irs program accomplishments · form 990 part iii · fy2024
What they reported doing
- #1 primary $207KSTORYTELLING AND THE ARTS - PRESENT THE GRASSROOTS ARTS OF CHINATOWN AND GIVE CONTEXT TO EMERGING ASIAN-AMERICAN ARTISTS THROUGH INNOVATIVE CULTURAL PRODUCTIONS, ART COMMISSIONS AND EXHIBITS VALUE INTERGENERATIONAL LEARNING AND HONOR HISTORIES THAT REPRESENT THE COMMUNITY THROUGH MULTIMEDIA ORAL HISTORY PROJECTS, CULTURAL CLASSES AND TALKS.
- #2 $10KFISCALLY SPONSORED PROJECTS FOR CHINATOWN CORE BLOCK ASSOCIATION/MEET US IN CHINATOWN, OTHERLAND, SISTERS IN SELF DEFENSE AND DOUBLE IMAGE THEATER.
named programs · 1 · from sources
What they call their work
Chinatown Nights
Annual summer festival in Manhattan's Chinatown featuring local artisans, food vendors, and musical performances to celebrate Asian American culture and build community space
activities · 7 groups
What they do
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Community Festival & Event Production 2 activities
- Hosts the Chinatown Storytelling FestivalProduces and hosts the Chinatown Storytelling Festival, a recurring event featuring screenings, workshops, walking tours, and presentations that showcase newly produced and archived storytelling projects, including oral histories, multimedia exhibits, and dance films, to highlight under-told stories from Chinatown.
- Produces the Chinatown Night Market and Block PartiesActivates public spaces in Chinatown during summer with recurring events called Chinatown Nights and the Chinatown Night Market, featuring food, art, music, artisan vendors, and cultural programming at Forsyth Plaza and the Manhattan Bridge gateway. The event has expanded since 2023 to include adjacent streets and has run annually for at least six years as of 2026.
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Business Community Advocacy 1 activity
- Advocates for Chinatown community needsEngages in policy advocacy and community organizing, including providing policy guidance to approximately 400 Asian small business owners during the pandemic and advocating for the reopening of a major access road and 400-car parking garage closed for 23 years.
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Cultural Exchange and Community Integration Events 1 activity
- Offers cultural and culinary education programsProvides hands-on cultural workshops, educational content, and public programming in areas such as tofu-making, Fuzhounese zongzi preparation, photography, and tea traditions. Also produces cultural guides, recipes, and shopping guides to preserve and share Chinatown’s culinary heritage.
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Traditional & Cultural Performing Arts 1 activity
- Organizes the Chinatown Arts FestivalProduces an annual cultural festival in Manhattan's Chinatown that highlights traditional Chinese arts and emerging Asian American artists through programs such as Cantonese opera, mooncake afternoon tea, puppetry, soundbaths, visual art, music, dance, and food culture. The festival has featured month-long programming and is open to all ages.
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Curated Art Exhibitions and Public Displays 1 activity
- Produces multimedia storytelling and community exhibitionsCreates and presents multimedia storytelling projects and exhibitions that highlight everyday cultural objects, family histories, and community strengths in Chinatown through oral histories, artwork, photography, and interactive installations. Projects include the "Everyday Chinatown" exhibit, a retrospective film program, and collaborative exhibitions featuring ancestral portraits, refugee journeys, and intergenerational printmaking.
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Flexible Grants to Grassroots Organizations 1 activity
- Provides fiscal sponsorship to community organizationsFunds and provides fiscal sponsorship to community-based organizations and projects including Chinatown Core Block Association/Meet Us in Chinatown, Precious Cargo (aka Just Between Us), Sisters in Self Defense, Double Image Theater, the Send Chinatown Loves Gift-a-Meal Project, and the Precious Cargo exhibit and catalog.
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Artist Marketplace Operations 1 activity
- Recognizes and supports local cultural artisansHonors local tofu shops with an “Artisanal Chinatown” designation and provides a platform for traditional folk artisans—such as paper cutters, sugar painters, and straw artists—to demonstrate and sell their crafts at public events.
