Street Lab
Programs for public space
Programs and results
What we aim to solve
New York City needs a street-level environment that better supports and inspires residents in all corners of the city. In particular, the city needs public spaces where people can gather, connect, and find things to do together.
Our programs
What are the organization's current programs, how do they measure success, and who do the programs serve?
Programming NYC Public Space
Street Lab creates public installations that travel across New York City. We offer activities that people of all ages, backgrounds, and abilities can do together. Always free.
Designing and Fabricating Programming Kits for Other Cities
We design, fabricate, and send kits around the world so that other cities activate public space and copy our pop-up model.
The Uni Project
The Uni Project is our special initiative to use pop-up to bring opportunities for learning to the public spaces where at-risk NYC kids gather after school and during summers.
Where we work
External reviews
Photos
Videos
Our results
How does this organization measure their results? It's a hard question but an important one.
Number of public events held to further mission
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Population(s) Served
Adults, Children and youth, Ethnic and racial groups
Related Program
Programming NYC Public Space
Type of Metric
Output - describing our activities and reach
Direction of Success
Increasing
Number of neighborhoods reached
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Related Program
Programming NYC Public Space
Type of Metric
Output - describing our activities and reach
Direction of Success
Increasing
Number of participants engaged in programs
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Population(s) Served
Adults, Ethnic and racial groups, Children and youth
Related Program
Programming NYC Public Space
Type of Metric
Output - describing our activities and reach
Direction of Success
Increasing
Context Notes
Estimate 50 per pop-up. Mostly kids and families.
Number of program/model/intervention innovations
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Related Program
Programming NYC Public Space
Type of Metric
Output - describing our activities and reach
Direction of Success
Increasing
Context Notes
Number of pop-up programs (only those that are on-going)
Number of groups/individuals benefiting from tools/resources/education materials provided
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Related Program
Programming NYC Public Space
Type of Metric
Output - describing our activities and reach
Direction of Success
Increasing
Context Notes
Number of community host partners supported with these programs/tools
Number of locations served
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Related Program
Programming NYC Public Space
Type of Metric
Output - describing our activities and reach
Direction of Success
Increasing
Percentage of events in low- to moderate-income areas
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Related Program
Programming NYC Public Space
Type of Metric
Output - describing our activities and reach
Direction of Success
Increasing
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?
Street Lab seeks to realize the full potential of public space in neighborhoods of New York City by creating experiences that allow people of all ages to gather, connect, and find inspiration. We envision a city where all people have access to high-quality amenities and programming, right in their neighborhood.
What are the organization's key strategies for making this happen?
We provide programming in parks, plazas, and other public spaces across New York City using a pop-up approach, working in support of place-making efforts already underway by local groups. We focus on solutions that communities can't easily implement themselves, and we share these resources across the city. We choose locations based on requests from community groups, and we work in partnership with city agencies, prioritizing underserved areas. Along the way, we enlist the help of architects, fabricators, artists, and educators. We also send kits around the world so that other cities can copy our model.
What are the organization's capabilities for doing this?
We have established a network of over 200 community partners working to improve neighborhoods across New York City, and we have identified over 450 public spaces that are in need of programming. Our operation is nimble, and we have already worked in 185 of these locations since 2011. We have award-winning programs at the ready, and new programs in development. We are capable of custom solutions requiring design and fabrication, and we can incorporate other programming partners. We have friendly and experienced staff who are fluent in different languages and skilled at welcoming all kinds of people. Finally, we have funders who support our work across the city.
What have they accomplished so far and what's next?
Street Lab was founded in 2006 in Boston, where we created pop-up programs for neighborhoods, including a festival called Films at the Gate and the Storefront Library. In 2011 we launched the Uni Project, an effort focused on pop-up reading rooms, and moved the organization to NYC under that name. \n\nSince that time we've provided more than 600 days of programming in 150+ public spaces across the city, engaging more than 35,000 New Yorkers. We've established ongoing partnerships with both NYC Department of Transportation and NYC Department of Parks and Recreation and have worked with 120+ different local groups. Annually, we now reach about 45 neighborhoods, providing approximately 150 days of programming, and 86% of that work serves low to moderate income communities. We've also made 36 kits for libraries, museums, and cities that want to copy our model.\n\nThe range of programs we offer has expanded as well, and we now offer pop-up drawing stations, portable museum exhibits, design activities, and soon, small scale music-making and performance. Some of our programming partners include the SoHo Memory Project, the Harlem-based science-education organization HYPOTHEkids, The Drawing Center, the Central Park Zoo, and all three of the city's public libraries. As a result of our growth, we are re-introducing the organization's original name of Street Lab in 2018 to reflect our expanding scope of programs and services.
How we listen
Seeking feedback from people served makes programs more responsive and effective. Here’s how this organization is listening.
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How is your organization using feedback from the people you serve?
To identify and remedy poor client service experiences, To identify bright spots and enhance positive service experiences, To make fundamental changes to our programs and/or operations, To inform the development of new programs/projects, To identify where we are less inclusive or equitable across demographic groups, To strengthen relationships with the people we serve, To understand people's needs and how we can help them achieve their goals
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Which of the following feedback practices does your organization routinely carry out?
We collect feedback from the people we serve at least annually, We take steps to get feedback from marginalized or under-represented people, We aim to collect feedback from as many people we serve as possible, We take steps to ensure people feel comfortable being honest with us, We look for patterns in feedback based on demographics (e.g., race, age, gender, etc.), We look for patterns in feedback based on people’s interactions with us (e.g., site, frequency of service, etc.), We engage the people who provide feedback in looking for ways we can improve in response, We act on the feedback we receive
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What challenges does the organization face when collecting feedback?
The people we serve tell us they find data collection burdensome, It is difficult to find the ongoing funding to support feedback collection, Staff find it hard to prioritize feedback collection and review due to lack of time
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.
Street Lab
Board of directorsas of 02/06/2023
Jane Bock
The Legal Aid Society
Term: 2021 -
Jane Sujen Bock
The Legal Aid Society
Willard Donham
Harvard University
Jared Eigerman
Dalton and Finegold, LLP
Laura Fleder
Manhattan Comprehensive Night and Day High School
Kenneth Gordon
MLB Advanced Media
Judith Hilton
Deutsche Bank Asset Management
Zara Mannan
GSO Capital Partners/Blackstone
Morgan Jones
Avenues School
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 ? No -
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 -
Board performance
Has the board conducted a formal, written self-assessment of its performance within the past three years? No
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:
The organization's co-leader identifies as:
Race & ethnicity
Gender identity
Transgender Identity
Sexual orientation
No data
Disability
No data
Equity strategies
Last updated: 01/25/2023GuideStar partnered with Equity in the Center - an organization that works to shift mindsets, practices, and systems to increase racial equity - to create this section. Learn more
- We review compensation data across the organization (and by staff levels) to identify disparities by race.
- We analyze disaggregated data and root causes of race disparities that impact the organization's programs, portfolios, and the populations served.
- We disaggregate data to adjust programming goals to keep pace with changing needs of the communities we support.
- We employ non-traditional ways of gathering feedback on programs and trainings, which may include interviews, roundtables, and external reviews with/by community stakeholders.
- We seek individuals from various race backgrounds for board and executive director/CEO positions within our organization.
- We have community representation at the board level, either on the board itself or through a community advisory board.
- We help senior leadership understand how to be inclusive leaders with learning approaches that emphasize reflection, iteration, and adaptability.