Annual Report 2023

View the complete PDF of our 2023 Annual Report

From Our Executive Director

New York Restoration Project’s work is as vital as ever. As the city weathered the hottest summer on record this past year, NYRP’s parks, gardens, and trees were essential defenses against all-too-common extreme heat, polluted air, and severe flooding.

We rose to the occasion thanks to our committed donors. Throughout many of the city’s most vulnerable communities, NYRP planted and distributed 4,500 trees, built 17 new green spaces, and expanded our efforts to prevent the erosion of Manhattan’s largest remaining wetland. We removed over 80,000 pounds of litter and enlisted approximately 2,000 volunteers to expand our citywide efforts. Even as the pandemic’s grip on our daily lives has waned since 2020, demand for NYRP’s services has continually grown.

This necessary work began as a private-public partnership almost 30 years ago when our founder, Bette Midler, started picking up trash in parks. At its very best over time, our longstanding collaboration between the private and public sectors has empowered NYRP to transform acres of neglected parkland, preserve dozens of beloved community gardens, and plant over a million trees in the areas that need them most.

In recent months, however, we’ve realized NYRP’s work must rely on philanthropy more than ever. The City of New York is facing a budget crisis and slashing all agency budgets. The Parks Department, a foundational partner of NYRP’s work, will suffer from severely reduced funding and so will its green spaces. Further, while inflation and rising interest rates hurt us all, a reduction in public services hit many of the communities NYRP serves the hardest. Your donation to NYRP helps us to bridge the gap in New York’s time of need.

Even as the cost of our work rises while public support dips, NYRP will not back down from our mission to ensure equal access to nature’s unquestionable benefits for every New Yorker. We believe in the power of philanthropy to achieve this vision as much as we count on the City to help make its own land accessible and well-maintained for its residents. NYRP will continue our work on both fronts to maintain our work’s critical private-public balance.

As ever, we are here to deepen our efforts with your continued donations. Access to nature is a fundamental human right and we know we will reach new milestones together this coming year.

With gratitude,


Lynn Bodnar Kelly, Executive Director

From Our Board Co-Chairs

At New York Restoration Project, we are dedicated to ensuring that all New Yorkers have equitable access to nature throughout the city. We are proud to say that, as of 2023, over 1.6 million people live within a 10-minute walk of an NYRP green space.

This past year we continued our work stewarding community parks and gardens throughout all five boroughs. Working in collaboration with local partners, NYRP turned underutilized outdoor spaces into productive new gardens in some of the city’s least green and most underserved neighborhoods.

With the generous help of our partners and over 1,500 volunteers, this year we:

  • Removed over 86,565 pounds of trash from parks;
  • Composted 110,940 pounds of organic materials;
  • Distributed 10,500 plant starts and seedlings to gardeners;
  • Worked with over 700 urban gardeners in our community to cultivate 19,000 square feet of raised garden beds;
  • Planted and distributed over 4,500 trees, including hosting 20 free tree giveaway events;
  • Hosted 165 workshops, skill shares, and technical consultations for almost 1,000 gardeners;
  • Built 17 new green spaces at schools, community organizations, and public libraries;
  • Welcomed over 1,500 volunteers to plant trees and help maintain our parks and gardens;
  • And hosted over 245 public programs and events for over 7,000 community members.

NYRP continues to advocate for and work with its stakeholders to enhance the budget of New York City’s Parks Department. Everyone deserves a city that is clean, green, and resilient in the face of the climate crisis.

Thank you for championing our mission to ensure that all New Yorkers can access the critical benefits of green space. Your donations continue to make a difference every day, especially in the areas of our city that need it most.

With gratitude,
signatures
Darcy Stacom and Samuel M. Ashner
Board of Trustees Co-Chairs

Mission and Values

New York Restoration Project believes that access to nature is a fundamental human right.

Learn More

Restoring Parkland

NYRP is the primary steward of over 80 acres of Northern Manhattan green space across Highbridge Park, Sherman Creek Park, and the Harlem River Greenway.

