Bedford Stuyvesant Restoration Corporation

Bedford Stuyvesant Restoration Corporation
2021 - $10000 Micromobility As a Tool Towards Economic Equality

Bedford-Stuyvesant Restoration Corporation is the nation’s first community development corporation. Created in 1967 through grassroots activism and the bipartisan support of Senators Robert F. Kennedy and Jacob Javits, Restoration serves 50,000 people annually as an advocate, coalition-builder, and direct service provider. Based in Central Brooklyn, BSRC is rooted in the largest population of African-Caribbean diaspora in the United States where there is a convergence of economic, health, environmental disparities. Since 2015, Restoration has been a local, city-wide, and national leader in the bike share and micromobility sector. 

BSRC’s mission is to disrupt and close the racial wealth gap to ensure all families in Central Brooklyn are prosperous and healthy. With a vision of a flourishing Brooklyn community consisting of strong families, businesses, and institutions and anchored in a culture of equity and inclusion, for over a decade their Center for Healthy Neighborhoods (CHN) aims to change the structural conditions that drive the inequities in chronic disease, focusing on policies, systems and environmental change within the food and transportation sectors.  

Since Citi Bike’s further expansion into Bedford-Stuyvesant in 2015, BSRC has led the NYC Better Bike Share Partnership (NYC BBSP) to increase access to and usership of bike share in low-income communities of color in Brooklyn and throughout NYC. Restoration partnered with then Citi Bike operator Motivate, the NYC Department of Transportation (DOT), and NYC Department of Health and Mental Hygiene (DOHMH). The efforts of the partnership has resulted in the expansion of the $5 a month Reduced Fare Bike Share membership option to all SNAP recipients, the Citi Bike for Youth and Prescribe-A-Bike programs, the formation of Lyft’s Equity Advisory Board, and an increase in bike share access among low-income residents by over 77%. 

The work of the NYC BBSP is centered on increasing access to active transportation options thereby, improving access to employment, education and other resources while increasing physical activity options in underserved communities. Ensuring that decisions around policies, investment and infrastructure in low-income areas are made by people with lived experiences in those communities will lead to better services and safer streets. This in turn allows for greater adoption of active transportation, and better access to resources that support health and economic opportunities.

With support from Seed Fund, BSRC is spearheading a multi-pronged initiative to increase employment and business opportunities, as well as representation of people of color from low income communities in decision-making positions within the micromobility sector. To accomplish this BSRC will:

• Significantly increase the number of low-income people of color with living-wage employment and business opportunities in the transportation and micromoblity industry, as well as their representation in transportation planning fields;
• Host mentorship programs and create paid fellowships for students from marginalized groups, working with them to develop skills leading to analyst, planning and tech positions;
• Change recruitment practices within micromobility/transportation planning organizations, modify hiring rubrics and create programs for internal advancement of staff in lower-paid positions;
• Engage schools and areas with more students of color, and enhance the field’s image to attract a diverse workforce.

restorationplaza.org

Build Public Inc.

Build Public Inc. 2017 - $15,000 Green Benefit Districts Build Public is a mission-driven nonprofit that leverages creative public-private partnerships to create, finance and maintain high quality urban public space in San Francisco and beyond. theoneplus.org/np_profile/2912

Gowanus Canal Conservancy

Community Science Water Quality Testing (Pre-COVID, Photo_ Jeremy Amar)

Gowanus Blue Schools Design Challenge (Pre-COVID, Photo_ Jeremy Amar)

Gowanus Canal Shot (Photo_ Jonathan Grassi)

Gowanus Green Team Group Pose (During COVID - Photo_ Caroline Laroche)

Gowanus Neighborhood Tree Stewardship (Pre-COVID, Photo_ Jeremy Amar)

Gowanus Canal Conservancy
2022 - $15,000 Master Plan
2020 - $10,000 General Support

Gowanus Canal Conservancy (GCC) advocates and cares for ecologically sustainable parks and public spaces in the Gowanus Lowlands while empowering a community of stewards. Since 2006, GCC has led volunteer projects focused on garden and street tree stewardship; educated and activated community stewards, volunteers, and students in urban water issues; equipped the community to build and advocate for a healthy waterway and environmentally resilient neighborhood; and worked with agencies, elected officials, and the community to advocate for, build, and maintain innovative green infrastructure in the Gowanus Watershed. 

