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OPEN SPACE INSTITUTE INC
NEW YORK, NY · EIN 521053406 · Form 990 · FY2024 · NTEE C30 · Environment · Medium ($1M-$10M)
revenue
$6.9M
expenses
$3.7M
net assets
$7.5M
employees
86
volunteers
27
program ratio
60%
mission · from form 990

OSI AND ITS SUPPORTING ORGANIZATION, OPEN SPACE INSTITUTE LAND TRUST, PROTECTS LAND.

profile · synthesized from sources

Open Space Institute Inc. protects land across the Eastern United States and Canada to safeguard water sources, wildlife habitat, and forests while addressing climate change. Through its supporting organization, the Open Space Institute Land Trust, it acquires land, secures conservation easements, and provides grants and loans. The organization also supports environmental education, community resilience, and diversity in conservation leadership.

irs program accomplishments · form 990 part iii · fy2024

What they reported doing

  1. #1 primary $72K
    THROUGH ITS SUPPORTING ORGANIZATION, THE OPEN SPACE INSTITUTE LAND TRUST (OSILT), OSI SAVES LAND TO PROTECT WATER SOURCES; CREATE AND MAKE PUBLIC LAND MORE INVITING FOR ALL; MAINTAIN HEALTHY FORESTS; MITIGATE THE EFFECTS OF EXTREME WEATHER; PROVIDE WILDLIFE HABITAT; AND STRENGTHEN COMMUNITIES. WORKING ACROSS THE EASTERN UNITED STATES, OSILT ACHIEVES THESE GOALS THROUGH FACILITATED LARGE-SCALE CONSERVATION PROJECTS; DIRECT ACQUISITION AND CONSERVATION EASEMENTS; AND GRANTS AND LOANS. IN 2024, OSILT PROTECTED 12,084 ACRES WITH A FAIR MARKET VALUE OF $80.59 MILLION AND MADE 23 CAPITAL GRANTS TOTALING $3.7 MILLION, PROTECTING 6,878 ACRES IN SEVEN STATES WITH A FAIR MARKET VALUE OF $37.9 MILLION. FURTHER, OSI DIRECTLY APPROVED EIGHT GRANTS FOR CONSERVATION PLANNING TOTALING $109,275.
named programs · 4 · from sources

What they call their work

Capital Grants and Loans
Provides financial support to other land trusts and conservation organizations for land protection projects that enhance climate resilience and habitat connectivity.
Conservation Communities
Supports grassroots environmental groups and urban conservation initiatives through financial, legal, and administrative assistance.
Conservation Diversity Fellowship
Offers one-year, salaried fellowships to recent graduates to promote diversity in the conservation and environmental fields.
Land Conservation and Protection
Acquires land and conservation easements, primarily through the Open Space Institute Land Trust, to protect water sources, wildlife habitat, and forests across the Eastern U.S. and Canada.
activities · 6 groups

What they do

  • Environmental Conservation Grantmaking 2 activities
    • Funding land conservation through grants and capital support
      Administers grant and loan programs to support land conservation by partner organizations, including the Delaware River Watershed Protection Fund and the Malcolm Gordon and Barnabas McHenry funds. Has distributed over $122.8 million in funding, including capital grants that protected over 2 million acres and conservation planning grants across multiple states.
    • Recognizing and supporting young environmental leaders
      Administers award programs such as the Barnabas McHenry Hudson River Valley Awards to recognize and support emerging leaders in environmental conservation, historic preservation, environmental justice, arts, and tourism.
  • Environmental Policy Advocacy & Litigation 1 activity
    • Advocating for regional watershed and landscape conservation policies
      Participates in coalitions and policy initiatives to protect critical watersheds and influence state conservation planning, including advocacy in the Sebago Clean Waters coalition and shaping the New York Open Space Conservation Plan to prioritize resilient land protection.
  • Recreational Trail Development and Maintenance 1 activity
    • Developing and enhancing public parks and trails
      Designs and implements park improvement projects and trail networks to expand public access to nature, including the development of Minnewaska, Fahnestock, Thacher, and Letchworth State Parks, the River-to-Ridge Trail, and the northern New Jersey Greenway, which converts former rail lines into public parks.
  • Land Acquisition and Conservation Easements 1 activity
    • Direct land conservation through acquisition and protection
      Acquires and permanently protects ecologically significant lands across the Eastern United States, with a focus on climate-resilient landscapes, watershed protection, and public recreation. Has directly protected over 151,000 acres in New York and additional properties in Maine, Virginia, South Carolina, and New Jersey, including more than 70,000 acres through the Southeast land acquisition program.
  • Flexible Grants to Grassroots Organizations 1 activity
    • Supporting grassroots organizations and community engagement
      Provides financial, legal, and administrative support to grassroots environmental groups and implements training programs to strengthen community-led conservation efforts, including the Citizen Action Program that has mentored over 160 organizations.
  • Leadership Development Programs 1 activity
    • Training emerging conservation leaders through fellowships
      Runs fellowship programs such as the Conservation Diversity Fellowship and the Conservation Fellowship to train recent graduates in land conservation, stewardship, advocacy, and grant writing, promoting diversity and leadership development in the environmental field.
financials · form 990 · fy2024
revenue
Total revenue$6.86M
Contributions & grants$6.17M90%
Program service revenue$360K5%
Investment income$457K7%
Other revenue$-132K
expenses
Total expenses$3.66M
Program expenses60%
Admin / overhead10%
Fundraising30%
Salaries & benefits$1.47M
Grants paid out$588K
Largest expense lineCompensation
balance sheet
Total assets$23.29M
Cash$6.10M
Investments$2.06M
Liabilities$15.81M
Net assets$7.48M
Liquid reserves26.8 mo
4 years on record · 2020–2024 · YoY revenue +16.6%
leadership · form 990 part vii · fy2024

