irs program accomplishments · form 990 part iii · fy2024
What they reported doing
- #1 primary $108KSTORYTELLER-IN-RESIDENCE PROGRAM - PROVIDING TECHNICAL TRAINING AND CREATIVE MENTORSHIP TO LOCAL STORYTELLERS TO TRANSLATE ORAL HISTORIES AND COMMUNITY EXPERIENCES INTO 3D DIGITAL NARRATIVES.
- #2 $54KUNSUNG -UNSUNG IS A MULTIPLAYER AUGMENTED REALITY LEARNING EXPERIENCE ABOUT 2 BLACK SINGERS, FLORENCE MILLS AND TINY DAVIS, WHO ROSE ABOVE SOCIETAL CHALLENGES TO MAKE THEIR VOICES HEARD. UNSUNG TAKES A GAMIFIED APPROACH TO LEARNING BY ALLOWING STUDENTS TO COLLABORATIVELY EXPLORE IMMERSIVE ENVIRONMENTS FROM HISTORY. STUDENTS WILL BE ABLE TO READ PASSAGES SPECIFIC TO EACH ENVIRONMENT, FILL IN BLANKS IN THE TEXT BASED ON WHAT THEY LEARN AND FIND IMPORTANT HISTORICAL ARTIFACTS ALONG WITH PRIMARY SOURCE DOCUMENTS TO ANALYZE.
named programs · 5 · from sources
What they call their work
Community Memory Fellowship
Supports grassroots archivists in preserving community histories through co-creation, oral history collection, and digital storytelling.
Dreaming with the Archives
Yearlong, multi-city public art initiative using augmented reality to create digital monuments honoring the histories of Black, Brown, Indigenous, and Queer communities in New York City, New Orleans, and Philadelphia.
Kinfolk App
Mobile platform serving as an interactive archive for untold historical narratives, featuring augmented reality-enabled monuments of women, people of color, and LGBTQIA+ icons.
Storyteller-in-Residence Program
Provides technical training and creative mentorship to local storytellers to translate oral histories and community experiences into 3D digital narratives.
Unsung
Multiplayer augmented reality learning experience about Black singers Florence Mills and Tiny Davis, using gamified exploration of immersive historical environments for student education.
activities · 5 groups
What they do
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Curated Art Exhibitions and Public Displays 1 activity
- Collaborate with artists and cultural partners on memory justice projectsPartners with prominent artists such as Hank Willis Thomas, Derrick Adams, Wangechi Mutu, Derek Fordjour, and Egyptt LaBeija, as well as organizations like BLIS Collective, Black Film Archive, and CBH, to co-create exhibitions, performances, and events that advance memory justice and cultural reclamation.
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History Education Curriculum Development 1 activity
- Deliver immersive educational and gamified learning experiencesProvides multiplayer augmented reality learning experiences and gamified educational programs focused on historical figures like Florence Mills and Tiny Davis, enabling students to explore immersive environments, analyze primary sources, and engage collaboratively. Offers guided walking tours, quests, and hybrid teach-ins that blend physical and digital participation to educate on collective memory and social justice.
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Community Festival & Event Production 1 activity
- Host public festivals, exhibitions, and community activationsOrganizes large-scale public events including KIN: A Festival of Memory and Imagination and the KIN festival, which transform physical spaces like the WSA building in Downtown Manhattan into immersive living archives. These events feature installations, performances, workshops, marketplaces, and culinary experiences centered on cultural memory, imagination, and community engagement.
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Oral History Collection and Preservation 1 activity
- Support community-led archival and storytelling initiativesFacilitates community-driven collection and preservation of photos, videos, oral histories, and cultural artifacts through participatory platforms like Community Voice and public demo sessions. Accepts public nominations for culturally significant stories and sites, and supports grassroots archivists through initiatives like the Community Memory Fellowship.
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Uncategorized 2 activities
- Develop and operate augmented reality monuments and digital landmarksCreates participatory, augmented reality (AR) monuments and digital landmarks that honor Black, Brown, Indigenous, and/or Queer historical figures and community histories, transforming public spaces through immersive storytelling. These include site-specific installations such as tributes to Nikki Giovanni, Florence Mills, Tiny Davis, and the No Arena Movement, deployed in locations like Brooklyn Bridge Park, Manhattan, and multiple cities nationwide.
- Operate and expand the Kinfolk mobile app and digital archive platformDevelops, maintains, and continuously enhances the Kinfolk mobile app as an interactive, community-accessible archive for untold historical narratives, featuring AR-enabled monuments, guided quests, badge challenges, and tools for exploring place-based stories. The app supports user contributions of oral histories, family archives, and multimedia content, and includes a digital library organized by theme and category.
