Fortune Society, Inc.
Building People, Not Prisons
Programs and results
What we aim to solve
Since 1967, we have helped thousands of formerly incarcerated people successfully reenter the community. Our holistic range of services has helped our clients transform and rebuild their lives after incarceration.
Our programs
What are the organization's current programs, how do they measure success, and who do the programs serve?
Alternative to Incarceration
Our court advocates obtain alternative sentences for defendants who would otherwise receive sentences
averaging at least one year of incarceration in exchange for rigorous participation in Fortune’s services.
Successful participants receive sentences requiring no further incarceration.
Housing
Our nationally-recognized Fortune Academy provides short and long-term housing to individuals who are homeless after release from incarceration.
Castle Gardens is a congregate mixed use building that provides 63 permanent supportive housing apartments for singles and families, with on-site support services. An additional 50 affordable and subsidized rentals are occupied by low income families and individuals.
Our Scatter Site Housing program provides supportive community-based housing in shared and single units.
Education
Our in-house-school – with a library and a computer lab – provides classes in Adult Literacy, Adult Basic Education, Math and preparation for the High School Equivalency exam.
Employment Services
We provide our clients with the tools to prepare for, obtain, and maintain employment through our two-week job readiness workshop, job placement assistance and two years of post-placement support and follow-up services.
Family Services
Our Family Services program gives formerly-incarcerated mothers and fathers the opportunity to learn vital interpersonal and parenting skills, develop the tools needed to escape a life defined by crime and/or substance abuse, and become positive role models for their children. Clients also receive assistance with child support cases and family reunification issues.
Health Services
We offer a range of HIV/AIDS-specific services to people who are currently and formerly incarcerated, including outreach, case-management, supportive counseling and treatment adherence. In addition, Monday through Friday, from 6:00am-5:00pm, we provide needs assessments, crisis intervention services, transportation, and immediate linkage to care and services for HIV positive individuals released from Rikers Island and all city jails.
Substance Abuse Treatment
Our licensed outpatient substance abuse treatment program includes a wide array of supportive services for men and women who are in recovery.
Preparation for Release
The I-CAN (Individualized Corrections Achievement Network) program provides skill-building discharge preparation services to eligible men and women during their incarceration at Rikers Island jails, as well as continuing reentry support following their release.
Creative Arts
Supports the educational, emotional, and cultural development of individuals impacted by criminal justice system through creative writing, poetry, spoken word, video production, animation, visual arts, music, and theater.
Food & Nutrition
Offers nutritious, hot meals, and distributes fresh, locally grown produce to participants through partnerships with local farms. The program offers cooking demonstrations and nutrition education workshops.
Where we work
Awards
#1 Expert-Identified Nonprofit in Local Criminal Justice 2011
Philanthropedia
LEED Gold Certification 2013
Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design
Special Achievement Award for Outstanding Service Rendered to Young Men Returning to Society 2011
Audience Development Committee, Inc. (AUDELCO)
The Linda Mills Memorial Award 2010
New York State Division of Parole
Award for Excellence, Project of the Year 2011
New York State Association for Affordable Housing (NYSAFAH)
External reviews
Goals & Strategy
Learn about the organization's key goals, strategies, capabilities, and progress.
Charting impact
Four powerful questions that require reflection about what really matters - results.
What is the organization aiming to accomplish?
The Fortune Society provides over 7,000 men and women each year with alternatives to incarceration and delivers programs for successful reentry from prison back to their communities, thus strengthening the fabric of our communities.
What are the organization's key strategies for making this happen?
Since its founding in 1967, The Fortune Society has evolved into one of the nation's most recognized reentry service organizations. We provide formerly incarcerated men and women with skills and wrap-around services needed to break the cycle of crime and incarceration.
We do this by believing in the power of individuals to change; building lives through service programs shaped by the needs and experience of our clients; and changing minds through education and advocacy - all while promoting a fair, humane, and truly rehabilitative correctional system.
What are the organization's capabilities for doing this?
Fortune's programs feature low-threshold eligibility requirements to adequately serve all of our clients, regardless of type of conviction and/or incarceration history.
