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ELM FOUNDATION INC

BROOKLYN, NY · EIN 833984300 · Form 990EZ · FY2023 · NTEE A90 · Arts, Culture & Humanities · Small ($100K-$1M) · elmfoundation.art
revenue
$199K
expenses
$192K
net assets
$115K
employees
mission · from form 990

Education and continuing artistic support

profile · synthesized from sources

ELM Foundation is a Brooklyn-based nonprofit promoting the healing power of the arts for youth and community. It provides free multidisciplinary art classes, art therapy advocacy, and mentorship programs for children, particularly those affected by family trauma. The organization operates through its community space The Boiler, which hosts exhibitions and events that support youth programming.

named programs · 5 · from sources

What they call their work

Art Therapy Advocacy
Initiative promoting access to art therapy for children experiencing family trauma, in collaboration with licensed therapists and educational institutions.
Free After-School Art Classes
Year-round art instruction for approximately 150 children annually, covering printmaking, mural making, stop motion, and other mediums in small-group settings with artist mentors.
Mentorship Program
Connects youth with professional artists for technical training, career guidance, portfolio development, and long-term personal growth.
STEAM WORKS
Free public workshop series connecting students with exhibiting artists from The Boiler for hands-on collaborative projects.
The Boiler Gallery
Exhibition and event space that hosts youth and professional art shows, generates program funding, and serves as a community hub for artistic engagement.
activities · 7 groups

What they do

  • Community Festival & Event Production 1 activity
    • Community events and public engagement
      Hosts annual community events such as BOO BASH, Pride Fair, and anniversary celebrations to foster community solidarity and public engagement with the arts.
  • Community Art Education Workshops 1 activity
    • Free youth art education programs
      Offers free after-school art classes, workshops, and mixed-level stop motion animation courses using DragonFrame 5 software for youth aged 11 and older, serving approximately 150 children annually. Programs include STEAM-focused curricula and visiting artists.
  • Digital Literacy Training and Technology Access 1 activity
    • Infrastructure and educational technology support
      Purchases and maintains classroom technology and equipment, including computers, to support educational programming for youth.
  • Curated Art Exhibitions and Public Displays 1 activity
    • Operation of The Boiler Gallery
      Operates The Boiler as a public exhibition and event space to provide equitable access to creative resources, generate financial support for youth programs, and enable artist-student collaborations.
  • Community-Engaged Public Art Projects 1 activity
    • Student exhibitions and public art collaborations
      Facilitates student participation in public art projects, co-curated exhibitions, and annual gallery presentations of student work, including collaborations with schools such as LaGuardia High School, with themes centered on identity, belonging, and human connection.
  • Creative Arts Therapy Programs 1 activity
    • Therapeutic art programs and partnerships
      Provides art therapy resources and leads therapeutic art classes in coordination with licensed art therapists, occupational therapists, and educational institutions, expanding access to therapeutic spaces, materials, and family support for children across diverse socio-economic backgrounds.
  • Artist Residencies and Studio Programs 1 activity
    • Youth art mentorship and career development
      Provides long-term mentorship pairing youth with established artists and professionals, offering guidance in technical skills, creative processes, portfolio development, and navigation of the art world, with pathways to paid internships and artist assistant roles.
financials · form 990EZ · fy2023
revenue
Total revenue$199K
Contributions & grants$108K54%
Program service revenue$00%
Investment income$00%
Other revenue$92K
expenses
Total expenses$192K
Program expenses
Admin / overhead
Fundraising
Salaries & benefits
Grants paid out
balance sheet
Total assets$115K
Cash
Investments
Liabilities
Net assets$115K
3 years on record · 2021–2023 · YoY revenue +5.5%
leadership · form 990 part vii · fy2023

Who runs it

board members · 2
  • MELINDA MCCOY — DIRECTOR
  • PAUL EISENBERG — EDUCATION DIRECTOR
relationships · 15

Who they work with

  • American Art Therapy Association Network — Cited as a professional authority defining art therapy, indicating alignment with its standards.
  • Artis Funder — Grant recipient organization
  • ELM Family of mentors Network — Network of established artists who serve as mentors in ELM Foundation programs.
  • Edward R. Murrow High School Partner — Collaborated with ELM Foundation on a senior art exhibition curated and produced by students.
  • Howard Gilman Foundation Funder — Grant recipient organization
  • LaGuardia High School Partner — Collaborated with students from LaGuardia High School on a senior art exhibition.
  • LeRoy Neiman and Janet Byrne Neiman Foundation Funder — Grant recipient organization
  • New York Council on the Arts Funder — Primary grant funder for FY26
  • Purchase College Partner — Screen Printing Program at Purchase College accepted a participant from ELM Foundation.
  • SAHA Association Funder — Grant recipient organization
  • The Boiler Partner — Adjacent exhibition space that hosts events whose proceeds support ELM Foundation's youth programs.
  • The Boiler Partner — Collaborates with The Boiler Gallery to host exhibitions and events that support arts programming for children.
  • The Boiler Partner — Collaborates with exhibiting artists from The Boiler gallery in public workshop programming.
  • The Jacques and Natasha Gelman Foundation Funder — Grant recipient organization
  • The Puffin Foundation Funder — Grant recipient organization
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.

  • Community-Wide Creative Engagement Model
    methodology: community-embedded-arts-education
    By expanding from individual therapy to inclusive, community-based arts programming, the organization amplifies healing and access, because collective participation in workshops, exhibitions, and events strengthens belonging and reduces barriers.
  • Healing Through Art Therapy and Mentorship
    methodology: healing-through-art
    By integrating art therapy with sustained mentorship and multidisciplinary collaboration, the organization fosters emotional awareness, nonverbal communication, and healing in youth, because creative expression provides a therapeutic channel for those impacted by trauma.
  • Student Agency Through Participatory Curation
    methodology: participatory_curation
    By involving students as co-curators in exhibitions, the organization validates youth voice and builds leadership, because participatory curation transforms artistic experience into empowerment and public recognition.
  • Youth Empowerment via Transformative Mentorship
    methodology: transformative mentorship
    By embedding professional artists as mentors in creative education, the organization empowers youth to develop life skills and personal voice, because relational guidance and artistic experimentation together build confidence and leadership.