Cypress Hills Local Development Corporation

What it reported doing in 2024

United community centers in fy25, chldc welcomed the staff, several former board members and the programs of a sister settlement house, united community centers (ucc) to the cypress hills local development corporation family. Through a legal merger, the former independent not-for-profit organization, ucc is now a division of chldc. We have retained ucc's staff and services and are deepening our collective impact and reach across east New York. We now run an early learning center for 60 toddlers and preschoolers. The child care center creates a learning environment that represents the diversity of our city and teaches children to live with one another and develop an understanding of themselves and of their world. We serve young children, ages 2 to 5 years with school day and extended day licensed child care and nutritious meals. We design exciting and cultural authentic learning environments, use standards-based instructional strategies and assessment tools. Another former ucc initiative that chldc now offers is protecting the east (pte), a peer leadership sexual health education and reproductive justice program. Pte promotes healthy relationships among youth and young adults in east New York, a historically underserved bipoc neighborhood. Pte utilizes various intervention strategies, including 10-15 paid peer educators ages 16-21 engaging other young people in sexual health conversations in street outreach and community events, a comprehensive social media and marketing outreach campaign, tailored and curated education sessions/workshops at local schools and health clinics; distribution of over 113,000 condoms, 100 at-home HIV testing kits, and 1000+ pregnancy and sti tests and plan b annually; and engage with 13,000 people in-person at a series of community events aimed at bringing further attention to sexual health, HIV prevention, healthy relationships, and reproductive justice.lastly, we are proud to now sponsor east New York farms! Project (enyf) which is an urban agriculture and food justice project. Now entering its 28th year, enyf's mission is to organize youth and adult residents to address food justice in our community by promoting local sustainable agriculture and community-led economic development. Our goal is to leverage local resources to empower residents to address their needs through a revitalization strategy that increases community food security, promotes health, and supports the preservation of natural resources. Our program includes: 16 youth in a paid agricultural internship; 200+ adults in the gardener network; one half acre urban farm; a youth-run farmers' market with 15-18 vendors every saturday from the end of june through early november; and the eny compost project.

Financial Efficiency

• Mission deployment rate: 59.1%; rating input score 59
• Program expense ratio: 77%; rating input score 77
• Fundraising efficiency: $51.15 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 76; 76th percentile among comparable filings

Transparency & Controls

• Consistency checks: 100%; rating input score 100; 62nd percentile among comparable filings
• Pay-setting controls: 3 of 6 controls in place; rating input score 50
  • Compensation committee: Missing
  • Independent consultant: Pass
  • Other Form 990s reviewed: Pass
  • Written employment contract: Missing
  • Compensation survey or study: Missing
  • Board or committee approval: Pass
• Foreign activity oversight: Limited
• Grant itemization coverage: 100%; rating input score 100; 72nd percentile among comparable filings
• Major donor itemization: Yes; rating input score 100
• Related-party transparency: Yes; rating input score 100

Accountability

• Independent voting board: 100%; rating input score 100; 66th percentile among comparable filings
• Governance controls: 9 of 9 controls in place; rating input score 100
  • Conflict-of-interest policy: Pass
  • Whistleblower policy: Pass
  • Document-retention policy: Pass
  • CEO compensation review process: Pass
  • Other executive compensation review process: Pass
  • Form 990 shared with the board: Pass
  • Board meeting minutes documented: Pass
  • Audit committee oversight: Pass
  • Independent financial-statement audit: Pass

Sustainability

• Operating margin: 23.8%; rating input score 85; 85th percentile among comparable filings
• Total-asset coverage ratio: 2.15; rating input score 64; 64th percentile among comparable filings
• Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.49; rating input score 30; 30th percentile among comparable filings
• Officer compensation ratio: 5%; rating input score 51; 51st percentile among comparable filings

Growth

• Program expense growth: 6.3% per year; rating input score 100; 51st percentile among comparable filings
• Revenue growth: 9.4% per year; rating input score 100; 72nd percentile among comparable filings
• Asset growth: 18.8% per year; rating input score 100; 87th percentile among comparable filings