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financials · form 990 · fy2024
revenue
Total revenue$5.19M
Contributions & grants$5.00M96%
Program service revenue$105K2%
Investment income$59K1%
Other revenue$19K
expenses
Total expenses$1.76M
Program expenses61%
Admin / overhead30%
Fundraising9%
Salaries & benefits$1.01M
Grants paid out$0
Largest expense lineCompensation
balance sheet
Total assets$3.71M
Cash$2.31M
Investments$0
Liabilities$37K
Net assets$3.67M
Liquid reserves15.8 mo
3 years on record · 2020–2024 · YoY revenue +939.1%
leadership · form 990 part vii · fy2024
Who runs it
paid leadership · 4
| Name | Title | Hours/wk | Compensation |
|---|---|---|---|
| IDRIS BREWSTER | EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR | 40 | $140K |
| MICAH NAHUM MILNER | VICE PRESIDENT | 40 | $139K |
| CARISSA ROMERO | DIRECTOR OF OPERATIONS | 40 | $121K |
| ANGELA FAN | HEAD OF PRODUCT | 40 | $119K |
board members · 2
- GEORGE SUTTLES — TREASURER
- KAREN WONG — SECRETARY
relationships · 31
Who they work with
- Andre Cailloux Center Partner — Collaborates with Kinfolk Tech on the creation of monuments featured in the Preservation Park installation.
- BLIS Collective Partner — Partnered with Kinfolk to co-support the Reclamation Day: A Reunion of Hope event.
- BLK MKT Vintage Partner — Curates the KIN General Store marketplace in partnership with Kinfolk Tech, featuring goods from Black-owned businesses and cultural artifacts.
- Baldwin Estate Partner — Collaborated on the exhibition "For Those Who Come After."
- Black Film Archive Partner — Co-presented a film screening and imagination workshop on archival storytelling and world-building.
- Black North Philadelphia community organizations Partner — Partnered with community organizations in Black North Philadelphia to resist displacement and corporate extraction through collective action.
- Brooklyn Bridge Park Partner — Partnered on the public monument exhibition "Dreaming with the archives."
- Brooklyn Bridge Park Conservancy Partner — Collaborating organization in presenting the Dreaming with the Archives public art exhibition.
- CBH Partner — Co-hosted an event on National Oyster Day exploring Black foodways and entrepreneurship in Brooklyn.
- Chinatown community organizations Partner — Collaborated with Chinatown community groups in opposing the proposed 76ers arena and building cross-racial solidarity.
- Derrick Adams Partner — Collaborated on the creation of augmented reality monuments and storytelling initiatives.
- George Suttles Partner — Board member contributing governance and strategic guidance.
- Hank Willis Thomas Partner — Collaborated on the creation of augmented reality monuments and storytelling initiatives.
- Idris Brewster Partner — Executive Director of Kinfolk Tech Foundation, quoted on the organization's mission and vision
- Jeff Jiménez-Kurlander Partner — Board member contributing governance and strategic guidance.
- Luma Partner — Hosts event registration for Community Voice demo sessions.
- Museum of Modern Art Partner — Collaborates with Kinfolk Tech on the creation of monuments featured in the Preservation Park installation.
- NYC AIDS Memorial Partner — Co-presented the AR exhibition Portals of Remembrance to honor overlooked figures in the HIV/AIDS movement.
- Rada Collaborative Partner — Co-produced the "There Goes Nikki" AR memorial exhibition.
- Rada Collaborative Partner — Partnered on the exhibition "There Goes Nikki."
- The Laundromat Project Partner — Co-hosts in-person events at their Storefront location in Brooklyn, NY.
- The Music Center Partner — Collaborates with Kinfolk Tech on the creation of monuments featured in the Preservation Park installation.
- Tribeca Film Festival Partner — Collaborates with Kinfolk Tech on the creation of monuments featured in the Preservation Park installation.
- Wangechi Mutu Partner — Collaborated on the creation of augmented reality monuments and storytelling initiatives.
- artists Partner — Collaborates with artists to co-create public memory and storytelling projects.
- communities Partner — Co-creates storytelling projects and public memory activations with communities.
- cultural institutions Partner — Partners with cultural institutions to amplify stories and shape public memory.
- historians Partner — Collaborates with historians in co-creating public memory and storytelling projects.
- innergalactic Partner — Co-creator of the For Those Who Come After installation
- innergalactic Partner — Collaborated on the exhibition "For Those Who Come After."
+ 1 more
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.
- Immersive Storytelling as a Catalyst for Emotional Resonance and Action 55 orgsmethodology: immersive_storytellingBy using augmented reality and immersive digital experiences to animate erased histories, we produce emotional resonance and communal healing because visceral, embodied engagement transforms passive memory into active remembrance and motivates collective civic action.shared approach: Testimony-Driven Moral Engagement →
- Community-Led Co-Creation for Justice and Belonging 40 orgsmethodology: community-led_co_creationBy centering community voices in the co-creation of digital memorials and storytelling experiences, we produce collective healing and civic action because authentic ownership fosters dignity, trust, and sustained engagement in justice work.shared approach: Storytelling for Truth and Healing →
- Consent-Centered and Community-Controlled Archiving 14 orgsmethodology: consent-centered_designBy ensuring individuals and communities control how their stories are collected, stored, and shared, we produce ethical memory practices because autonomy over personal and cultural narratives prevents re-traumatization and builds long-term trust in archival processes.shared approach: Archival Activism →
- Radical Futurism Through Liberatory Designmethodology: radical_futurismBy engaging communities in reimagining systems of oppression through speculative and radical imagination, we produce transformative social change because envisioning liberated futures enables people to act beyond reformist constraints and build alternatives grounded in justice and belonging.
- Story-to-Action Continuum for Movement Buildingmethodology: story_to_action_continuumBy guiding communities along a structured pathway from storytelling to civic action, we produce sustained movement engagement because emotional connection and shared narrative precede and enable coordinated collective action.