As the Gowanus neighborhood is facing rapid change from the Gowanus Canal Superfund clean-up, City-proposed Gowanus Neighborhood Rezoning, and preparations for sea level rise, GCC has established itself as the guiding community voice for innovative green infrastructure design in Gowanus’ public realm to create a more sustainable and livable neighborhood.

The Gowanus Lowlands Master Plan is a community-based vision for a public realm formed from a network of parks, publicly-accessible waterfront esplanades, and tree-lined corridors centered on the Gowanus Canal. The Gowanus Lowlands builds upon multiple planning and clean-up processes to provide the community with accessible green space, cultural resources, and recreational amenities while serving multiple functions through increased flood resilience, mitigation of the impacts of the urban heat island effect, creation of habitat, stormwater management, and reduction in pressure on the sewer system. 

GCC empowers local stakeholders in stewardship of their local landscapes through ongoing, in-person stewardship events and opportunities. Through the Gowanus Tree Network, GCC recruits, trains, and supports local residents and business owners in the Gowanus Lowlands as they provide long term tree stewardship on their blocks. GCC distributes tools, compost, and plants and provides support for volunteers and residential gardeners living in nearby NYCHA public housing. Additional volunteers are engaged in GCC’s Volunteer Program in propagating and planting native plants, and in removing weeds and litter from street trees and bioswales throughout the neighborhood. These stewardship efforts help to reduce combined sewer overflow (CSO) and urban heat island impacts, while supporting livable and beautiful spaces for community members to enjoy. Temporary COVID adaptations have been developed to ensure the safety of all environmental stewards. 

The Lowlands Nursery grows healthy native, urban-adapted plants, with a focus on local ecotypes in order to facilitate the planting of native plants in the Gowanus Lowlands. These native plants are distributed throughout Gowanus, and can be found at the Salt Lot, in nearby tree pits and neighborhood gardens, and in the yards of community members, organizations, and schools. Volunteers help plant these native plants during in-person volunteer events. Plants can also be purchased at the Salt Lot during plant sale events or by appointment. Temporary modifications have been made, allowing customers to purchase plants, soil, and compost online, which they can then pick up at a predetermined time.

Gowanus Green Team employs youth, primarily recruited from local NYCHA public housing, in order to better understand local environmental issues and build skills and knowledge for environmental careers. Apprentices participate in classroom lessons, field work and training, and trips to parks and restoration areas in Gowanus and around NYC. Apprentices develop physical skills, including gardening, infrastructure maintenance, and plant identification; teamwork and communication skills; and knowledge about urban environmental issues facing our city. Last season, GCC’s apprenticeship program took place with stringent physical distancing and safety measures in place. Eight youth living in neighborhood NYCHA housing logged 884 hours over three months and developed stewardship skills and provided horticultural maintenance in the Lowlands Nursery, rain gardens, and street trees. The program included weekly virtual sessions focused on neighborhood ecology, green infrastructure, horticultural techniques, and job skills.

The Urban Ecology, Gowanus Blue Schools, and Community Science education programs provide supplementary educational content tailored to an audience of students, teachers, and families in the surrounding watershed and EJ areas. These programs educate, engage, and inspire those who are most directly impacted by the environmental issues in Gowanus. They are equipped with the tools they need to make positive change. The Urban Ecology Program engages K-5 students in the importance of environmental stewardship, green infrastructure as a solution to pollution, and native plant horticulture, as they propagate numerous native plant species on site. The Gowanus Blue Schools Program teaches students in grades 5-12 to imagine and develop green infrastructure design proposals to help reduce CSO impacts on their school campuses. The Community Science Program equips students in grades 5-12 with an understanding of water quality health and data collection, allowing students to assess a variety of water quality parameters through on-site testing. Each program has been temporarily modified into a remote learning model, featuring virtual field trips, to accommodate as many students as possible during this challenging time.

