irs program accomplishments · form 990 part iii · fy2023
What they reported doing
- #1 primary $390KDEMOCRACY AND GOOD GOVERNMENT: NYPIRG HELPED TO REGISTER VOTERS ACROSS THE STATE. IN ADDITION, EDUCATED VOTERS AND WOULD BE VOTERS ABOUT POLICIES THAT MAKE IT AS EASY AS POSSIBLE FOR NEW YORKERS TO REGISTER AND CAST THEIR VOTE, MODERNIZE ITS VOTING SYSTEMS, AND BETTER MONITOR THE INFLUENCES OF INTEREST GROUPS IN STATE POLICYMAKING. IN ADDITION OFFERED A WEB-BASED SERVICE FOR RESIDENTS TO LOOK UP AND GET INFORMATION ABOUT THEIR ELECTED REPRESENTATIVES. NYPIRG ALSO HOSTED THE DONALD K. ROSS FUTURE LEADERS PROGRAM, A CIVIC POLICY INTERNSHIP PROGRAM IN ALBANY FOR COLLEGE STUDENTS.
- #2 $348KCONSUMER RIGHTS: HELPING TO PROTECT CONSUMERS AND TO OFFSET THEIR COSTS. FOR MORE THAN 40 YEARS, NYPIRG HAS OFFERED COUNSELING TO CONSUMERS WITH PERSONAL ISSUES AND COMPLAINTS, WHICH INCLUDE LANDLORD/TENANT ISSUES, THE PURCHASE OF SHODDY GOODS OR SERVICES, OR FALLING VICTIM TO DECEPTIVE BUSINESS PRACTICES. THIS SERVICE IS FREE OF CHARGE AND IS NOT A LEGAL SERVICE. IN ADDITION, CONSUMERS CAN BAND TOGETHER TO BENEFIT FROM COLLECTIVE NEGOTIATION FOR HOME HEATING PROCESS THROUGH NYPIRG.
named programs · 6 · from sources
What they call their work
Consumer Rights
Provides free counseling to consumers on landlord/tenant disputes, deceptive business practices, and defective goods. Offers collective negotiation for home heating costs and promotes consumer protections through advocacy.
Data Center Moratorium Campaign
Advocates for a pause on data center development in New York due to environmental and economic impacts, including increased energy demand, pollution, water use, and higher utility bills. Lobbies for regulatory assessment and safeguards.
Democracy and Good Government
Works to register voters, educate the public on voting policies, modernize voting systems, and monitor influence of interest groups in policymaking. Includes the Donald K. Ross Future Leaders Program, a civic policy internship in Albany for college students.
Energy and the Environment
Advocates for climate change mitigation, clean energy adoption, energy efficiency, and clean drinking water through public education, reports, media outreach, and community events. Focuses on reducing fossil fuel dependence and promoting renewable energy.
Gas Free NYC
Coalition campaign pushing for city budget funding to subsidize heat pumps for homeowners and end new oil and gas boiler installations. Aims to reduce utility bills, create green jobs, and improve air quality.
Straphangers Campaign
Advocates for the interests of over 3.5 million subway and bus riders in New York City. Educates riders on MTA finances and service changes, publishes reports on transit conditions, and promotes bus rapid transit adoption.
activities · 6 groups
What they do
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Energy Policy Advocacy & Research 2 activities
- Advancing sustainable energy and energy cost savings for consumersNegotiates discounted home heating oil and propane rates for members through collective purchasing power, saving consumers millions of dollars over time with average savings of 20–40 cents per gallon; also advocates for heat pump subsidies and energy efficiency programs.
- Advocating for environmental protection and climate justiceRuns advocacy campaigns to defend and strengthen climate laws such as the Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act, opposes fossil fuel expansion and data center development, promotes clean energy policies, and successfully advocated for the Climate Change Superfund Act requiring polluters to pay for climate damages.
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Education Policy Advocacy & Reform 1 activity
- Advocating for higher education affordability and CUNY/SUNY fundingEducates students and the public on college costs and lobbies for policies to improve higher education affordability, including free tuition, expanded financial aid, free transit for students, and increased academic staffing at CUNY and SUNY institutions.
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Transportation Policy Advocacy & Infrastructure Reform 1 activity
- Advocating for improved public transportation in New York CityOperates the Straphangers Campaign to promote safe, reliable, and affordable mass transit by publishing reports on subway and bus performance, advocating for fare equity (including Fair Fares and free OMNY cards), pushing for bus rapid transit and service improvements, and securing funding commitments through congestion pricing and budget advocacy.
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Nonprofit Investigative & Community Journalism 1 activity
- Conducting public interest research and policy analysisProduces investigative reports, policy analyses, and research studies on consumer rights, environmental protection, democracy, public health, and other public interest issues, disseminated through public education campaigns and media outreach.
