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New York City Outward Bound Center Inc

EIN 13-3471084 · Long Is City, NY

Public records show a registered, tax-exempt organization in good standing.

LegitimacyPassesRegistration and standingFinancial healthFair65 out of 100GovernanceStrong100 out of 100Impact evidenceDescribes programsHow well its results are evidenced

What it says it does

DURING FISCAL YEARS 2025 AND 2024, NYC OUTWARD BOUND SCHOOLS SERVED 22,557 STUDENTS AND 2,190 EDUCATORS THROUGH OUR CORE PROGRAM AREAS: NETWORK SCHOOLS, CREW AND SELECT STRATEGIES FOR SCHOOLS, AND ADVENTURE & TEAM BUILDING PROGRAMS. (SEE SCHEDULE O).

Income
$6.0 million
Spending
$6.9 million
Spent on programs
79%
Reserves
8.9 months of spending
Largest source of income
fees for its services, 70%
Employees
72
Volunteers
43
Highest pay
$194,647, chief sch. officer/vp

Source: Form 990 for the year ending June 30, 2025, filed with the Internal Revenue Service. Rating method 2026.2. How we rate

Financial health

Fair: 65 out of 100. Higher than 30% of charities in its peer group (environment, $1m to $10m).

  • Reserves

    28 of 35

    Spendable reserves would cover 8.9 months of spending.

  • Debt

    20 of 20

    It owes 5% of what it owns.

  • Living within its means

    4 of 15

    Spending exceeded income by 14% of income.

  • Income trend

    5 of 15

    Income fell 22% on the year before.

  • Spending floor

    8 of 15

    79% of spending went to programs and raising each dollar of donations cost 40 cents.

Source: Form 990 for the year ending June 30, 2025, filed with the Internal Revenue Service. Rating method 2026.2. How we rate

Governance

Strong: 100 out of 100. Higher than 60% of charities in its peer group (environment, $1m to $10m).

  • Independent board

    25 of 25

    30 of 30 voting board members are independent.

  • Conflict of interest policy

    15 of 15

    Has a written conflict of interest policy.

  • Whistleblower policy

    8 of 8

    Has a written whistleblower policy.

  • Record keeping policy

    7 of 7

    Has a written policy on keeping and destroying records.

  • Board minutes

    5 of 5

    Keeps minutes of board meetings.

  • Board sees the tax return

    10 of 10

    Gave the board a copy of this return before filing it.

  • Pay set independently

    5 of 5

    Sets its chief executive's pay through independent review and comparison.

  • Independent check of accounts

    15 of 15

    Its accounts were audited by an independent accountant.

  • No reported misuse

    10 of 10

    Reports no diversion of assets, excess benefits or loans to insiders.

Source: Form 990 for the year ending June 30, 2025, filed with the Internal Revenue Service. Rating method 2026.2. How we rate

Impact evidence

Describes programs. Its tax return describes what it does but we have found no measurable results in it.