gowanuscanalconservancy.org

Natural Areas Conservancy (NAC)

CUNY interns identify a tree’s species in a natural area forest.
Credit: Natural Areas Conservancy

High school interns collect ecological data at a pond in Forest Park, Queens.
Credit: Natural Areas Conservancy

The Citywide Trails Team locally sources and utilizes large boulders to improve New York City’s trail network.
Credit: Natural Areas Conservancy

Deputy Director of Research and Conservation, Dr. Clara Pregitzer, shares research on the importance of natural areas as part of a solution to climate change at the Yale School of the Environment.
Credit: Natural Areas Conservancy

CUNY interns preparing White Oak seedlings at Greenbelt Native Plant Center in Staten Island, New York.
Credit: Natural Areas Conservancy

Trail maintainer volunteers build a new trail puncheon to improve trail accessibility.
Credit: Natural Areas Conservancy

NAC’s Executive Director, Sarah Charlop-Powers, advocates for increasing city-wide funding and support for green space.
Credit: Natural Areas Conservancy

Forest in Cities network members convene in Seattle, Washington for a nature tour. Credit: Natural Areas Conservancy

Natural Areas Conservancy (NAC)
2023 - $15,000 Research and Conservation
2022 - $20,000 Climate Lab
2021 - $15,000 General Support

Started in 2012, the Natural Areas Conservancy (NAC) is a non-profit organization devoted to restoring and conserving New York City’s 20,000 acres of forests and coastal areas. The NAC is the first park conservancy dedicated exclusively to New York City’s natural areas, which comprise one third of the city’s park system. The NAC works in more than 50 parks across the five boroughs and takes a science-based approach to conserving the city’s nature, improving coastal resilience, and ensuring healthy forests. They believe that natural areas are vital to sustaining air quality, improving public health, providing New Yorkers with access to nature, and strengthening our communities.

The NAC mentors a diverse group of STEM majors from the City University of New York to become the environmental leaders of tomorrow. Since 2016, they have trained over 100 young adults through their paid internship program. Interns gain skills and experience in ecological research centered around current issues natural areas face. In addition to on-the-ground ecological experience, interns receive professional development training in networking, job interviews, and personal budgeting. Students gain valuable and practical scientific experience in natural areas management while contributing vital information to local urban land practitioners and natural areas management decisions. In 2022, NAC expanded the paid internship program to high school students in Queens and Staten Island in 2024. Through the Student Urban Nature program (SUN), NYC high school youth receive training in research, conservation, and natural areas management in NYC.

NAC is a leader in incorporating science into management and policy of NYC’s natural areas and is  committed to building a better understanding of the role that natural areas play as a part of the solution to climate change. NAC conducts research that advances management practices, increases public knowledge about the value of natural areas and develops strategies to increase the political and financial support at the local and national levels. In partnership with NYC Parks, NAC created the first-ever, long-term Forest Management Framework for New York City for all 7,300 acres of forests in city parks. This framework sets a bold vision for the future that enhances forest health and biodiversity while creating high-quality recreation opportunities for every New Yorker.  They have established an approach to make New York City’s forests more adaptable to future climate related threats and have quantified their role in storing and sequestering carbon. Natural Areas Conservancy supports the long-term health of New York City’s forests through boots-on-the-ground management, restoration projects, planning, and volunteer engagement.

NAC convenes a national network, Forests in Cities (FIC), of colleagues from 19 metro regions across the U.S. who work to restore, manage, and advocate for forested natural areas. The NAC has facilitated the publication of over 25 case studies and the first national report on urban forested natural areas, including responses from over 100 organizations across the country. The Forests in Cities program was launched in 2017 by the NAC to promote and advance healthy forested natural areas in cities across the US. This program has three primary goals: 1) to nurture and grow a national network of urban forest managers and researchers, 2) to advance urban forest science and practice, and 3) to advocate for increased resources and support. The NAC’s leadership in urban science-based conservation has resulted in multiple peer-reviewed publications and a special issue in the journal Cities and the Environment.