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Stewarding Gardens

More than 1.6 million New Yorkers live within a 10-minute walk of a NYRP green space. This includes the 52 community gardens we own and operate throughout all five boroughs.

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Building Green Spaces

Since NYRP’s Gardens for the City program began over a decade ago, we have built or completely renovated over 300 green spaces throughout New York City. This includes 17 new gardens in 2023 alone, with at least one in every borough.

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Download the Report

View, download, and print the full PDF of our 2023 Annual Report

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Financials

2023 Total Revenues $8,357,593

All figures based on audited financials.

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2023 Operating Expenses $8,242,491

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2023 Leadership

This list includes the Board of Trustees as of the close of our FY23 on September 30, 2023.

* Stepped down from Board October 2023
** Elected Co-Chair January 2024

Board of Trustees

Bette Midler, Founder
Helena Durst, Co-Chair*
Darcy Stacom, Co-Chair
Vered Rabia, President
Erhard Marius, Treasurer
Samuel M. Ashner**
Krystyna Blakeslee
Heather Butts
Betty Y. Chen
Todd DeGarmo
Susan Donoghue, Ex Officio
Walter Hood
Michael Kors
Michael Lorber
James L. Nederlander
Benjamin F. Needell
Kelebohile Nkhereanye
Janice Parker, Ex Officio
David Rockwell
Joshua Sirefman
Sophie von Haselberg
Sondra C. Wenger
Miriam Wheeler
Shelly Malkin, Emeritus
Ann Ziff, Emeritus

Chairman’s Council

Janice Parker, Chair
Charles Bendit
Adrian Benepe
Noble Black
Diane Brownstone
Alexandra Cohen
Douglas Durst
Amy Goldman Fowler
Tim Gunn
Mychal Johnson
Sophie Coquillette Koven
Jakob Levison
Rob Light
Margo MacNabb Nederlander
Joshua Rider
Paul D. Selver
Andrea Woodner

 

person smiling holding vegetables

NYRP renovated Rainbow Garden of Life & Health in the South Bronx, which now functions as robust community hub and urban farm.

Supporters

Equitable access to green space has never been more important. We are grateful for our many generous donors who hold this conviction as strongly as we do.

This alphabetical list includes donors who gave $1,000 or more between October 1, 2022 and September 30, 2023. This list has been prepared with care but if there is an error, please notify us at [email protected].