Who runs it

paid leadership · 24
NameTitleHours/wkCompensation
TALLY BLUMBERG EXECUTIVE VICE PRESIDENT 2 $404K
LARS KULLESEID PRESIDENT & CEO (INCOMING 04/24) 2 $391K
NATHAN BERRY CHIEF LAND, PROTECTION OFFICER 2 $383K
EILEEN LARABEE CHIEF EXTERNAL AFFAIRS OFFICER 2 $364K
CHRISTOPHER J ELLIMAN PRESIDENT & CEO (OUTGOING 05/24) 2 $347K
LESLEY KANE SZYNAL DIRECTOR OF OUTDOORS AMERICA 2 $330K
SAMAYLA DEUTCH SVP, GENERAL COUNSEL 2 $307K
ALICE GLEASON SVP FOR FINANCE & CFO 2 $292K
KATHLEEN MOSER CHIEF CONSERVATION/POLICY 2 $288K
ROBERT K ANDERBERG SVP, GENERAL COUNSEL 2 $286K
JEFFREY LEJAVA VICE PRES. & ASSOCIATE GEN. COUNSEL 2 $277K
JENNIE GREER SVP OF PHILANTHROPY 2 $266K
MARIA WHITEHEAD VP OF LAND, SOUTHEAST 2 $262K
NICK RICHARDSON SVP, CAPITAL STRATEGIES 2 $255K
PETER KARIS VP, PARKS AND STEWARDSHIP 2 $233K
REBEKAH GERARD SR. DIR OF ADMIN (OUTGOING 12/24) 2 $232K
IRENE LEE VP OF LAND, NORTHEAST 2 $223K
ABIGAIL WEINBERG VP OF SCIENCE & CONSERVATION POLICY 2 $219K
DAVID KIERAN-KAUFMAN VICE PRESIDENT AND ASSISTANT GENERAL COUNSEL 2 $215K
MAY MAY CHENG VICE PRESIDENT, CONTROLLER 2 $203K
JESSICA WATSON VP OF CONSERVATION COMMUNITIES 2 $192K
MICHAEL BADEN SR. DIR OF ADMINISTRATION 2 $182K
BRADFORD BURNS STAFF ATTORNEY 2 $178K
MELANIE GRIFFIN SR. DIR OF INSTITUTIONAL GIVING 2 $168K
board members · 1
  • AMELIA SALZMAN — CO-CHAIRPERSON OF THE BOARD
relationships · 17

Who they work with

  • Fahnestock Memorial State Park Partner — Partnered to expand park lands and improve recreational access.
  • Florence County, South Carolina Partner — Collaborated with OSI and other partners to protect Snow's Island, a Revolutionary War-era site.
  • John Boyd Thacher State Park Partner — Partnered to expand park lands and develop the Thacher Park Center.
  • Land Trust Alliance Network — OSI staff serve on the New York Advisory Board of the Land Trust Alliance, indicating formal affiliation and collaboration.
  • Letchworth State Park Partner — Partnered to build the Letchworth Nature Center.
  • Mainspring Conservation Trust Partner — Partnered to conserve more than 4,400 acres in the Snowbird, Unicoi, and Cheoah mountain ranges.
  • Minnewaska State Park Preserve Partner — Partnered to expand park lands and restore carriage roads.
  • Moreau Lake State Park Partner — Partnered to expand park lands.
  • New York State Government — Partners with OSI on park improvements, capital campaigns, and infrastructure projects.
  • OSI Network — Refers to itself as a member of a broader conservation network through use of organizational identity.
  • Ocmulgee Mounds National Historical Park Partner — Partnered with OSI to protect the park and preserve Native American cultural heritage.
  • Open Space Institute Land Trust Partner — Primary implementing partner through which land protection, conservation easements, and grantmaking activities are carried out.
  • Saving New England’s Wildlife Fund Partner — Partnership to protect 10,000 acres for migratory shorebirds, waterbirds, and waterfowl.
  • Sebago Clean Waters Partner — Collaborates as part of the Sebago Clean Waters coalition to protect the Sebago Lake watershed.
  • State Forestry Commission Government — Collaborated with OSI and other partners to open South Carolina’s newest state forest.
  • Stockbridge-Munsee Community Partner — Collaborated with OSI to return Papscanee Island to tribal stewardship.
  • land trusts Partner — Collaborates with land trusts to conserve resilient lands and develop conservation plans across the Northeast.
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.

  • Community-Centered Conservation
    methodology: community-centered_conservation
    By supporting grassroots organizations and emerging leaders through funding, fiscal sponsorship, and capacity-building, we strengthen local stewardship and ensure conservation efforts reflect community needs and priorities, leading to more sustainable and equitable outcomes.
  • Equity-Integrated Land Protection
    methodology: inclusive_conservation
    By intentionally designing parks and conservation projects to be inclusive and accessible, and by recognizing cultural and historical significance in land stewardship, we foster belonging in the outdoors and ensure conservation benefits are equitably distributed across communities.
  • Science-Based Landscape Conservation
    methodology: science-based_conservation
    By using scientific analysis and data to identify ecologically significant areas, we prioritize large-scale, interconnected land protection that enhances biodiversity, supports climate resilience, and sustains ecosystem services essential for human and environmental health.