To address the needs of a vast and complex park system, the NAC created a citywide trails team in 2017 to conduct trail improvement projects on over 300 miles of official and unofficial trails, and to train non-profit partners and individual volunteers in trail management techniques. The team works to formalize the 300-miles of trails in New York City and trains advanced volunteers to adopt sections of trails in their local parks.  In June 2021, the NAC released the New York City Strategic Trails Plan, which aims to upgrade the city's system of nature trails that spans all five boroughs. The plan will unify the existing network of trails within the 10,000 acres of natural areas in NYC Parks through trail markers, mapped and formalized paths, and routes designed to showcase unique ecological assets. The plan will increase access to parks and recreation, and give New Yorkers a high quality experience in nature.

naturalareasnyc.org

New York Botanical Garden

Visionmaker team member Mario Giampieri at a TEDYouth event.  (photo credit: TED)

Visionmaker homepage.  (photo credit: NYBG)

Visionmaker vision created for Jamaica, Queens (photo credit: NYBG)

Environmental performance compared between vision extent in 1609, 2014, and the Jamaica vision (photo credit: NYBG)

Five boroughs with historical ecology (photo credit: NYBG)

Five boroughs with contemporary ecology (photo credit: NYBG)

Dr. Eric Sanderson presenting Visionmaker at TedYouth at the Brooklyn Museum in 2014 (photo credits: Ryan Lash/TED)

New York Botanical Garden
2023 - $15,000 Visionmaker

The New York Botanical Garden (NYBG) has been a connective hub among people, plants, and the planet since 1891. We’re rooted in the cultural fabric of New York City, here in the heart of the Bronx—its greenest borough. For more than 130 years, we’ve invited millions of visitors to make the Garden part of their lives, exploring the joy, beauty, and respite of nature. NYBG’s 250 acres are home to renowned exhibitions, immersive botanical experiences, art and music, and events with some of the most influential figures in plant and fungal science, horticulture, and the humanities. We’re also stewards of globally significant research collections, from the LuEsther T Mertz Library collection to the plant and fungal specimens in the William and Lynda Steere Herbarium, the largest such collection in the Western Hemisphere.

Amplifying the role of plants in solving the climate and biodiversity crises is a primary focus in our latest strategic plan, Branching Out, which officially launched in January 2024. Paramount to the future of the Garden is our strategic approach to Urban Conservation led by Dr. Eric Sanderson, Vice President for Urban Conservation. In his role at NYBG, Dr. Sanderson is tasked with advancing nature-based solutions to environmental issues and working with New Yorkers to visualize a nature-full city, secure community input on future plans, raise public awareness, advocate on a citywide scale, green the landscape, and ultimately, make New York City more resilient to the effects of climate change.

Core to Dr. Sanderson’s strategy is Visionmaker, a digital tool that enables New Yorkers to better contend with the environmental challenges in our backyard and beyond. Visionmaker is a platform for ecological democracy for the citizens of New York City that strives to empower and embolden everyday citizens to utilize their voice (and technology) for climate change planning. Using the website, users can investigate the city’s ecology in three timeframes: the past, the present, based on the current distribution of ecosystems and lifestyles in the city, and the future, as generated by the user’s imagination and using scientific models to estimate different ecosystem and ecological scenarios. Once a user has created a vision that matches their expectations, it can be shared through the interface with others, who can then borrow and build their vision, thereby shaping an idea of what the future of NYC could look like in the face of climate change.

