Brooklyn Bridge Manhattan Inc

“Co-founder and board member steven rodriguez serves as a consultant for the skatepark project on the skatepark development and activation process in new york city, including: community engagement, park design, construction, and site programming through clinics and contests. Board member benjamin bashein serves as executive director of the skatepark project.”

“The draft 990s are reviewed with the executive team, consisting of the president, coo and treasurer. Once that is finalized, the draft 990s are reviewed with the board of directors, including the finance committee members.”

“Gotham park has a formal process for monitoring proposed and ongoing transactions for conflicts of interest and dealing with potential or actual conflicts. The conflict-of-interest policy is reviewed annually with each board member and key employee (president, coo and cao). In the event there is a proposed conflict of interest, it is reviewed with the board of directors and/or gotham park's legal counsel. If there is an actual conflict, the board member or key employee will recuse themselves from any formal vote or decisions related to the conflict.”

“President rosa chang's compensation was determined based on a review of salaries from the 990s of several comparable not-for-profits with similar missions and operations. The salary was reviewed by the full board of directors, several of whom work in the not-for-profit sector and are familiar with market rates for the president position and responsibilities. Treasurer nancy kong's and chief operating officer megan brosterman's 2024 compensation amounts were honorariums determined by the board to be paid as a gesture of appreciation for the services voluntarily performed by ms. Brosterman and ms. Kong.”

“UPON REQUEST”

“Brooklyn bridge manhattan inc. (dba gotham park) (the organization or "gotham park") is a nonprofit grassroots organization founded by local activists in 2021 to bring to life a vibrant, inclusive, hyper-urban public space at the manhattan landing of the iconic brooklyn bridge (the "bridge"). Following over thirteen years of disuse, gotham park has worked with new york city agencies and community partners to re-open nearly four acres of space in its first four years of operation, including the return of the beloved brooklyn banks skateboarding spot. Here, gotham park is establishing a community-led, world-class public space that nurtures connection, resilience, joy, discovery, and wonder. As the new york city department of transportation's ("nyc dot's") official plaza partner for this nyc dot-owned public space, predominantly funded by private contributions, gotham park cleans, beautifies and activates this space with free public programming and is partnering with nyc dot and other agencies to continue to improve and expand the space to create a neighborhood nexus reconnecting and strengthening the surrounding residents, businesses, and communities. By connecting neighborhoods north and south of the bridge with each other and with the millions of annual brooklyn bridge visitors, the organization is improving safety and wellbeing, fostering social connections, and promoting sustained economic revitalization for our local neighborhoods, including chinatown, two bridges, the south street seaport historic district, the financial district, tribeca, civic center, little italy, and the lower east side. Gotham park is engaging with community stakeholders, architectural and engineering experts, and city agencies to create a variety of freely accessible, safe, flexible, inclusive, and environmentally sustainable recreation spaces. In these newly opened spaces, we provide arts, culture, and programs that engage and delight our diverse community of all ages, abilities, and backgrounds. We are reopening and stewarding green spaces that had languished behind fences for more than a decade, rebuilding the ecosystem and fostering community environmental engagement and volunteerism. Through partnerships with educational institutions, industry experts, and agencies, we are incorporating climate resilience through state-of-the-art design and green-blue-gray infrastructure. Our first acre opened in may 2023, followed by another 1/3 acres in november 2024, and over two additional acres in june 2025. In 2025, the project was awarded a $2 million federal reconnecting communities capital grant, $50 million in capital funding committed by city hall, and $1 million in capital funding allocated by the manhattan borough president. This capital funding will be allocated to nyc dot for planning, design and construction of improvements to our public space. The project has also been allocated $825,000 in new york state capital funding for public restrooms by nys senator brian kavanagh.”

“Program services: community programming, events and education: our multigenerational programming establishes gotham park as a place where community members of all ages, abilities, and backgrounds can access free classes, workshops, activities, and interest groups promoting physical and mental wellness, confidence, and supportive personal connections. As a centerpiece of our vision for the park, gotham park works with community-based organizations and local schools to provide free and accessible athletic, wellness, and creative intergenerational programming and community events serving youth, adults, older adults, and families of all backgrounds and abilities. We also provide educational youth programs and internships to empower local students. Over 3,000 community members attended our free events and programs in 2024, and we supported 11 paid high school internships and two paid college internships. Supported by a small staff and hundreds of volunteers, gotham park provides active recreation space that was lacking in the community, including areas for skateboarding, in-line skating, bmx, parkour, and courts for basketball, pickleball, handball, and shuffleboard that are enjoyed daily by local community members. In the warmer months, gotham park provided over 90 free weekly multigenerational wellness classes including zumba, yoga, qigong, belly dancing and more. Gotham park hosts several large, free community events across the year including our annual community block party, our annual go skateboarding day, concerts and other programs. Our event attendance has increased exponentially in our first full year of stewarding this new open space: over 300 people attended our first community block party held in november 2023, and over 2,000 attended our second community block party in may 2024. Our commitment to empowering youth extends to internship opportunities in urban design, sustainability, horticulture, and placemaking. Gotham park works in particular with our neighbors urban assembly maker academy (uama), one of the four title 1 high schools within the murry bergtraum campus, and pace university to provide meaningful real-world experience during the school year and summer. Our most popular education program is our grass roots planters, or "groop," partnership with uama. This work-based learning program, funded by manhattan borough president mark levine and nyc doe, pays students to design beautiful, multi-use planters that will manage stormwater from large drain pipes coming from the bridge. Students are supported by technical experts from arup and buro happold and the pace university environmental science department, and are incorporating input from local older adults, the skateboarding community, city agencies and other stakeholders who have contributed their time and expertise. In summer 2024, we supported three high school interns through the nyc department of education's summer youth employment program (syep) and two university interns through pace university's community impact internship program. Our summer interns gained skills and experience supporting our community programs and events, horticulture and maintenance, marketing and community engagement. We also collaborated on discrete projects with over 50 students and their professors from pace university, fashion institute of technology, pratt institute, new york university, columbia university, and harvard university. Fields of study ranged from environmental science to equity in urban planning to exhibition design. Program services: horticulture, operations, and maintenance: from our opening in may 2023 through december 2024, our non-profit organization has taken sole responsibility for the daily cleaning and maintenance of this new public space. Gotham park, its youth interns and its community of over 450 volunteers have planted over 2,000 native plants, trees, and shrubs, stewarded 40 mature trees and shrubs, spread over 12 tons of compost, and collected over two”