OpenPlans
OpenPlans is a New York City 501(c)(3) nonprofit, founded in 1999, that advocates for livable streets through research, community organizing, and policy campaigns on curb management, school streets, and public space, while operating sister media outlets Streetfilms and the Streetsblog network.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1999
- HeadquartersNew York, United States
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What OpenPlans does
OpenPlans is a New York City-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization founded in 1999 (EIN 13-4111130) that advocates for 'livable streets' through civic engagement, policy research, and community organizing. Its mission centers on transforming NYC's car-centric street design into people-first public space, with active campaign portfolios covering curb management, school streets, daylighting, low traffic neighborhoods, outdoor dining, public space management, and housing/parking reform. The organization operates as the parent entity for four wholly-owned sister organizations: Streetfilms (a documentary video outlet) and the Streetsblog network (NYC, USA, and Empire State editions), which together provide owned-media distribution for advocacy content.
OpenPlans' products are primarily advocacy campaigns, research publications (including 'Hit the Brakes', 'Managing the Chaos', and 'School's Out in the Streets'), and organizing toolkits — most notably the School Streets Toolkit and an interactive Digital Curb Sample Tool built on the Open Mobility Foundation's Curb Data Specification standard in partnership with BetaNYC. The organization does not sell commercial software or services; revenue derives from tax-deductible donations, foundation and corporate grants (e.g., a $100,000 GM-funded Community Placemaking Grant from Project for Public Spaces for the Clarkson Street school transformation), and benefit event proceeds such as the annual Public Space Awards. OpenPlans distributes influence through direct engagement with NYC's 59 community boards, City Council members, Borough Presidents, and the Department of Transportation, as well as through its Streetsblog and Streetfilms media properties, email action alerts, rallies, and free webinars. The organization is led by Co-Executive Directors Lisa Orman and Sara Lind, with a leadership team of approximately 11–50 employees based at its 377 Broadway, New York headquarters.
OpenPlans firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- OpenPlans
- Legal name
- OpenPlans, Inc.
- Website
- https://openplans.org
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1999
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- OpenPlans is a New York City 501(c)(3) nonprofit, founded in 1999, that advocates for livable streets through research, community organizing, and policy campaigns on curb management, school streets, and public space, while operating sister media outlets Streetfilms and the Streetsblog network.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
OpenPlans industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Urban Mobility & Public Space Advocacy
- NAICS
- Social Advocacy Organizations (8133)
- SIC
- Services-Social Services (8300)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Digital Rights, Privacy & Free Expression Advocacy (BPAGAFAL)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Public Communications, Transparency & Open Government (BPAIAAAH)
Keywords
Where OpenPlans is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- New York
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices2 records
Markets served
OpenPlans business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Operations, Technology or R&D, Others
Revenue model
- Donations and Contributions: Tax-deductible charitable contributions from individuals, foundations, and organizations. OpenPlans is a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit corporation with EIN 13-4111130.
- Benefit Event Tickets: Revenue from fundraising events such as the annual Public Space Awards. A portion of benefit event tickets is tax deductible.
- Grants and Program Funding: Funding from partners such as General Motors ($100,000 grant for Clarkson Street project via Project for Public Spaces) and other foundation grants.
Distribution channels4 records
Marketing channels9 records
OpenPlans product offering
Product offeringCore offering
OpenPlans is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that advocates for livable, people-first streets in New York City through campaigns, research reports, interactive tools, and community organizing. The organization runs a portfolio of advocacy campaigns covering curb management, school streets, daylighting, outdoor dining, low traffic neighborhoods, and public space management, while producing sister media properties (Streetfilms, Streetsblog NYC/USA/Empire State). It also publishes policy reports, maintains a School Streets Toolkit, hosts an annual Public Space Awards fundraiser, and operates an interactive Digital Curb Sample tool built on the Open Mobility Foundation's Curb Data Specification standard.
Product overview
OpenPlans is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization founded in 1999 that promotes civic engagement for livable streets in NYC. The organization operates a portfolio of advocacy campaigns centered on urban mobility, curb management, and public space management. Core campaigns include Curb Management, School Streets, Public Space Management, Curbside Dining, Daylighting, Low Traffic Neighborhoods, Community Boards, and StreetopiaUWS. These campaigns work holistically to address walkability, safety, mobility, and accessibility. The organization also produces research reports (Hit the Brakes, Managing the Chaos, School's Out in the Streets), maintains an interactive Digital Curb Sample tool, publishes a School Streets Toolkit, and hosts the annual Public Space Awards. OpenPlans serves as the home organization for sister entities Streetfilms, Streetsblog NYC, StreetsblogUSA, and Streetsblog Empire State.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- Open Plans: The parent organization and main brand promoting livable streets and public space advocacy in NYC.