In this next phase of Visionmaker, Dr. Sanderson and his team seek to take the website to the next level by converting the carbon model in Visionmaker from JavaScript to Python code and testing the digital tool in a new cloud-based server. Following the update, anyone with an Internet connection can contribute their ideas for the future of their neighborhoods more effectively and visualize multiple ecological scenarios related to the carbon cycle, which includes predictions of carbon dioxide and methane and transportation and climate-dependent buildings submodels. Although currently focused on New York City, the online platform is designed for expansion and portability to other cities and for enthusiasts and experts alike. Visionmaker NYC is just one example of how NYBG meets the moment.

nybg.org

Open Plans

The Building Blocks program guides neighborhoods through the process of envisioning, and then implementing, community-minded changes to their streets

Open Plans summer interns work with a mentor to complete a concentrated project at the end of their internship, culminating in a presentation to staff, fellow advocates and city officials

Director of Advocacy and Organizing Jackson Chabot gives Curbside Climate Award at Open Plans' first-annual Public Space Awards

Awardees and attendees cheer for 34th Avenue Open Street in Queens at Open Plans' first-annual Public Space Awards

Co-Executive Director Sara Lind speaks at rally for safe streets legislature

Emily Chingay and Sabina Unni connect with community at family event

Family music event on Manhattan's Upper West Side

StreetopiaUWS leads neighborhood walk with City Council candidates and local residents during a recent election cycle

Community engagement on Open Streets offer New Yorkers a chance to think creatively about their neighborhood

Open Plans' Emily Chingay shares School Streets toolkit at community event

Co-Executive Director Sara Lind leads Rally to Plan for People, Not Parking

The Building Blocks program guides neighborhoods through the process of envisioning, and then implementing, community-minded changes to their streets

Open Plans
2023- $15,000 General Support

Founded in 1999 as a nonprofit organization dedicated to making New York City more livable, Open Plans works to foster a more connected relationship between New Yorkers, their streets, and their city government. In its early years, the organization focused on developing mapping tools as a way to analyze the issues that affect New Yorkers on a block-by-block basis. Using the information gathered, the organization began to not only map the issues but develop and propose solutions. Topics included public transportation; the use of streets as spaces for community gathering, neighborhood celebration, and events; public safety challenges caused by car dominance; lack of infrastructure for micromobility and pedestrians; and the desire for more equitable access to accessible, safe, public spaces.

In 2004, Open Plans launched Streetfilms, a project that produces and publishes short films highlighting best practices for transportation systems and public spaces around the world. These informative, playful, and inspiring films continue to fuel advocacy efforts today -- and garner huge wins the world over, including the launch and expansion of a robust protected bike lane network in New York City, bike access across the Queensboro and Brooklyn Bridges and complete redesigns of iconic areas such as the Meatpacking District in Lower Manhattan. 

In 2006, Open Plans launched Streetsblog, a daily news source providing deep dives and insider scoops, chronicling the transportation and livable streets scene in New York City and beyond. Inspiring offshoots in many of the major cities in the United States, Streetsblog has become a one-stop shop for all the news that’s fit to discuss regarding transportation, policy, planning, advocacy, budgets, and more. Its readership includes hobbyists, urbanism professionals, and city officials alike. From their annual Parking Madness awards to their recent coverage of the fight for safe and equitable public spaces for all, including the right to protest and the rights of delivery workers, Streetsblog is always on the cutting edge. 

In 2008 and 2009, Open Plans launched the New York City Streets Renaissance Campaign, in collaboration with Transportation Alternatives and Project for Public Spaces. This campaign challenged the auto-centric policies that create congested and unsafe, inhospitable streets. This work led to the first protected bike lanes in New York City, along 9th Avenue in Chelsea, along with years of streetscape changes on the Upper West Side. 

Between 2010 and 2015, Open Plans built on their success and merged their tech and advocacy foci, working with municipalities on tools for mapping and advocated for open source data tools for people to engage with their communities. The organization created maps allowing people to indicate issues in their neighborhoods, specifically around mobility and public space. Working with schools became a major focus; a new education and advocacy arm of the organization taught students how to identify safety issues on their commutes to school and empowered them to navigate their paths more safely. This work often led to students learning more about urban design and civics. Through drawings, petitions, and letters, students spoke at community boards and even engaging with elected officials, learning the power of civic engagement.

