queer, and trans youth—to become cultural stewards, because connecting historical legacy with lived experience fosters collective ownership, leadership continuity, and resistance to displacement.
- Peer-Led Mentorship for Leadership Developmentmethodology: peer-led mentorshipBy employing a peer-led mentorship model where former youth fellows return as leaders, the organization fosters sustainable intergenerational leadership development, because lived experience and relational trust increase engagement, role modeling, and program continuity.
- Removing Financial Barriers to Equitable Youth Engagementmethodology: removing-financial-barriersBy offering free, stipend-supported programming, the organization removes economic barriers to participation, thereby increasing access and leadership opportunities for youth from working-class communities, because financial accessibility is foundational to inclusive and sustained community engagement.