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Civic Engagement and Voter Mobilization 1 activity
- Expanding voter access and civic engagementConducts non-partisan voter mobilization campaigns, registers voters across New York State, educates the public on voting system modernization, and operates civic internship programs to train future leaders in public policy.
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Tenant Legal Advocacy & Support Services 1 activity
- Providing consumer and legislative information servicesOffers free consumer counseling on landlord/tenant disputes, defective goods, and deceptive practices; provides tools such as Legislative Profiles and Representative Finder to inform the public about elected officials; and supports use of small claims court.
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financials · form 990 · fy2023
revenue
Total revenue$5.08M
Contributions & grants$4.82M95%
Program service revenue$109K2%
Investment income$59K1%
Other revenue$97K
expenses
Total expenses$5.21M
Program expenses79%
Admin / overhead12%
Fundraising9%
Salaries & benefits$4.08M
Grants paid out$50K
Largest expense lineCompensation
balance sheet
Total assets$2.65M
Cash$2.34M
Investments$0
Liabilities$446K
Net assets$2.21M
Liquid reserves5.4 mo
5 years on record · 2019–2023 · YoY revenue -3.6%
leadership · form 990 part vii · fy2023
Who runs it
paid leadership · 3
| Name | Title | Hours/wk | Compensation |
|---|---|---|---|
| MARVIN SHELTON | DEPUTY DIRECTOR | 40 | $129K |
| BLAIR HORNER | Executive Dir. | 40 | $128K |
| JAY HALFON | President | 1 | $26K |
board members · 4
- CAMILLE RIVERA — Director
- CHRISTOPHER MEYER — Secretary
- LISA HOWARD — Treasurer
- NEYSA PRANGER — Director
relationships · 16
Who they work with
- Alexa Aviles Partner — Coalition partner and New York City Council member supporting heat pump funding initiative.
- Cecilia Ellis Partner — Policy and Communications Manager at NYPIRG who communicates about the organization's environmental defense campaigns.
- Chris Marte Partner — Coalition partner and New York City Council member supporting heat pump funding initiative.
- Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act Government — Advocates for enforcement and protection of this state climate law against proposed rollbacks.
- Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act Government — Landmark state climate law that the organization actively defends and advocates for full implementation.
- Food & Water Watch Partner — Coalition partner in the Gas Free NYC campaign, co-delivered petition signatures to city officials.
- Jim Gennaro Partner — Coalition partner and New York City Council member supporting heat pump funding initiative.
- Megan Ahearn Partner — Executive Director who authored the event thank-you message and represents the organization's leadership
- NYPIRG Friends Partner — Attended and supported the Fall 2025 Happy Hour Event in Lower Manhattan.
- New York City Bus Turnaround Campaign Coalition — Straphangers Campaign is a leading member of the coalition advocating for improved bus service in New York City.
- New York Communities for Change Partner — Coalition partner in the Gas Free NYC campaign, co-delivered petition signatures to city officials.
- New York Public Interest Research Group Network — Sister organization focused on student engagement and advocacy
- New York State Government — Primary jurisdiction for advocacy efforts and policy campaigns.
- Public Service Commission Government — Regulatory body whose recent changes have temporarily prevented the addition of new gas and electric accounts to the program.
- Straphangers Campaign Partner — Collaborates on transportation advocacy and public transit issues in New York City.
- Straphangers Campaign Partner — NYPIRG operates the Straphangers Campaign as a long-standing initiative to advocate for improved mass transit in New York City.
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.
- Civic Engagement as Democratic Accountabilitymethodology: civic_engagementBy expanding democratic participation through voter registration and civic education, the organization strengthens public oversight of policymaking, because increased civic involvement reduces the influence of special interests and promotes responsive governance.
- Collective Consumer Power Linked to Advocacy Fundingmethodology: collective_consumer_advocacyBy leveraging collective purchasing power in energy programs, the organization reduces household costs and channels member savings into funding for broader environmental advocacy, because tying tangible personal benefits to membership increases participation and creates a self-sustaining model for policy change.
- Evidence-Based Advocacy with Public Educationmethodology: evidence_based_advocacyBy conducting research and coupling it with public education campaigns, the organization exposes systemic problems and builds informed public pressure to influence policymakers, because credible data combined with broad awareness increases the likelihood of durable policy change.
- Grassroots Mobilization for Systemic Changemethodology: grassroots_mobilizationBy organizing community members into sustained movements through canvassing, rider networks, and action coalitions, the organization generates political leverage to hold leaders accountable and shift policy, because broad-based public engagement creates legitimacy and pressure that institutional actors cannot ignore.
- Preventative Regulation to Protect Communities and Infrastructuremethodology: preventative_regulationBy opposing unregulated development of high-impact infrastructure like AI data centers and fossil fuel systems, the organization prevents future environmental harm, cost burdens, and grid strain, because stopping harmful expansion early avoids lock-in effects and protects vulnerable populations from disproportionate impacts.