70% of Fortune's staff have graduated from our programs or have experienced issues similar to those of our participants, including incarceration, homelessness, and substance abuse. The cultural competency that such staff bring to Fortune's work informs program design and helps retain participants in our comprehensive array of services.
What have they accomplished so far and what's next?
Fortune has provided one-on-one intakes, assessments, and internal and external referrals for 51 years through our Admissions unit, and benefits enrollment assistance through our Single Stop program for 8 years; discharge planning on Rikers Island, transportation, and connection to the community for over 10 years through our I-CAN program (formerly known as RIDE); court advocacy and alternatives to incarceration for 49 years; external housing referrals for 50 years, scatter-site housing for 18 years, emergency and transitional housing for 16 years, and permanent supportive housing for 8 years; tutoring and adult education for 49 years, and Youth Education and Career Exploration for 8 years; job readiness training and placements for 50 years, and vocational training and transitional work for 7 years; licensed substance abuse treatment services for 23 years; licensed mental health treatment services for 3 years; HIV/AIDS counseling and case management for 27 years, peer training in jails and prisons for 19 years, and Rikers Island Transitional Consortium discharge planning for 16 years; family services, including counseling, parenting workshops, and family law for 49 years; and food and nutrition services, including cooking demonstrations, nutrition education workshops, youth-run food stands, and community gardening activities for 7 years, healthful hot meals for all clients for 7 years at our housing facilities and 6 years at our Queens Service Center for 5 years.
Financials
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Operations
The people, governance practices, and partners that make the organization tick.
Connect with nonprofit leaders
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- Analyze a variety of pre-calculated financial metrics
- Access beautifully interactive analysis and comparison tools
- Compare nonprofit financials to similar organizations
Want to see how you can enhance your nonprofit research and unlock more insights? Learn More about GuideStar Pro.
Connect with nonprofit leaders
SubscribeBuild relationships with key people who manage and lead nonprofit organizations with GuideStar Pro. Try a low commitment monthly plan today.
- Analyze a variety of pre-calculated financial metrics
- Access beautifully interactive analysis and comparison tools
- Compare nonprofit financials to similar organizations
Want to see how you can enhance your nonprofit research and unlock more insights? Learn More about GuideStar Pro.
Fortune Society, Inc.
Board of directorsas of 02/08/2022
L. Dennis Kozlowski
Betty P. Rauch
Yvette Brissett-Andre
Anne L Gray
Jean Jeremie
Roland Nicholson
Jr.
Mark Lebow
Richard Eisner
Alphonzo Elder
Martin F. Horn
Gabriel S. Oberfield
Eric A. Seiff
Monique Carter
Gerald D Eber
L. Dennis Kozlowski
Caroline Marshall
Nalika Nanayakkara
Alphonzo Albright
E. Patricia Haversham-Brown
Stephane Howze
David A. Kochman
Fredrick J. Patrick
Stewart C. Raphael
Shu-aib Abdur-Raheem
Danny Franklin
Ray Tebout
John S. Zeiler
Cheryl Wilkins
H. Anna Suh
Jennifer Millstone
Coss Marte
Board leadership practices
GuideStar worked with BoardSource, the national leader in nonprofit board leadership and governance, to create this section.
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Board orientation and education
Does the board conduct a formal orientation for new board members and require all board members to sign a written agreement regarding their roles, responsibilities, and expectations? Yes -
CEO oversight
Has the board conducted a formal, written assessment of the chief executive within the past year ? Yes -
Ethics and transparency
Have the board and senior staff reviewed the conflict-of-interest policy and completed and signed disclosure statements in the past year? Yes -
Board composition
Does the board ensure an inclusive board member recruitment process that results in diversity of thought and leadership? Yes
Organizational demographics
Who works and leads organizations that serve our diverse communities? Candid partnered with CHANGE Philanthropy on this demographic section.
Leadership
The organization's leader identifies as:
Race & ethnicity
No data
Gender identity
No data
Transgender Identity
No data
Sexual orientation
No data
Disability
No data