Barbara A. Abeles
Council Member Shaun Abreu
Activate Consulting
G.C. Adkins
Alton Aviation Consultancy
Winifred Amaturo
Anonymous (7)
Matt Anuszkiewicz
Joseph Aphinyanaphongs
Apollo Global Management
Sara Arno
Jessica Ashner
Samuel M. Ashner
The Ashner Family Evergreen Foundation
Lily Auchincloss Foundation
Christiane Baker
Bank of America
Caryl Baron
Bruce Baughman and Melanie G. Arwin
Benesch, Friedlander, Coplan & Aronoff LLP
Michael A. Benson
Arnaldo Bernabe
Helen Bernstein
The Andrew J. Bernstein Foundation
Big Apple Circus
Noble Black and Marc Rozic
BlackBirch Capital Inc.
The Blackstone Group
Krystyna M. Blakeslee
Bloomberg Philanthropies
BNP Paribas
Gerry Bonomi
Adam Bordner
Jason Bowman
Bruce Bozzi and Bryan Lourd
Nancy A. Bredhoff
Lucia Briones
Brookfield Properties
Diane and Clyde Brownstone
Paul Burkey
Capalino+Company
Lisa Caputo Morris
The Carlton Group
CBRE Group Inc.
CBRE Global Investment Management
Charityvest Inc.
Betty Y. Chen and Peter Coombe
Diane M. Chesnut
Peter L. Christensen
Cisco
Citizens Philanthropic Foundation
The City Gardens Club of New York City
The City of New York
Steven and Alexandra Cohen Foundation
Jonathan Collard
Cameron Cox
Kim and Tommy Craig
CUIMC Office of Government & Community Affairs
Cushman & Wakefield
Katherine Dalsimer
Clive J. Davis
Sarah K. de Coizart Perpetual Charitable Trust
Todd DeGarmo // STUDIOS Architecture
Council Member Carmen De La Rosa
Shirley Della Vecchia
Deloitte LLP
Delta Air Lines, Inc.
Anna DeLuca
Anke Dening-Volcker
Beth Rudin DeWoody
Diptyque
Timothy Disalvo
Jessica Doerner
Michael Douglas and Catherine Zeta-Jones
Zach Drobner
The Duncan Family
Jake Duneier
Dunkin’ Joy In Childhood Foundation
Jordan Dunn
Helena Durst
The Durst Organization
Maria Dziedzic
Eastdil Secured
EBY Enterprises, Inc.
Jessica Hu and Jonathan Eddy
Douglas Eisenberg
Eric Javits LLC
Ernst & Young LLP
EvensonBest
Council Member Amanda Farias
Farm Credit Northeast AgEnhancement
Council Member Oswald Feliz
Casey and Matthew Fisher
Keith Fox and Tom Keyes
Elliot Friman
Jane Furth
Valentin Fuster
David Geffen Foundation
Andra Georges
Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher LLP
GIC
Laura Gilbert
Maryanne and John Gilmartin
Laurence and Sandi Gluck Charitable Foundation
Douglas Golann
Howard Goldberg
John and Marcia Goldman Philanthropic Fund
Amy Goldman Fowler
Goldman, Sachs & Co.
The Horace W. Goldsmith Foundation
Greenacre Foundation
Deborah A. Griffin
Allen and Deborah Grubman
Linda Hackett
Alexander Hankin
Council Member Kamillah Hanks
The Hargrove Pierce Foundation
Wayde Harrison
Kitty Hawks and Lawrence Lederman
The Morris A. Hazan Family Foundation
Hearst Foundations
Molly Heines and Thomas Moloney
Heinz Family Foundation
Carol Helms
Patricia Henry
David Heymann
Edmund D. Hollander, FASLA
The Deborah K. Holmes Family Foundation
Walter Hood / Hood Design Studio
Kimberly Hourihan
HPS Partners
Barbara C. Hunt
Rachel Hunter- Goldman
The Hyde and Watson Foundation
Arleen E. Buchanan
Raphael G. Jacobs
The Jeckyl Foundation
Jenco Foundation, Inc.
JLL Capital Market
Elton John Charitable Fund
John Gore Organization
Ashlyn Johnson
Doris Johnson
Johnson & Johnson
Mary Margaret Jones
Jennifer Josephy
Peter Kahng
David H. Kaufman
Jerold Kayden
Lynn Bodnar Kelly
Kensington Vanguard National Land Services
Dennis Kildea
The Kite Key Foundation
The Kors Le Pere Foundation
The Kovner Foundation
Lillian Kraemer
Council Member Shekar Krishnan
Kasi Kubiak
Christy Labonte
Leanne Lachman
Helen D. Lally
The Ralph and Ricky Lauren Family Foundation, Inc.
Shannon Lee
The Chuck and Rose Leitner Fund
