Goles

What Goles does

GOLES (Good Old Lower East Side, Inc.) is a 501(c)(3) neighborhood housing and preservation organization founded in 1977 in response to arson, abandonment, and economic crisis in Manhattan's Lower East Side. The organization serves, engages, and empowers low- and moderate-income residents — specifically people of color — within Manhattan's Community Board 3 (south of 14th Street, east of 4th Avenue and the Bowery, down to the Brooklyn Bridge) through direct services, public education, and community organizing. Its work spans five interrelated issue areas: housing, land use, disaster preparedness and environmental resiliency, healthy aging, and job readiness.

GOLES operates a portfolio of 11+ discrete programs rather than a unified technology product. Direct-service offerings include eviction prevention and tenants' rights counseling (covering rent-regulated, NYCHA, Mitchell-Lama, HDFC, and Section 8 tenants), the HPD Housing Ambassadors affordable housing lottery program, the GOLES Healthy Aging Program (GHAP) for residents 50+, and a workforce development and job readiness program. Organizing programs include public housing organizing (focused on NextGeneration NYCHA and Permanent Exclusion policy), rent-regulated housing protection campaigns, land use and zoning organizing, environmental resiliency and disaster recovery (including co-founding LESReady!), and the School Community Fridges initiative at 8 local schools. The only digital tooling of note is a Mailchimp-distributed newsletter reaching 7,500+ residents and a curated LES Healthy Communities Google Map resource; no proprietary technology stack or AI/ML components are disclosed.

The business model is a nonprofit operating budget funded primarily by foundation grants (Ford Foundation, Yield Giving, Mertz Gilmore, Change Capital Fund), government contracts and appropriations (NYC City Council, Manhattan Borough President, NYS Assembly, HPD, HCR, Department for the Aging, DOHMH, DASNY, GOSR), individual donations, and membership dues from a resident-membership program. All resident-facing services are free, with no revenue generated from service fees. Revenue is not publicly disclosed. Distribution occurs through a single physical office at 173 Avenue B in Manhattan, remote phone/video counseling, and partnerships with 8 local schools, senior centers (Mott Street, BRC, Weinberg at Manny Cantor Center, Henry Street Settlement), and a coalition network including ANHD, Housing Justice For All, NYCEJA, LESEN, and LESReady!.

Name

Goles

Legal name

Good Old Lower East Side, Inc.

Website

https://goles.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1977

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

GOLES is a 1977-founded Manhattan nonprofit providing free housing counseling, tenant organizing, senior services, workforce development, and disaster preparedness to low- and moderate-income Lower East Side residents, funded by foundations, government, and donations.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Community Housing & Preservation Services

NAICS

Community Food and Housing, and Emergency and Other Relief Services (6242), Other Community Housing Services (624229)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300)

akta.pro primary industry

Affordable Housing & Community Development (Housing, Community Land Trusts) (BPAGALAC)

Keywords

• Tenant rights counseling
• Affordable housing preservation
• Community organizing services
• Workforce development programs
• Senior supportive services

Headquarters

HQ city

New York

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Foundation Grants: GOLES receives funding from foundations including Yield Giving, Ford Foundation, Mertz Gilmore Foundation, Change Capital Fund, and others. These grants support the organization's operations and programs.
2. Government Funding: GOLES receives government support from NYC City Council, Manhattan Borough President, NYS Assembly members, NYS Homes and Community Renewal (HCR), NYC HPD, NYC Department for the Aging, NYC DOHMH, DASNY, and NY Governor's Office of Storm Recovery.
3. Individual Donations: GOLES accepts donations from local residents who support the organization. The organization emphasizes community financial participation as part of organizational sustainability.
4. Membership Dues: GOLES operates a membership program where members pay dues and gain decision-making power within the organization, attend exclusive events, and participate in leadership development.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

GOLES is a grassroots nonprofit that delivers free direct services, public education, and community organizing to low- and moderate-income residents of Manhattan's Lower East Side. Its portfolio includes eviction prevention and tenants' rights counseling, senior healthy aging programs, workforce development, public housing and rent-regulated housing organizing, land use advocacy, disaster preparedness training, and a community fridge initiative—all provided at no cost and funded through grants, government support, and donations.

