Friends of the East River Esplanade (60Th-120th Streets) Inc

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
460542653
IRS 990 coverage
2024–2025
Forms available
Form 990 2025, Form 990-EZ 2023, Form 990-N 2014
Location
New York, NY, USA
Phone
9178480325
Rating
62
Verdict
SUPPORTED
Rating confidence
Moderate
Sector
Human Service Organizations

Official website

Reported finances

Revenue
$197,529
Expenses
$128,044
Assets
$256,296
Liabilities
$0

Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2025. Amounts in USD.

Leadership & pay

12 people listed

Executive titles in this filing

  • ASHANIQUE RODRIGUEZ (EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, THRU AUG. 2025)
  • MARIA KESSLER (EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, AS OF NOV. 2025)

Highest reported compensation

  • ASHANIQUE RODRIGUEZ (EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, THRU AUG. 2025): $36,958 total reported compensation
  • MARIA KESSLER (EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, AS OF NOV. 2025): $9,016 total reported compensation

Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2025. Names and roles reflect this filing, not necessarily current officeholders.

Overview

Mission

We advocate, maintain, and provide environmental community programming on the east river waterfront. We offer gardening, fishing classes, birding and waterfront tours, yoga classes on the water and our signature family-friendly live music concerts! Our programs supplement nyc parks who are ultimately responsible for the care of the esplanade.

What it reported doing in 2025

Esplanadefriends is the waterfront conservancy for the east river waterfront esplanade that runs from manhattan's east harlem and upper east side to east midtown. We advocate for and help to beautify and activate the east river esplanade. Our beautification initiatives include public art as well as volunteer landscaping and planting. We provide free community programming on the waterfront throughout the year. We offer environmental programs that range from gardening to fishing classes and birding. We offer waterfront tours and yoga classes with a river view. And from spring through fall we host our signature free live music concerts that attract community members of all ages from babies to seniors. All of our activities complement and support nyc parks and the other nyc municipal agencies that are ultimately responsible for the care of the esplanade.

Operating model

Revenue model
Donor-supported. 74% of the money available for current operations came from contributions and gifts.
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.

The verdict

SUPPORTED - The filed numbers largely add up and most voting board members are independent. A relatively small share of available resources goes toward mission work and a relatively small share of total spending goes to programs.

Rating breakdown

  • Financial Efficiency: 36
  • Transparency & Controls: 92
  • Accountability: 69
  • Sustainability: 67
  • Growth: 60

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 30.4%; rating input score 30
  • Program expense ratio: 46.8%; rating input score 47
  • Fundraising efficiency: $8.65 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 34; 34th percentile among comparable filings

Transparency & Controls

  • Consistency checks: 100%; rating input score 100; 64th 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; 64th percentile among comparable filings
  • Governance controls: 2 of 8 controls in place; rating input score 25
    • Conflict-of-interest policy: Fail
    • Whistleblower policy: Fail
    • 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: Missing
    • Independent financial-statement audit: Fail

Sustainability

  • Operating margin: 35.2%; rating input score 84; 84th percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 2; rating input score 59; 59th percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 0; rating input score 77; 77th percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 35.9%; rating input score 8; 8th percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: -35% per year; rating input score 0; 3rd percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: 8.4% per year; rating input score 100; 64th percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: 3.2% per year; rating input score 100; 36th percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • Where the money goes: 30.4% of revenue deployed · 46.8% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 10 of 10 board members independent · 2 of 8 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 1 filed program accomplishment · $60K in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $37K · 12 people listed
  • Consistency: 19 of 19 current checks pass
  • Schedules: 4 filed schedules · includes major donors
  • Filing history: 2 filing years from 2024 to 2025
  • Contacts: How to reach this organization
  • Money network: 2 filed money-flow records
  • Related organizations: Filed and resolved organization relationships.
  • 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.

Key Signals

Signals prioritize questions for review. They are not findings of misconduct.

  • Moderate — Financial Efficiency: Mission deployment rate scored 30/100.
  • Moderate — Financial Efficiency: Program expense ratio scored 47/100.
  • High — Accountability: Governance controls: 5 of 7 not reported.
  • Moderate — Financial Efficiency: Fundraising efficiency scored 34/100.
  • High — Growth: Program expense growth scored 0/100.
  • Review — Sustainability: Total-asset coverage ratio scored 59/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 8/100.