Mott Haven-Port Morris Community Land Stewards
Public records show a registered, tax-exempt organization in good standing.
What it says it does
The Mott Haven Port Morris Community Land Stewards is a New York corporation, qualified as exempt from federal income tax under Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code (the Code) and classified as a public charity under Sections 509(a)(1) and 170(b)(1)(A)(vi) of the Code. The Mott Haven-Port Morris Community Land Stewards (MHPMCLS) was incorporated in 2015 by South Bronx residents to acquire land for public use and to hold it in perpetuity. We believe we have a responsibility to steward the land and to use it in a way that values the lives of the people who live on it. To that end, we advocate for community-driven development and work to create and steward physical space for cultural, social, artistic, educational, environmental, and recreational benefits and opportunities that improve the quality of life in the South Bronx.
- Income
- $2.5 million
- Spending
- $539,303
- Spent on programs
- 78%
- Reserves
- 4.3 months of spending
- Largest source of income
- donations and private grants, 93%
- Employees
- 5
- Volunteers
- 16
- Highest pay
- $57,173, executive dir.
Source: Form 990 for the year ending December 31, 2024, filed with the Internal Revenue Service. Rating method 2026.2. How we rate
Financial health
Good: 85 out of 100. Higher than 73% of charities in its peer group (housing, $1m to $10m).
Reserves
20 of 35Spendable reserves would cover 4.3 months of spending.
Debt
20 of 20It owes 3% of what it owns.
Living within its means
15 of 15Income exceeded spending by 78% of income.
Income trend
15 of 15Income rose 2818% on the year before.
Spending floor
15 of 1578% of spending went to programs and raising each dollar of donations cost 1 cents.
Source: Form 990 for the year ending December 31, 2024, filed with the Internal Revenue Service. Rating method 2026.2. How we rate
Governance
Strong: 100 out of 100. Higher than 70% of charities in its peer group (housing, $1m to $10m).
Independent board
25 of 2511 of 11 voting board members are independent.
Conflict of interest policy
15 of 15Has a written conflict of interest policy.
Whistleblower policy
8 of 8Has a written whistleblower policy.
Record keeping policy
7 of 7Has a written policy on keeping and destroying records.
Board minutes
5 of 5Keeps minutes of board meetings.
Board sees the tax return
10 of 10Gave the board a copy of this return before filing it.
Pay set independently
5 of 5Sets its chief executive's pay through independent review and comparison.
Independent check of accounts
15 of 15Its accounts were audited by an independent accountant.
No reported misuse
10 of 10Reports no diversion of assets, excess benefits or loans to insiders.
Source: Form 990 for the year ending December 31, 2024, 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 (1)