Programs described in its return (3)
  1. $2.0 million spent. NETWORK SCHOOLS - WE OPERATED A CITYWIDE NETWORK OF PUBLIC SCHOOLS THAT FULLY EMBODIES OUR EDUCATIONAL APPROACH. OUR NETWORK CONSISTS MAINLY OF DISTRICT SCHOOLS BUT ALSO INCLUDES ONE PUBLIC CHARTER SCHOOL. (CONTINUED ON SCHEDULE O). WE SUPPORTED OUR NETWORK SCHOOLS BY PROVIDING: COACHING AND PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT FOR TEACHERS AND SCHOOL LEADERS IN THE IMPLEMENTATION OF EL EDUCATION, A WHOLE SCHOOL MODEL WITH ITS ROOTS IN OUTWARD BOUND. PROGRAMMING FOR STUDENTS FOCUSED ON BUILDING ESSENTIAL SOCIAL-EMOTIONAL AND ACADEMIC SKILLS THROUGH RELATIONSHIP BUILDING, COLLABORATION, CONFLICT RESOLUTION AND SELF-REFLECTION. POSTSECONDARY SUPPORT AIMED AT ASSISTING OUR STUDENTS, MOST OF WHOM WILL BE THE FIRST IN THEIR FAMILIES TO ATTEND COLLEGE, IN APPLYING TO, ENROLLING IN, AND COMPLETING COLLEGE. OUR SCHOOLS ACHIEVED OUTSTANDING RESULTS. 94% OF OUR STUDENTS GRADUATED ON TIME COMPARED TO 84% OF STUDENTS CITYWIDE. OUR GRADUATES ENROLLED IN COLLEGE AT HIGHER RATES THAN THE NATIONAL AVERAGE FOR THE PAST SEVEN YEARS. THIS PAST SCHOOL YEAR, WE SUPPORTED 15 NETWORK SCHOOLS: A SCHOOL WITHOUT WALLS, BROOKLYN COLLABORATIVE, CHANNEL VIEW SCHOOL FOR RESEARCH, COMMUNITY SCHOOL FOR SOCIAL JUSTICE, GAYNOR MCCOWN, THE JAMES BALDWIN SCHOOL, KURT HAHN, LAUNCH, MAELS, MELS, MS 839, LEADERS HIGH SCHOOL, WEST END SECONDARY, WHEELS, AND THE INSTITUTE FOR HEALTH PROFESSIONS AT CAMBRIA HEIGHTS WHICH JOINED OUR NETWORK IN SEPTEMBER 2023.
  2. $1.7 million spent. CREW AND SELECT STRATEGIES FOR SCHOOLS - IN ADDITION TO SUPPORTING OUR NETWORK OF SCHOOLS, WE ALSO BROUGHT OUR MOST EFFECTIVE AND REPLICABLE SCHOOL-WIDE STRUCTURES AND CLASSROOM PRACTICES FROM THESE SCHOOLS TO OTHER PUBLIC SCHOOLS THROUGHOUT NEW YORK CITY. THESE SELECT STRATEGIES ARE SPECIALLY DESIGNED TO STRENGTHEN SCHOOLS' CAPACITY TO BUILD POSITIVE CULTURE AND/OR DELIVER DEMANDING AND ENGAGING ACADEMICS. WE HELPED EACH PARTNER SCHOOL ADAPT AND IMPLEMENT ONE OR MORE OF THESE SELECT STRATEGIES TO ADDRESS AN ARTICULATED AREA OF SCHOOL NEED. (CONTINUED ON SCHEDULE O). TYPICAL SELECT STRATEGIES PARTNERSHIPS INVOLVE BETWEEN 12 AND 30 DAYS OF SUPPORT, WHICH CAN INCLUDE LARGE GROUP PROFESSIONAL LEARNING, INDIVIDUALIZED CLASSROOM-BASED COACHING, AND DIRECT STUDENT SERVICES. THIS PAST YEAR, WE WORKED WITH 11 SELECT STRATEGIES SCHOOLS ACROSS THE CITY, SUPPORTING TEACHERS TO IMPLEMENT THE PRACTICES FOR WHICH WE HAVE CONSIDERABLE ORGANIZATIONAL EXPERTISE: CREW, OUR SIGNATURE STUDENT ADVISORY STRUCTURE, AND PROJECT-BASED LEARNING, A TEACHING METHOD THROUGH WHICH STUDENTS GAIN KNOWLEDGE AND SKILLS BY WORKING FOR AN EXTENDED PERIOD OF TIME TO INVESTIGATE AND RESPOND TO A CULTURALLY RELEVANT, AUTHENTIC, ENGAGING, AND COMPLEX QUESTION, PROBLEM OR CHALLENGE. CREW INITIATIVE - DURING THE 2021-22 SCHOOL YEAR, GROWING OUT OF OUR SELECT STRATEGIES WORK, WE LAUNCHED THE CREW INITIATIVE THROUGH WHICH WE SUPPORT OVER 50 NYC PUBLIC SCHOOLS IN BUILDING THE CAPACITY TO IMPLEMENT A CREW PROGRAM AND CULTURE IN THEIR SCHOOL. THESE CREW INITIATIVE SCHOOLS WORK ONE-ON-ONE WITH CREW COACHES AND MEET AS A GROUP THROUGHOUT THE YEAR TO WORK TOWARD INCREASING A SENSE OF BELONGING AT THEIR SCHOOLS.
  3. $1.6 million spent. ADVENTURE & TEAM BUILDING PROGRAMS - SOME OF THE MOST IMPORTANT LESSONS ARE LEARNED OUTSIDE OF THE CLASSROOM. DRAWING UPON OUTWARD BOUND'S 60 YEARS OF PREEMINENCE IN EXPERIENTIAL EDUCATION, NYC OUTWARD BOUND SCHOOLS OFFERS A RANGE OF OUTDOOR ADVENTURE PROGRAMS FOR STUDENTS AND EDUCATORS. WE OFFER THESE PROGRAMS ON A FEE-FOR SERVICE BASIS TO NEW YORK CITY PUBLIC SCHOOLS. THEY ARE SCHOOL-, CITY- AND/OR WILDERNESS-BASED, AND TARGET BOTH YOUTH AND/OR ADULTS. THEY VARY IN LENGTH FROM A HALF-DAY TO A WEEK. (CONTINUED ON SCHEDULE O). THESE PROGRAMS STRENGTHEN COMMUNITY, BELONGING, COLLABORATION, REFLECTION AND LEADERSHIP, AND HELP BRING THE CENTRAL LESSON OF OUTWARD BOUND TO LIFE: THAT WITH THE RIGHT MIX OF CHALLENGE AND SUPPORT, ALL INDIVIDUALS, REGARDLESS OF BACKGROUND OR CIRCUMSTANCE, CAN ACHIEVE MORE THAN THEY THOUGHT POSSIBLE. DURING OUR 2024-25 FISCAL YEAR, WE PROVIDED ADVENTURE AND TEAM BUILDING PROGRAMMING TO 1,891 STUDENTS AND EDUCATORS. BY IMPLEMENTING A WHOLE-SCHOOL APPROACH TO TEACHING AND LEARNING AT OUR NETWORK SCHOOLS, AND CONCENTRATING ON MORE SPECIFIC SET OF SUPPORTS AT OUR SELECT STRATEGIES AND CREW INITIATIVE SCHOOLS, OVERALL, THIS PAST YEAR WE PARTNERED WITH A TOTAL OF 77 NYC PUBLIC SCHOOLS TO CREATE STRONG, SUPPORTIVE SCHOOL COMMUNITIES WHERE STUDENTS FEEL THEY BELONG, ARE CHALLENGED TO ENGAGE IN COMPLEX AND RELEVANT WORK, AND HAVE A SENSE OF AGENCY.

