Open Space Alliance for North Brooklyn Inc

Overview

Mission

North brooklyn parks alliance works with the nyc department of parks & recreation, elected officials, and our community to maintain, activate, enhance, and expand parks and public spaces in northbrooklyn.

What it reported doing in 2024

In 2024, the north brooklyn parks alliance expanded its maintenance and horticultural services and programming at under the k bridge park for its first full year of being open as a public park. Public programming ranged from ongoing volunteer stewardship opportunities, to the second annual "reggae under the bridge" series, to a "summer of love" music festival in partnership with house of yes.throughout brooklyn's community board 1, the organization coordinated volunteer programs, supported neighborhood park groups-like local dog runs (providing park improvements to cooper, mcgolrick, mccarren, and sternberg runs), community gardens through an open garden day collaboration, and friends groups through fiscal sponsorship and technical assistance and worked with open streets and public plaza partners on new public spaces in the neighborhood.

Operating model

Revenue model
Mixed. Its operating money came from several sources; no one source provided a clear majority.
Distribution model
Direct operator. The filing allocates 100% of reported program-service expenses outside its grant, affiliate-payment, and member-benefit lines. This expense classification does not rule out separately announced grant awards.

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
010849087
IRS 990 coverage
2011–2024
Forms available
Form 990 2024
Headquarters
Brooklyn, NY, USA
Phone
7185992718
Rating
77
Verdict
SUPPORTED
Rating confidence
Moderate
Sector
Environmental Beautification and Aesthetics

Official website

The verdict

SUPPORTED - The filed numbers largely add up and a large share of available resources goes toward mission work. Some filing-based governance responses are negative or unanswered and fundraising costs are high for each dollar raised.

Rating breakdown

  • Financial Efficiency: 69
  • Transparency & Controls: 92
  • Accountability: 79
  • Sustainability: 39
  • Growth: 80

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 72.5%; rating input score 72
  • Program expense ratio: 81.6%; rating input score 82
  • Fundraising efficiency: $4.06 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 13; 13th percentile among comparable filings

Transparency & Controls

  • Consistency checks: 100%; rating input score 100; 63rd percentile among comparable filings
  • Pay-setting controls: Limited
  • Foreign activity oversight: Limited
  • Grant itemization coverage: Limited
  • Major donor itemization: Yes; rating input score 100
  • Related-party transparency: Limited

Accountability

  • Independent voting board: 100%; rating input score 100; 63rd percentile among comparable filings
  • Governance controls: 4 of 8 controls in place; rating input score 50
    • Conflict-of-interest policy: Pass
    • Whistleblower policy: Pass
    • Document-retention policy: Fail
    • CEO compensation review process: Fail
    • Other executive compensation review process: NotApplicable
    • Form 990 shared with the board: Pass
    • Board meeting minutes documented: Pass
    • Audit committee oversight: Fail
    • Independent financial-statement audit: Fail

Sustainability

  • Operating margin: 11.2%; rating input score 63; 63rd percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 0.22; rating input score 10; 10th percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.99; rating input score 6; 6th percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 7.6%; rating input score 45; 45th percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: 12.8% per year; rating input score 100; 70th percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: 12.9% per year; rating input score 100; 74th percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: -0.5% per year; rating input score 0; 16th percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • Where the money goes: 72.5% of revenue deployed · 81.6% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 13 of 13 board members independent · 4 of 8 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 1 filed program accomplishment · $1.4M in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $127K · 14 people listed
  • Consistency: 29 of 29 current checks pass
  • Schedules: 7 filed schedules · includes major donors
  • Filing history: 14 annual filings from 2011 to 2024
  • Contacts: How to reach this organization
  • Money network: 2 filed money-flow records
  • Related organizations: 1 filed related-organization link
  • Grant readiness: Federal tax and exclusion status, award history, and grant-maker relationships.
  • People: Everyone the filings name, and which of them the filings identify by more than a name.

Leadership & pay

14 people listed

Highest reported compensation

  • KATHERINE HOROWITZ (EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR): $126,930 total reported compensation

Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: FY2024.