- $422,119 spent. 1) HEARTS CENTER -- MAJOR PROGRESS IN 2024 TOWARDS MAKING THE CENTER HAPPEN! FUNDING MILESTONESSECURED AN ADDITIONAL $3.45 MILLION IN CAPITAL FUNDING. THIS INCLUDES $1.2 MILLION FROM NEW YORK STATE SENATOR JOSE SERRANO AND $2.25 MILLION FROM NEW YORK CITY DEPUTY SPEAKER DIANA AYALA, ADVANCING TOWARD OUR $45 MILLION PROJECT GOAL. APPLIED FOR $5 MILLION IN CAPITAL FUNDING. WERE CONFIDENT WELL SECURE IT IN 2025.DESIGN & DEVELOPMENT PROGRESSCOMPLETED HALF OF THE DESIGN PROCESS (50% DESIGN DEVELOPMENT) WITH OUR PROJECT ARCHITECTS, BKSK ARCHITECTS AND BAGCHEE ARCHITECTS. ANALYZED THE CURRENT BUILDING TO INFORM NEXT DESIGN PHASES.ADVANCING TOWARD CONSTRUCTIONWEVE MET ALL THE REQUIREMENTS FOR OUR EXCLUSIVE PARTNERSHIP WITH NYC HEALTH + HOSPITALS AND NYC ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT CORPORATION. WEVE STARTED DRAFTING THE LEASE AND PREDEVELOPMENT AGREEMENT, A KEY STEP TOWARD SECURING LONG-TERM CONTROL OF THE SITE.2) AIR QUALITY PROGRAM THE DATA FROM OUR NETWORK OF 40 AIR QUALITY MONITORS TELLS AN ALARMING STORY: PM2.5 LEVELS IN THE SOUTH BRONX REGULARLY SOAR TO TWICE THE EPA'S RECOMMENDED LIMITS. WHILE GOVERNMENT AGENCIES CLAIM ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACTS ARE "INCONCLUSIVE," OUR COMMUNITY-OWNED MONITORING NETWORK PROVIDES IRREFUTABLE EVIDENCE OF THE CRISIS. BY COLLECTING OUR OWN DATA, WE ARE TAKING CONTROL OF THE NARRATIVE AND EXPOSING THE STARK REALITY OF AIR POLLUTION IN OUR NEIGHBORHOOD.KEY ACTIVITIES, CLEAN AIR COMMUNITY CONVENINGS, ENGAGEMENT & EDUCATION:IN 2024, WE ORGANIZED THREE COMMUNITY CONVENINGS TO COLLECT INPUT FROM LOCAL RESIDENTS ABOUT THE IMPLEMENTATION AND FURTHER DEVELOPMENT OF THE MONITORING PROJECT. WE NOW HAVE OVER 40 AIR QUALITY MONITORS INSTALLED ACROSS THE COMMUNITY. THEIR LOCATIONS ARE BASED ON FEEDBACK FROM LOCAL RESIDENTS. WE ARE CONTINUING TO MAKE OUR AIR QUALITY DATA MORE ACCESSIBLE FOR THE COMMUNITY, TURNING COMPLEX INFORMATION INTO UNDERSTANDABLE AND ACTIONABLE INSIGHTS.3) GREEN SPACE/WATERFRONT PLANNINGCOMMUNITY TOURSLED MORE THAN TWENTY WALKING TOURS OF OUR TOXIC WATERFRONT TO DRAW ATTENTION TO THE AREAS POLLUTION BURDEN AND TO INVITE PARTICIPANTS TO ENVISION A WATERFRONT THAT IS ACCESSIBLE AND PROMOTES COMMUNITY HEALTH. LOCAL RESIDENTS, GOVERNMENT OFFICIALS, STUDENTS, ACADEMICS, COMMUNITY-BASED ORGANIZATIONS, AND MANY MORE JOINED OUR TOURS.MARIA SOLA COMMUNITY GARDEN HAS BEEN A ROUTINE STARTING POINT ALONG OUR COMMUNITY TOURS, SERVING AS A POWERFUL EXAMPLE OF GREEN SPACE STEWARDSHIP, THANKS TO THE DEDICATION OF THE STEWARDS OF MARIA SOLA AND THE MOTT HAVEN-PORT MORRIS COMMUNITY LAND STEWARDS. PARTNERED WITH NEW YORK BOTANICAL GARDEN, EL BARRIO BIKES, MONTEFIORE EINSTEIN HOSPITAL, AND LA FINCA DEL SUR TO DO AN ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE-THEMED BUS AND BIKE TOUR OF COMMUNITY GARDENS AND POTENTIAL GREEN SPACES IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD.ORGANIZED BIKE AND BUS TOUR HIGHLIGHTING CONNECTION BETWEEN GREEN SPACES AND HEALTH OUTCOMES.
Source: Form 990 for the year ending December 31, 2024, filed with the Internal Revenue Service. Rating method 2026.2. How we rate
Legitimacy checks
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.
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 November 6, 2026.
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.
Is it keeping up with its IRS filings? Passed.
Most recent return on file covers the year ending December 2024.
Source: Exempt Organizations Business Master File, Internal Revenue Service, file dated October 13, 2026.
How long has it been tax-exempt? Passed.
Recognized by the IRS since October 2022.
Source: Exempt Organizations Business Master File, Internal Revenue Service, file dated October 13, 2026.
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 November 4, 2026.
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