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financials · form 990 · fy2024
revenue
Total revenue$551K
Contributions & grants$439K80%
Program service revenue$54K10%
Investment income$58K10%
Other revenue$24
expenses
Total expenses$684K
Program expenses79%
Admin / overhead18%
Fundraising3%
Salaries & benefits$232K
Grants paid out$0
Largest expense lineProfessional Fees
balance sheet
Total assets$2.13M
Cash$434K
Investments$1.27M
Liabilities$70K
Net assets$2.06M
Liquid reserves29.9 mo
5 years on record · 2020–2024 · YoY revenue -39.0%
leadership · form 990 part vii · fy2024
Who runs it
paid leadership · 2
| Name | Title | Hours/wk | Compensation |
|---|---|---|---|
| HAI YIN KONG | EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR / CO-FOUNDER | 40 | $87K |
| KERRI CULHANE | DIRECTOR | 3 | $4K |
board members · 4
- AMY CHIN — PRESIDENT
- KATHLEEN WAH LEE — SECRETARY
- LILLIAN CHO — TREASURER
- OLYMPIA INGRISELLI-MOY — DIRECTOR / CO-FOUNDER
relationships · 48
Who they work with
- 8oxSet Partner — Co-founded the Chinatown Block Party with Think!Chinatown and Chinatown Records.
- Asian American International Film Festival (AAIFF) Partner — Hai-Li Kong is involved in new media and film programming for AAIFF.
- Asian Americans for Equality Partner — Partner organization in presenting the Chinatown Nights event series.
- Black Sesame Kitchen Partner — Yin Kong previously taught at Black Sesame Kitchen in Beijing, indicating a professional affiliation.
- Buro Happold Partner — Production support partner for the Chinatown Nights community event.
- Chinatown Core Block Association / Meet Us in Chinatown Partner — Fiscally sponsored project focused on community engagement in Chinatown.
- Chinatown Partnership Local Development Corporation Partner — Amy Chin has leadership experience with this organization, indicating a professional connection.
- Chinatown Records Partner — Collaborates on the Chinatown Storytelling Festival and launches a radio station during the event.
- Chinatown Records Partner — Collaborative partner in organizing the Chinatown Block Party and other cultural programs in Manhattan's Chinatown.
- City of New York Government — Entity being petitioned to reopen Park Row and the parking garage.
- Civic News Compass Partner — Collaborates on a Chinese-language media literacy and community action workshop.
- DCTV’s Firehouse Cinema Partner — Hosts film screenings for the Chinatown Storytelling Festival.
- Dept of Transportation Government — City agency partner supporting the Chinatown Nights event.
- Double Image Theater Partner — Fiscally sponsored theater group engaged in cultural production.
- Elizabeth Street Garden Network — Yin Kong serves on the board of Elizabeth Street Garden.
- Give Lively Network — Platform used to process online donations.
- Hunter College Asian American Studies Program Partner — Rochelle Hoi-Yiu Kwan consults with this program to train students in oral history.
- Josephine Herrick Project Partner — Collaborated to host a free photography masterclass and exhibition for community members.
- Marvel Architects Partner — Think!Chinatown serves as a sub-consultant to Marvel Architects, advising on community engagement for the Chinatown Welcome Gateway project.
- Mellon Foundation Funder — Supports Think!Chinatown programs.
- Mid Atlantic Arts Foundation Funder — Supports Think!Chinatown through its Cultural Sustainability: Community Roots program.
- Monticello Partner — Yin Kong previously worked at Monticello, a UNESCO World Heritage Site and museum.
- NYC Department of Small Business Services Government — Provides funding support through the Public Realm Grant for cultural wayfinding and creative placekeeping initiatives.
- NYC Dept of Cultural Affairs Government — Financial supporter of the Chinatown Nights community event.
- NYPD Government — Entity being petitioned to cease use of Park Row as a parking lot and to reopen public access.
- National Endowment for the Arts Government — Provides Challenge America grant funding for the Chinatown Arts Festival.
- New York Chinese Cultural Center Partner — Amy Chin has served in a leadership role at this organization.
- New York City Department of Cultural Affairs Partner — Collaborates with Think!Chinatown on the artist info session for the Chinatown Welcome Gateway public art initiative.
- New York City Dept of Cultural Affairs Government — Public funder of the Chinatown Arts Festival in partnership with the City Council.
- New York City Economic Development Corporation Partner — Collaborates on the Chinatown Connections project, with Think!Chinatown serving as a sub-consultant for community engagement and cultural context.
+ 18 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.
- Community-Led Cultural Engagementmethodology: community-led cultural engagementBy centering community voices through listening, reflecting, and celebrating, the organization builds trust and cohesion that enables residents to shape policies and programs—because authentic participation rooted in cultural heritage strengthens collective agency and ownership over public space and narrative.
- Creative Placekeeping for Community Agencymethodology: creative_placekeepingBy integrating arts, storytelling, and neighborhood engagement in public spaces, the organization strengthens community agency over both physical space and cultural narrative—because creative interventions reclaim contested spaces and sustain local identity in the face of displacement.
- Storytelling as Cultural Empowermentmethodology: storytelling_for_community_empowermentBy using community-centered storytelling and media production, the organization enables self-representation and preserves collective memory—because sharing under-told stories fosters empowerment, intergenerational connection, and the development of future community leaders.