Source: Form 990 for the year ending June 30, 2025, filed with the Internal Revenue Service. Rating method 2026.2. How we rate

Legitimacy checks

  1. Is it registered with the IRS? Passed.

    Listed in the IRS master file of tax-exempt organizations as a 501(c)(3) charitable organization.

    Source: Exempt Organizations Business Master File, Internal Revenue Service, file dated October 13, 2026.

  2. Has the IRS revoked its tax-exempt status? Passed.

    Not on the IRS automatic revocation list.

    Source: Automatic revocation of exemption list, Internal Revenue Service, file dated October 13, 2026.

  3. Are donations tax-deductible? Passed.

    On the IRS list of organizations eligible to receive tax-deductible contributions.

    Source: Publication 78 data: organizations eligible for tax-deductible contributions, Internal Revenue Service, file dated October 13, 2026.

  4. Is it keeping up with its IRS filings? Passed.

    Most recent return on file covers the year ending June 2025.

    Source: Exempt Organizations Business Master File, Internal Revenue Service, file dated October 13, 2026.

  5. How long has it been tax-exempt? Passed.

    Recognized by the IRS since October 1989.

    Source: Exempt Organizations Business Master File, Internal Revenue Service, file dated October 13, 2026.

  6. Is it in good standing with state regulators? Passed.

    Not on California's list of charities barred from soliciting. Other states are not yet checked.

    Source: May Not Operate or Solicit for Charitable Purposes list, California Attorney General, Registry of Charities and Fundraisers, file dated October 21, 2026.

Ratings and checks are our reading of public records, using the published method. They are not a statement about anyone's honesty. If you work for this organization, you can send corrections or results, confirm you want gifts through Veridonate, or ask to be removed from giving.