Product overview

GOLES is a neighborhood housing and preservation organization serving the Lower East Side of Manhattan since 1977. Rather than a unified technology product, GOLES offers a portfolio of direct service programs including: the Healthy Aging Program (GHAP) for seniors; the Job Readiness & Career Development Program; Eviction Prevention & Tenants' Rights Counseling; HPD Housing Ambassadors; School Community Fridges; LES Healthy Communities Google Map resource tool; Community Preparedness & Disaster Recovery Training; Land Use Organizing; Public Housing Organizing; Rent-Regulated Housing Protection; and GOLES Membership & Leadership Development. These services focus on interrelated issue areas of housing, land use, disaster preparedness, healthy aging, and workforce development for low- and moderate-income residents.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Quantifiable outcome

• 1,992 residents voted for School Community Fridges program with 61% of the vote through participatory budgeting
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers1 record

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Eleven partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• NYC Department of Housing Preservation and Development (HPD)coreOthersGOLES partners with HPD as part of the Housing Ambassadors Program to help LES residents prepare for and apply to affordable housing lotteries.
• LESReady!coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerGOLES is co-founder and leading member of LESReady! - The Lower East Side's Long Term Recovery Group. Collaborates with community organizations, faith-based institutions, and buildings to strengthen disaster preparedness and response.
• Energy Democracy AlliancecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCoalition partner working on energy democracy and environmental justice issues affecting NYC communities.
• NYC Environmental Justice Alliance (NYCEJA)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCoalition partner addressing environmental justice and climate resilience for NYC neighborhoods.
• Association for Neighborhood and Housing Development (ANHD)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCoalition member working on neighborhood housing and community development issues.
• Housing Justice For All (HJ4A)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCoalition partner focused on housing justice and tenant rights advocacy statewide.
• Lower East Side Employment Network (LESEN)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCoalition partner focused on workforce development and employment in the LES.
• Artists, Athletes, and ActivistsminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner for School Community Fridges program - maintains plant-based community fridges at 8 local schools.
• NYC Council / Council Members (Margaret Chin, Carlina Rivera)coreOthersElected officials who provide discretionary funding and legislative support for GOLES programs.
• Manhattan Borough President Gale BrewercoreOthersManhattan Borough President provides funding support and advocacy for Lower East Side communities.
• NY RenewsminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCoalition partner working on climate and environmental policy at the state level.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Henry Street Settlement: Long-running LES settlement house providing housing support, senior services, workforce development, and arts programming. Comparable as a multi-program neighborhood services organization anchored in the same catchment area.
• Grand Street Settlement: Lower East Side-based multiservice nonprofit offering senior services, housing support, workforce programming, and community education. Highly comparable to GOLES in hybrid direct-services-plus-organizing model and LES geography.
• Cooper Square Committee: Direct LES/Manhattan grassroots housing preservation and tenant rights nonprofit. Operates in the same Lower East Side footprint as GOLES with overlapping housing counseling, anti-displacement, and tenant organizing services — making it the closest peer in scale, geography, and mission.
• Northern Manhattan Improvement Corporation: NYC-based community services nonprofit providing housing counseling, workforce development, legal services, and senior programs to low-income residents. Comparable in service mix and city-level nonprofit grant-funded model, though geographically distinct.
• Asian Americans for Equality (AAFE): NYC-based multiservice nonprofit combining housing counseling, affordable housing development, small business support, and community organizing. Comparable portfolio breadth — housing services plus organizing — across multiple NYC neighborhoods.
• Urban Homesteading Assistance Board (UHAB): NYC nonprofit focused on HDFC co-ops, tenant organizing, and affordable housing preservation. Directly comparable on housing counseling, tenant rights, and limited-equity/affordable co-op support — overlapping with GOLES' rent-regulated and HDFC tenant work.
• St. Nicks Alliance: Brooklyn-based nonprofit providing housing preservation, workforce, senior, and youth services in North Brooklyn. Comparable multi-program neighborhood-based model including housing counseling and community organizing — strong functional parallel.
• Metropolitan Council on Housing: NYC-wide tenant rights organization providing tenant counseling, organizing, and advocacy on rent regulation and affordable housing. Directly comparable on the tenant rights, housing counseling, and policy-advocacy core of GOLES' work.

Emerging players

• CAAAV: Organizing Asian Communities: NYC Chinatown/Pan-Asian grassroots organization running tenant organizing, anti-displacement campaigns, and leadership development pipelines. Highly comparable as a membership-driven, race-equity-focused organizing model with housing preservation as a core program.

Others

• Association for Neighborhood and Housing Development (ANHD): NYC coalition of 70+ neighborhood housing and community development groups, including GOLES as a member. Comparable as the umbrella network in which GOLES participates — provides coalition-level context rather than direct service competition.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/golesnyc
• Facebookfacebook.com/golesnyc
• Instagraminstagram.com/golesnyc

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles8 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Goles