named programs · 3 · from sources
What they call their work
Community Ambassadors
On-the-ground reporting and event organizing by neighborhood ambassadors to share news, information, and resources across NYC
Featured Artists Program
Curates and promotes local artists through online features and provides a $100 stipend for selected submissions of poetry, visual art, short stories, or other shareable experiences
Neighborhood News & Information
Distributes news and civic information through newsletters, podcasts, flyers, and events to connect and inform New Yorkers
activities · 10 groups
What they do
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Immigrant Rights Advocacy & Policy Reform 1 activity
- Advocates against federal immigration enforcement operationsOrganized and participated in a citywide strike in New York City to protest federal immigration enforcement. Reported on and documented ICE raids in Jackson Heights, Queens, and federal enforcement operations in Manhattan’s Canal Street area.
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Civic Engagement and Voter Mobilization 1 activity
- Conducts civic engagement and voter education initiativesCo-hosts the Candidate Conversations series with TBN24, organizing interviews with candidates in key NYC primary races and publishing them ahead of elections. Also produces a voting guide for the 2026 primary elections with information on early voting and general elections.
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Back-to-School Supply Distribution 1 activity
- Distributes school supplies and essential resources to NYC familiesProvides free school supplies, community resources, and school year essentials to families across all five boroughs of New York City.
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Nonprofit Investigative & Community Journalism 1 activity
- Engages communities through on-the-ground reporting and local cultureUses on-the-ground ambassadors to report news, organize events, and share knowledge that empowers neighbors to improve their neighborhoods. Highlights New York City’s artists, small businesses, culture, and civic life, including weekly interviews with emerging Hip Hop artists.
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Mental Health Research and Services Funding 1 activity
- Funds peer-led addiction recovery and harm reduction programsAllocates $12 million from opioid lawsuit settlements to finance peer-led addiction recovery and harm reduction programs in New York City.
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Community Event-Based Giving Programs 1 activity
- Organizes community-building events and mutual aid activitiesOrganized a community event in Douglaston, Queens where volunteers prepared kimchi and care packages for Korean survivors. Also covers and promotes access to public resources such as free summer meals at Queens libraries.
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Organizational Newsletter Production and Distribution 1 activity
- Provides community engagement and information through newsletters, podcasts, and eventsDistributes a weekly newsletter featuring community-centered stories, small business spotlights, local happenings, and artists; launched in 2020 to support New Yorkers during the pandemic. Also produces the podcast series “Making It Here” and other informational content via flyers, vaccine drives, and insider tours.
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Gun Violence Prevention & Intervention 1 activity
- Supports gun violence prevention through youth programsImplements robotics programs, mentorship, and mediation initiatives to support gun violence prevention efforts in New York City.
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Curated Art Exhibitions and Public Displays 1 activity
- Supports local artists through exhibitions, features, and stipendsHosts and curates art exhibitions such as "Cut Creators: Collage for Contemporary Times," features selected artists on its website with responses to current events, and provides a $100 stipend to artists whose work is featured in its gallery.
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Arts Education Access Programs 1 activity
- Uses arts and cultural programming to engage underserved communitiesEngages communities historically underserved by traditional institutions through education, arts, and cultural programming.
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financials · form 990 · fy2024
revenue
Total revenue$249K
Contributions & grants$249K100%
Program service revenue$00%
Investment income$00%
Other revenue$0
expenses
Total expenses$177K
Program expenses96%
Admin / overhead4%
Fundraising0%
Salaries & benefits$0
Grants paid out$106K
Largest expense lineProfessional Fees
balance sheet
Total assets$72K
Cash$72K
Investments$0
Liabilities$0
Net assets$72K
Liquid reserves4.9 mo
1 years on record · 2024–2024
relationships · 13
Who they work with
- Art Retail Therapy Partner — Partnered to host the "Cut Creators: Collage for Contemporary Times" exhibition at their venue.
- Bronxmama.com Partner — Collaborates with Bronxmama.com, a hyperlocal website for Bronx families, through shared contributions to community content.
- Brooklyn nonprofit Partner — Collaborates with a Brooklyn-based nonprofit to support gun violence prevention through robotics and mentorship programs.
- NYC Public Schools Partner — Covers the Free Summer Meals program operated by NYC Public Schools.
- New York State Assembly Government — Presented a proclamation to Epicenter co-founder S. Mitra Kalita through Assembly Member Jessica González-Rojas.
- Phoenix House Partner — Partner organization where Mayor Zohran Mamdani announced the city's $12 million investment in peer-led addiction recovery programs.
- TBN24 Partner — Co-hosted the Candidate Conversations series with Epicenter NYC to feature interviews with candidates in key New York City primary races.
- TBN24 Partner — Collaborates with TBN24 to produce the Candidate Conversations series.
- URL Media Network — Co-founded by the organization's founder; a network of Black and Brown-owned media organizations that share content, distribution, and revenues.
- Windows of Hip Hop Partner — Collaborated on an event featuring Funkmaster Flex speaking with students at the Bronx School for Law, Government, & Justice.
- Windows of Hip Hop Partner — Partners with the nonprofit organization Windows of Hip Hop, where a team member also serves.
- Women’s Media Center Partner — Honored Epicenter co-founder S. Mitra Kalita with the Carol Jenkins Award.
- labor organizers Partner — Collaborates with labor organizers in citywide actions such as the National Shutdown Friday strike.
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 and Culture as Civic Resistance and Engagementmethodology: cultural-engagement-outreachBy using art forms like collage, cultural programming, and artist visibility in public practice, the organization fosters creative resistance and cultural engagement, believing these modalities build political expression and community connection in response to systemic exclusion and media saturation.
- Community-Driven Civic Engagementmethodology: community-driven engagementBy centering residents as both contributors and beneficiaries of shared knowledge and action, the organization fosters collective ownership of community change, which it believes increases participation, trust, and sustainable neighborhood transformation.
- Mass Civic Disruption as Advocacy Strategymethodology: civic-disruption-protestBy organizing mass civic disruptions such as strikes involving no work, school, or shopping, the organization draws urgent public attention to issues like federal immigration enforcement and loss of life, believing that disruptive collective action shifts public discourse and policy.
- Media as a Tool for Civic and Cultural Empowermentmethodology: community-engaged journalismBy combining community-centered storytelling, inclusive journalism, and multi-platform outreach, the organization expands civic participation and representation in media, believing that democratizing narrative power increases engagement and reduces news deserts in marginalized communities.
- Peer-Led Harm Reduction for Addiction Recoverymethodology: peer-led recoveryBy funding peer-led addiction recovery and harm reduction programs, the organization addresses substance use disorder through lived experience and mutual support, which it believes increases trust, accessibility, and effectiveness in impacted communities.