By late 2018, StreetopiaUWS was created to reinvest in Open Plans’ long-standing work in the Upper West Side neighborhood of Manhattan. Rooted in grassroots advocacy, Streetopia’s debut campaign was launched to educate people about public space management and start advocating for the city to care for public spaces, especially in residential areas. Today the place-based project works intimately with Upper West Side residents, decision makers, and other stakeholders to achieve safer bike routes and promote a people-centered mindset to placemaking and planning.

The Covid-19 pandemic created unprecedented challenges for New York City but ushered in a new era for Open Plans. As the city was forced to repurpose space for safe, outdoor public gatherings, many guiding principles of livability and people-centered space became commonplace. Suddenly, congested streets were transformed into car-free community space; curb lanes once relegated to parking were transformed into business-saving outdoor cafes. Open Plans seized on this spirit of innovation and gained momentum. The new Open Streets program offered a first-ever opportunity for communities to reprogram their streets for strolling, playing, dancing, and learning – and led to Open Plans’ campaign for a central Office of Public Space Management that would care for and invest in these burgeoning spaces as city services. The organization hired new policy expertise and pursued systemic change in city government while connecting directly with communities at the grassroots level.

This dual focus, with Streetsblog and Streetfilms creating compelling media, is a hallmark of Open Plans’ unique approach. Today, Open Plans continues to grow its nimble and focused staff. With a focus on advocacy, journalism, and inspiring film, Open Plans is illuminating new possibilities and creating meaningful change for every resident of New York City.

openplans.org

Transportation Alternatives

Transportation Alternatives
2023 - $20,000 20x20 Project
2022 - $10,000 General Support
2011 - $5,000 General Support

Transportation Alternatives (TA) works to reclaim New York City’s streets from the automobile and to advocate for better walking, biking, and public transit for all New Yorkers. Through grassroots organizing and strategic communication campaigns, TA advances infrastructure and policy improvements that prioritize people, create safer streets, and ultimately realize a more accessible, sustainable, and equitable city. TA engages thousands of stakeholders each year through its advocacy work, including community residents, peer nonprofit organizations, civic coalitions, business leaders, elected local and state officials, and government agencies. Their campaigns reshape streetscapes into safe places where people can walk, bike, meet, play, and participate in the variety of activities that make urban living healthy, vibrant, and dynamic.

In the past five decades, TA has made remarkable progress. Today, bike lanes ribbon up and down Manhattan avenues. Hundreds of thousands more ride a bike to work every day. The city is equipped with dedicated bus lanes, public bike share, and car-free park spaces that did not exist five decades ago. In just the last two decades, TA advocacy was responsible for the introduction of America’s first protected bike lanes and the world’s largest speed camera program.  TA lowered the citywide speed limit for the first time in 50 years, and introduced Vision Zero to New York City, an idea which then spread across the U.S. The same story is true of the federal Safe Routes to Schools and Safe Routes for Seniors programs.

The few who founded Transportation Alternatives recruited and multiplied, and now TA’s tent of supporters is packed with New Yorkers who regularly take action, make the case to public officials, and testify to the importance of TA’s mission. Each week, TA organizes local meetings, protests, rallies, petition drives, community gatherings and on-street actions to amplify voices. By the power of these people and a track record of transformative change, TA demands New York City’s most influential decision makers pay attention.

In that time, a remarkable subset of the organization was also born. Families for Safe Streets (FSS) is a coalition of people injured in traffic crashes, and the children, spouses, siblings, and parents whose loved ones have been killed. What began in 2014 as a small group of families in mourning has grown to a citywide force for change, and a national inspiration, with chapter organizations in 14 cities. Together, this powerful group of survivors tell their stories as an unignorable testament to the need for safe streets and refuse to give an inch in defense of the status quo.

From the creation of grand public spaces, like the pedestrianization of Times Square, to the construction of protected bike lanes and pedestrian plazas in all five boroughs, TA and FSS have paved the way for remarkable changes in New York City’s transportation infrastructure and transformed New Yorkers’ understanding of bicycling, walking and public transit.

transalt.org