Don Lemon and Tim Malone
Manhattan Borough President Mark Levine
Spencer Levy
Giselle Licursi
Loewi-Lemberger Kaplan Charitable Fund
Darla Longo
Michael Lorber
Lululemon Athletica
The Edith W. MacGuire Charitable Trust
Barry Magid
The Malkin Fund, Inc.
Erhard and Ruth Marius
The Marshall Family Foundation Inc.
Nancy Matta
Michael Mattia
Max Mayell
Michael McGraw
Arlene McKay
McKinsey & Company
Troy McNamara
Meltzer, Lippe, Goldstein & Breitstone, LLP
Mesa West Capital
Doug Middleton
Bette Midler and Martin von Haselberg
Sarah Miller
Ralph Millero
Larry Milstein and Brian Drost
MJS Foundation
Kevin Moosbrugger
Farshad More
Hanna and Jeffrey Moskin Family Fund
Christopher Moyer
MRB Foundation
National Fish and Wildlife Foundation
The Nature Conservancy
Margo M. and James L. Nederlander
National Grid
Kathy and Ben Needell
The New York Community Trust
Newman’s Own Foundation
Newmark & Company Real Estate Inc.
Council Member Sandy Nurse
New York State Office of Environmental Conservation
New York State Department of Agriculture and Markets
Getz Obstfeld
RDO Equipment
Andrea Olshan
One Tree Planted Inc.
Nathan Orsman
Council Member Chi Ossé
Darryl Pardi
Janice Parker Landscape Architects
Bob Pascucci
Benj Pasek
Patagonia
Elizabeth T. Peabody
Sina Pearson
Barbara Perrier
The L.E. Phillips Family Foundation, Inc.
Nancy and Fred Poses
Posner-Wallace Foundation
Sally Pritchard
Proskauer Rose LLP
Lendri Purcell
Vered Rabia
The CBRAT Foundation
Doug Ray
Katharine J. Rayner
Marc Renard
Council Member Lincoln Restler
Josh and Kerri Rider
Zachary Robbins
Timothy A. Robert
Robert A.M. Stern Architects, LLP
Rockwell Group
Rockwell Architecture Planning and Design PC
Olshan Frome Wolosky LLP
ROKT Corporation
Katie Romick
Clifford Ross and Nicolette Donen
Janet Ross
Daryl and Steven Roth Foundation
Michael Rourke
Cynthia Rowley
May and Samuel Rudin Family Foundation, Inc.
The Estate of Walter Rummenie
RXR Realty
Carole Bayer Sager and Bob Daly
Council Member Pierina Ana Sanchez
Sawyer|Berson
Jeffrey Schneider
Marc Schwartz
The Scully-Peretsman Foundation
Paul D. Selver
Elizabeth Senecal
Marc Shaiman and Lou Mirabal
Stephen Shapiro
Faizal Sheriff
David M. Sherman
The Shubert Organization
Evan Shumeyko
Vicky Shusterman
Peter N. Simon
James and Marilyn Simons
Joshua Sirefman and Sarah Kim
SL Green
Alfred P. Sloan Foundation
Henry T. Snee
Donna and Richard Soloway
Hamilton South and Manuel Bellod
Darcy Stacom, CBRE
Sonny Stafford
The Harold and Mimi Steinberg Charitable Trust
Council Member Althea Stevens
Jon Recor and Daniel Stewart
The Stiefel Foundation
Michael Stillman
Joyce Storm
T. Rowe Price
Taconic Investment Partners
Charlie Tallinger
Mark Tanenbaum
Kimara Targoff
The Blackstone Charitable Foundation
Sally Thurston
Tiger Baron Foundation
Coralie S. Toevs
Abby Toomey
Robin B. Tost
Deirdre Towers
David Traitel
Trinity Church Wall Street
Kathleen H. Tripp
Robert L. Turner
Todd Tydlaska
The Sandra & Howard Tytel Family Foundation
UBS Americas
United Airlines
United States Department of Agriculture, Natural Resources Conservation Service
JP Morgan Private Bank
Suzanne Urich
Van Konynenburg Foundation
The Verrill Foundation
Viking Global Foundation Inc.
Sophie F. von Haselberg and Harry Guinness
Holly B. Wallace
Discovery, Inc.
Charlene and Aaron Welsh
Gary Wendlandt
Sondra C. Wenger
Jann Wenner
Christine and Nigel Weston
Miriam and Garrett Wheeler
William Warren Properties
Council Member Nantasha Williams
Willkie Farr & Gallagher LLP
Nyna Wilson
Melba Wilson
Nathan Wold
Andrea Woodner
Jennifer L. Wray
The Zankel Fund
Sara Zewde
Mariano Zimmler
Kelly Zullo