Products and services
- Reports & Research Published reports and research on urban mobility, curb management, parking reform, school streets, and public space management including 'Hit the Brakes', 'Managing the Chaos', 'School's Out in the Streets', and 'Framework for the Future'.
- Digital Curb Sample Interactive web-based tool showing curb use makeup for NYC streets using the Open Mobility Foundation's Curb Data Specification standard, allowing users to view regulations and uses by street, day, and time.
- School Streets Toolkit Toolkit helping NYC schools apply for and implement safe, car-free space near their buildings, with resources for community boards.
- Public Space Awards Annual fundraising event celebrating New Yorkers who have made an extraordinary impact on the public realm; a portion of ticket revenue is tax-deductible.
- Streetsblog Network (NYC, USA, Empire State) Network of news sites covering streets, transportation, and livability issues including NYC, national, and New York State editions; wholly owned subsidiary of OpenPlans, Inc.
- Streetfilms Sibling organization producing short documentary films about street design, public space, and transportation issues and solutions; wholly owned subsidiary of OpenPlans, Inc.
Quantifiable outcome
- Streets outside schools experience 57% more crashes and 25% more injuries than other city streets
- +5 more outcomes
Companies that use OpenPlans
Customer profileSegments4 records
Ideal customer profiles4 records
OpenPlans technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature2 records
OpenPlans partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
13 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- Project for Public SpacescoreProject for Public Spaces awarded OpenPlans a $100,000 Community Placemaking Grant to transform Clarkson Street in Manhattan into a safer, more welcoming space for two area schools (City-As-School MS 560 and M721). Includes planning, implementation, and capacity building assistance.
- BetaNYCcorePartnership to create a digital curb sample tool showing what an accessible digital curb could look like. The tool displays curb use makeup for residential and commercial streets using Open Mobility Foundation's Curb Data Specification.
- Transportation AlternativescoreCo-organized rally at City Hall with Hoboken Mayor, NYC elected officials, and advocates demanding universal daylighting (Intro 1138). Long-standing advocacy partner on street safety issues.
- StreetfilmscoreDocumentary organization producing videos about streets and public space transformation. Part of the OpenPlans family of organizations under 501(c)(3).
- Streetsblog NYCcoreNews outlet covering urban planning, transportation, and livable streets in New York City. Part of the OpenPlans family.
- StreetsblogUSAcoreNational news outlet covering urban planning and transportation. Part of the OpenPlans family.
- Streetsblog Empire StatecoreNew York State-focused news outlet covering urban planning and transportation. Part of the OpenPlans family.
- Columbus-Amsterdam BIDminorBusiness Improvement District partnership; Laila Abed interned with Columbus-Amsterdam BID before joining OpenPlans.
- 31st Ave Open Street CollectiveminorCommunity organization collaborating on open street initiatives; quoted in support of Framework for the Future public space report.
- NYC Department of TransportationcorePartner agency for Open Streets for Schools program; collaborated on Clarkson Street school transformation project.
- Street PlansminorUrban planning consultancy whose Principal Mike Lydon provided endorsement quote for Framework for the Future report.
- Meatpacking District Management AssociationminorEvan Sweet, AICP Director of Neighborhood Operations and Planning, provided endorsement quote for Framework for the Future report.
- North Brooklyn Parks AllianceminorKatie Denny Horowitz, Executive Director, provided endorsement quote for Framework for the Future public space report.
Scale indicators6 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
OpenPlans competitors and assessment
Company assessmentBroad incumbents
- National Association of City Transportation Officials (NACTO): Membership association of city transportation agencies that shapes street design standards and policy. Comparable as a peer influencing the same municipal street-design and curb-management practices OpenPlans campaigns on.
- Smart Growth America: National coalition advancing land-use and transportation reform. Comparable as a broader-incumbent advocacy peer covering livable streets, parking reform, and zoning topics that overlap with OpenPlans' agenda.
- Code for America: Larger and well-funded civic-tech nonprofit with a national footprint. Comparable as a peer in using open data standards and digital tools to improve government services, though at substantially greater scale.
Emerging players
- BetaNYC: NYC civic-tech volunteer community that co-developed the Digital Curb Sample tool with OpenPlans. Comparable as a peer in open government, civic data, and resident-led technology advocacy.
- Open Mobility Foundation: City-led nonprofit stewarding the Curb Data Specification standard that OpenPlans' Digital Curb Sample tool is built on. Comparable as a standards-setting peer and a potential deep partner for OpenPlans' civic-tech work.
Direct peers
- