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YOUNG NEW YORKERS INC
BROOKLYN, NY · EIN 811465388 · Form 990 · FY2024 · NTEE I20 · Crime & Legal-Related · Small ($100K-$1M) · youngnewyorkers.org
revenue
$411K
expenses
$481K
net assets
$114K
employees
0
program ratio
59%
mission · from form 990

YOUNG NEW YORKERS' RESTORATIVE ART DIVERSION PROGRAMS ALLOW YOUNG PEOPLE TO EXIT THE CRIMINAL LEGAL SYSTEM, HAVE THEIR CASES DISMISSED AND SEALED, AND AVOID A LIFE-LONG CRIMINAL RECORD.

profile · synthesized from sources

Young New Yorkers (YNY) operates arts-based diversion programs for court-involved youth in New York City, helping them exit the criminal legal system and avoid criminal records. Through restorative art workshops and long-term leadership development, the organization engages young people in creative expression and advocacy. Programs are offered across all five boroughs, with a focus on racial justice and systemic reform.

named programs · 4 · from sources

What they call their work

Fellowship
Paid program for committed graduates to engage in leadership development, co-facilitate RAD sessions, participate in staff meetings, and lead youth advocacy groups on criminal legal reform and gun violence.
Graduate Leadership
Long-term program for RAD graduates to deepen restorative practice knowledge, engage in art projects, and develop skills in public speaking, advocacy, and program design; participants are paid.
Re-imagining and Recreating Experiences (R.A.R.E)
Arts-based diversion program for young adults that explores the racial, social, and economic context of arrest through contemporary art, culminating in public exhibitions with MoMA PS1.
Restorative Arts Diversion (RAD)
One-, two-, or three-day art-based workshops for court-involved youth that result in case dismissal and sealing upon completion; includes aspirational self-portraits and courtroom exhibitions.
activities · 6 groups

What they do

  • Youth Development and Support Services 1 activity
    • Develop community-based crime prevention and youth engagement initiatives
      Develops and implements youth and community-oriented crime prevention initiatives that integrate technology, art, athletics, and entrepreneurship, including a stipend-based peer tutoring program designed to increase participation of Black and Latino youth in after-school programming.
  • Community Art Education Workshops 1 activity
    • Host ongoing workshops for program participants and staff
      Hosts monthly imaginative learning and community-building workshops for graduates, fellows, and staff, including project-based activities such as designing conceptual subway car refashioning projects.
  • Creative Arts Therapy Programs 1 activity
    • Lead arts education using mixed media and reflective practices
      Conducts arts education classes using mixed media and collage to help participants process emotions through poetry and imagery, supporting personal reflection and healing.
  • Justice System Innovation & Inclusion Programs 1 activity
    • Operate restorative arts diversion programs for court-involved youth
      Provides arts-based diversion programming for young people ages 14–25 arrested for low-level offenses in New York City, enabling case dismissal and sealing upon completion. Programs include Project Reset, launched in 2016, and serve both youth and individuals of any age across all five boroughs.
  • Community-Engaged Public Art Projects 1 activity
    • Produce public art exhibitions and interactive events
      Produces public art exhibitions in partnership with MoMA PS1 and hosts courtroom exhibitions as culminating events for long-form programs, featuring original artwork and digital recordings. These events engage legal professionals and the public in dialogue around criminal justice reform.
  • Youth Leadership Development Programs 1 activity
    • Support long-term graduate leadership and advocacy programs
      Engages approximately 50 young people annually in paid graduate leadership programs, including a current cohort of 12 fellowship participants, offering opportunities to advocate for criminal justice reform through public art exhibitions, forums, and peer tutoring initiatives.
financials · form 990 · fy2024
revenue
Total revenue$411K
Contributions & grants$406K99%
Program service revenue$00%
Investment income$10%
Other revenue$5K
expenses
Total expenses$481K
Program expenses59%
Admin / overhead35%
Fundraising6%
Salaries & benefits$325K
Grants paid out$0
Largest expense lineCompensation
balance sheet
Total assets$114K
Cash$114K
Investments$0
Liabilities$0
Net assets$114K
Liquid reserves2.9 mo
4 years on record · 2021–2024 · YoY revenue -8.5%
leadership · form 990 part vii · fy2024

Who runs it

paid leadership · 1
NameTitleHours/wkCompensation
BOBBIE BROWN Executive Dir. 40 $152K
board members · 8
  • CAMILLA VELASQUEZ — Board Chair
  • CINDY WENIG — Director
  • JAMES MORRILL — Director
  • JOAN ROSENBAUM — Director
  • MARYANNE PAUL ESQ — Secretary
  • MEL PERALTA — Director
  • PAUL RIBEIRO — Treasurer
  • SHANE ROGERS ESQ — Director
relationships · 19

Who they work with

  • Artists in Transit Partner — Collaborated through a studio residency program with artists in transit.
  • Bloomberg Philanthropies Funder — Foundation funder supporting Young New Yorkers' programs.
  • Brooklyn District Attorney’s Office Partner — Former employer of Bobbie Brown in the role of Associate Director of Community Partnerships, indicating institutional connection.
  • Brooklyn and Manhattan Criminal Court Government — Partners with Young New Yorkers to provide arts diversion programming for court-involved young people.
  • Kings County District Attorney Partner — Refers court-involved young people to Young New Yorkers for arts diversion programming.
  • Kings County District Attorney's Office Partner — Collaborates with Young New Yorkers on adolescent diversion programs.
  • MTA Partner — Explores potential collaboration with MTA on reimagining subway experiences.
  • Manhattan District Attorney Partner — Refers court-involved young people to Young New Yorkers for arts diversion programming.
  • Mayor's Office of Criminal Justice Government — Government funder supporting Young New Yorkers' programs.
  • MoMA PS1 Partner — Collaborated with Young New Yorkers on a 2020 virtual art exhibition curated by program graduates.
  • MoMA PS1 Partner — Community partner collaborating on public art exhibitions with R.A.R.E program participants.
  • NYC Department of Probation Partner — Refers court-involved young people to Young New Yorkers for arts diversion programming.
  • NYC Imagine Awards Network — Recognized as a finalist in the Aetna Rising Star Award category.
  • New York Family Court Government — Refers court-involved young people to Young New Yorkers for arts diversion programming.
  • Office of Court Administration Government — Refers court-involved young people to Young New Yorkers for arts diversion programming.
  • The Legal Aid Society Partner — Refers court-involved young people to Young New Yorkers for arts diversion programming.
  • The New York City Council Government — Government funder supporting Young New Yorkers' programs.
  • The Pinkerton Foundation Funder — Foundation funder supporting Young New Yorkers' programs.
  • community-based alternatives Partner — Partners with community-based alternatives to serve court-involved youth.
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.

  • Creative Youth Advocacy and Public Narrative Shift
    methodology: creative-youth-advocacy
    By using creative expression and public art exhibitions, we elevate youth voices and advocate for systemic reform, because public storytelling and visibility transform narratives around justice-involved youth and build momentum for policy change.
  • Integrated Youth Development through Arts and Activism
    methodology: integrated-youth-development
    By combining arts, wellness, and activism in multidisciplinary programming, we advance youth development and crime prevention, because integrated, holistic engagement addresses root causes of justice involvement and builds agency, identity, and community resilience.
  • Racial Justice–Centered Programming
    methodology: racial_justice_framework
    By applying a racial justice framework to all programming and operations, we address systemic inequities in the criminal legal system, because centering race in design and implementation ensures equitable impact and challenges structural harm.
  • Restorative Art Diversion
    methodology: restorative_art_diversion
    By engaging court-involved youth in developmentally appropriate, restorative art programming as an alternative to prosecution or incarceration, we help them avoid criminal records and support identity transformation, because creative expression fosters healing, personal redefinition, and systemic disengagement from the carceral system.
  • Speculative and Imaginative Engagement for Systemic Change
    methodology: speculative_design
    By using speculative design and imaginative learning workshops, we rethink public infrastructure and urban systems, because envisioning alternative futures enables youth to become architects of systemic transformation rather than passive subjects of existing structures.