named programs · 4 · from sources
What they call their work
100 Gates Project
Neighborhood beautification and activation initiative focused on improving gateways and entry points to the Lower East Side
District 1 Reading Hub
Provides children and families with access to books and reading activities at Essex Market to promote literacy and community engagement
Essex Market Community Partner Program
Deploys over 400 public programs annually at Essex Market, including educational, cultural, and family-oriented events
Open Streets
Transforms designated streets into car-free public spaces for walking, cycling, and community activities, operating seasonally to support local businesses and enhance public realm usage
activities · 10 groups
What they do
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Business Member Promotion Services 2 activities
- Digital marketing and communications outreachConducts digital marketing through social media (reaching 172,000 users, maintaining over 38,000 followers), e-newsletters (over 89,000 sent annually), and video/photo content creation to promote local businesses and community news.
- Merchant and community support servicesProvides support to local businesses and residents through wayfinding assistance, 311 request filing, navigation of city services and permits, business meetups (e.g., 75+ attendees in 2024), and promotional content creation.
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Neighborhood Civic Engagement 1 activity
- Advocacy for community quality of life issuesAdvocates for safety, education, training, employment, seniors, healthcare, affordable housing, resiliency, public services, and quality of life issues on the Lower East Side.
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Community Festival & Event Production 1 activity
- Community events and cultural programmingOrganizes and hosts public events including seasonal festivals (e.g., Pickle Day, Halloween celebration on Broome Street), free cooking demonstrations, panel discussions, and community gatherings to support local culture, economic vitality, and public engagement.
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Food Distribution and Hunger Relief 1 activity
- Community fridge and food access programOperates a community fridge at 220 Broome Street entrance of Essex Market, accessible 24/7 to all individuals, to support neighborhood food access.
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Local Food Market Operation 1 activity
- Management and programming of Essex MarketOperates and manages programmatic services at Essex Market, including hosting over 400 public programs annually through a community partner contract, providing vendor support, facility improvements, marketing, and hospitality services.
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Youth and Family Cooking Education 1 activity
- Nutrition education and cooking programsOffers free cooking classes and nutrition education through the Fresh Bites program and Essex Kitchen, including multilingual instruction (English, Chinese, Spanish), hands-on food education for children, and workshops tailored to different age groups.
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Horticultural Education and Community Gardening 1 activity
- Public space beautification and horticultural servicesDesigns and maintains seasonal plantings in nearly 100 planters across the district and operates a pollinator garden with 23 planters featuring native plants to support birds, bees, and butterflies.
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Children's Book Distribution Programs 1 activity
- Reading Hub for children and familiesHosts a Reading Hub at Essex Market in partnership with District 1, providing children and families access to books for reading and take-home use.
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Supplemental Urban Sanitation Services 1 activity
- Supplemental sanitation and public space maintenanceProvides daily cleaning, trash collection (emptying over 85 public receptacles), litter removal (collecting nearly 20,000 bags annually), graffiti removal (over 8,300 tags removed in one year), pressure washing, and repair/repainting of public structures across over 100 block faces and plazas, operating 361 days per year.
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Uncategorized 1 activity
- Operation of the Open Streets programOperates a seasonal Open Streets program on Orchard Street, transforming four streets into car-free public spaces to support outdoor dining, business activity, and community use, with management of traffic flow, visitor assistance, sanitation, and beautification services.
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financials · form 990EZ · fy2025
revenue
Total revenue$21
Contributions & grants$21100%
Program service revenue——
Investment income——
Other revenue—
expenses
Total expenses$26
Program expenses—
Admin / overhead—
Fundraising—
Salaries & benefits—
Grants paid out—
balance sheet
Total assets$459
Cash—
Investments—
Liabilities—
Net assets$459
6 years on record · 2020–2025 · YoY revenue -91.4%
relationships · 31
Who they work with
- 311 Government — Directs residents and businesses to 311 for reporting illegal dumping and missed waste collections.
- Bar V Partner — Steering committee member organization involved in guiding the BID expansion.
- Catalyst Records Partner — Steering committee member organization involved in guiding the BID expansion.
- DSNY Government — Partners with DSNY to facilitate access to the Forever Graffiti Free program for graffiti removal.
- DSNY Partner — Partners with DSNY to provide litter and trash removal services on the Lower East Side.
- Department of Transportation Government — Provides funding and program support for the Open Streets initiative; requires permitting for organized activities.
- District 1 Partner — Partners to launch and operate a Reading Hub for children and families at Essex Market.
- Economy Candy Partner — Steering committee member organization involved in guiding the BID expansion.
- Essex Market Partner — Co-hosted the Trick-or-Streets family-friendly Halloween celebration in October 2024.
- Essex Market Partner — Collaborates on programming and community events at Essex Market.
- Essex Market Partner — Manages a community partner contract to deploy over 400 public programs annually.
- Essex Market Partner — Provides programmatic services at Essex Market.
- Essex Market vendors Partner — Partners with Essex Market vendors to support merchant services and community programming.
- FABnyc Partner — Collaborates on Lower East Side History Month programming and neighborhood storytelling initiatives.
- FABnyc Partner — Collaborates on preserving and growing the cultural vibrancy of the Lower East Side through workshops and events.
- GRE Partner — Steering committee member organization involved in guiding the BID expansion.
- Gotham Property Group Partner — Steering committee member organization involved in guiding the BID expansion.
- Grand Street Guild Partner — Steering committee member organization involved in guiding the BID expansion.
- Instagram Partner — Platform used to feature merchant stories and distribute neighborhood highlights.
- International Center of Photography Partner — Partner organization contributing to the neighborhood's cultural offerings.
- Lucky Jack's & Donnybrook Partner — Steering committee member organization involved in guiding the BID expansion.
- Miller Manhattan Property Group Partner — Steering committee member organization involved in guiding the BID expansion.
- Museum at Eldridge Street Partner — Partner museum preserving Jewish immigrant history and historic architecture.
- NYC Department of Small Business Services Government — Collaborates with LESP on the BID expansion process.
- NYC EDC Partner — Collaborates with NYC EDC on Essex Market operations and programming since 2014.
- NYC Small Business Services Government — Partner organization referenced in connection with district map and BID operations.
- New York City Economic Development Corporation Partner — Partner organization supporting initiatives in the Lower East Side, as indicated by logo and linking URL.
- Seward Park Co-op Partner — Steering committee member organization involved in guiding the BID expansion.
- Tenement Museum Partner — Partner institution that shares immigrant and refugee stories to promote inclusive American society.
- The Horticultural Society of New York Partner — Partnership to provide paid work and training opportunities in horticulture while jointly maintaining public plantings.
+ 1 more
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.
- Business Improvement District Model with Community-Economic Focusmethodology: business_improvement_districtBy operating as a Business Improvement District, we enhance local economic vitality and public space quality in the Lower East Side because coordinated services—such as sanitation, marketing, and public realm activation—fill gaps beyond city-provided offerings and strengthen merchant sustainability through public-private collaboration.
- Community-Driven Engagement and Local Voice Integrationmethodology: community_driven_engagementBy centering community input and volunteer involvement in programming and development, we increase neighborhood vibrancy and ownership because inclusive, collaborative processes ensure that local needs and identities shape district initiatives.
- Food as Medicine with Multilingual Nutrition Educationmethodology: food-as-medicineBy teaching practical cooking skills using fresh, local produce through multilingual education, we improve nutrition and food access because culturally and linguistically accessible programming increases engagement and empowers diverse community members to use food as a foundation for health.