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FRIENDS OF ST CATHERINES PARK INC

NEW YORK, NY · EIN 133955098 · Form 990EZ · FY2024 · NTEE N32 · Recreation & Sports · Micro (<$100K) · stcatherinespark.org
revenue
$20K
expenses
$14K
net assets
$102K
employees
mission · from form 990

MAINTAIN A PARK IN NEW YORK CITY.

profile · synthesized from sources

Friends of St. Catherine’s Park is a nonprofit, all-volunteer organization dedicated to maintaining and enhancing St. Catherine’s Park on Manhattan’s Upper East Side. The group partners with NYC Parks to preserve the park’s gardens, ensure playground safety, and host community events. Established in 1997, it supports one of the most visited small parks in New York City.

named programs · 4 · from sources

What they call their work

Adopt-A-Bench Program
Enables donors to sponsor park benches with personalized plaques, supporting long-term park funding and recognition
Gardening and Garden Maintenance
Volunteers plant and maintain gardens, including over 20,000 daffodil and tulip bulbs, flowering shrubs, and trees; implement irrigation and pest control systems
Playground and Facility Maintenance
Ensure playground equipment, sandbox, and safety surfacing are in good repair; maintain benches, chess tables, and restrooms
Special Events
Co-sponsor "It's My Park Day" cleanups, children’s music programs, and seasonal events with face painting, clowns, and art projects
activities · 3 groups

What they do

  • Urban Park and Public Space Conservation 2 activities
    • Maintains and enhances St. Catherine's Park through landscaping and infrastructure improvements
      Implements and maintains a master landscaping plan, installs and maintains automatic irrigation and sprinkler systems, plants trees, shrubs, bulbs, and flowering plants, and supports pest control and trash management in St. Catherine's Park. Activities include planting over twenty thousand daffodils and tulip bulbs, installing an automated irrigation system, and facilitating tree plantings along East 68th Street in partnership with NYC Parks.
    • Maintains and repairs playground equipment and park facilities
      Ensures ongoing maintenance and repair of playground equipment and park infrastructure in St. Catherine's Park, including support for NYC Parks summer playground associates and implementation of safety and usability improvements.
  • Commemorative Brick and Memorial Installations 1 activity
    • Administers the Adopt-A-Bench Program in partnership with NYC Parks
      Manages the Adopt-A-Bench Program at St. Catherine's Park, facilitating $5,000 donations to fund personalized plaques on park benches in collaboration with the NYC Department of Parks and Recreation.
  • Community Stewardship Volunteer Programs 1 activity
    • Organizes and sponsors community events and volunteer programs in St. Catherine's Park
      Hosts seasonal "It's My Park Day" events featuring planting, clean-up, and children's activities such as face-painting and balloon animals; organizes spring and fall children’s music programs; and mobilizes volunteers for event support, gardening, and outreach. Also engages volunteers in distributing membership materials and event staffing.
financials · form 990EZ · fy2024
revenue
Total revenue$20K
Contributions & grants$19K92%
Program service revenue
Investment income$2K8%
Other revenue
expenses
Total expenses$14K
Program expenses
Admin / overhead
Fundraising
Salaries & benefits
Grants paid out
balance sheet
Total assets$102K
Cash
Investments
Liabilities
Net assets$102K
5 years on record · 2020–2024 · YoY revenue +58.8%
leadership · form 990 part vii · fy2024

Who runs it

board members · 4
  • BETH HERMAN — Director
  • BRIAN GLEESING — Director
  • JENNIFER BENICHOU — Director
  • LARRY HEILBRONN — Director
relationships · 12

Who they work with

  • Dr. Harold Varmus Funder — Contributed donations to support the irrigation system project.
  • Gifford Miller Government — As Council Member, appropriated funds for the renovation of the ball field, including safety surfacing, running track, benches, bicycle racks, and climbing equipment.
  • J.M. Kaplan Fund Funder — Provided a generous grant for the installation of an automatic irrigation system in St. Catherine's Park.
  • Jessica Lappin Government — As Council Member, provided generous support to FSCP through donations.
  • Julie Menin Government — As Council Member, provided generous support to FSCP through donations.
  • Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center Funder — Donated funds to support the installation of an automatic irrigation system in the park.
  • Ms. Constance Casey Funder — Contributed donations to support the irrigation system project.
  • NYC Department of Parks and Recreation Government — Cooperates with fSCP to preserve and enhance St. Catherine's Park.
  • NYC Department of Parks and Recreation Government — Partners with the NYC Department of Parks and Recreation to maintain and enhance St. Catherine's Park.
  • NYC Department of Parks and Recreation Partner — Cooperates with fSCP on garden maintenance, playground upkeep, and co-sponsoring community events in St. Catherine's Park.
  • NYC Parks Partner — Collaborates with NYC Parks to administer the Adopt-A-Bench Program at St. Catherine’s Park.
  • Wang Foundation Family Trust Funder — Provided donations to support the installation of an automatic irrigation system in St. Catherine's Park.
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-Driven Stewardship Model
    methodology: community_driven_stewardship
    By engaging volunteers and community members in the preservation and enhancement of St. Catherine's Park, the organization fosters sustained community ownership and improves park quality, because collective participation strengthens long-term stewardship and civic investment.
  • Donor-Linked Recognition for Sustainability
    methodology: donor-recognition through public plaque
    By offering public recognition through donor-funded bench adoptions, the organization generates reliable financial support for park maintenance, because visible, lasting recognition incentivizes contributions and fosters community investment.
  • Public-Private Maintenance Partnership
    methodology: public-partnership_maintenance
    By collaborating with the NYC Department of Parks and Recreation, the organization sustains park quality through shared responsibilities for maintenance and programming, because public partnerships extend capacity and enhance community engagement.
  • Sustainable Infrastructure Investment
    methodology: labor_conserving_maintenance
    By implementing labor-conserving infrastructure such as irrigation systems, the organization reduces long-term maintenance demands and enhances the sustainability of park landscaping, because efficient design lowers volunteer burden and increases resilience.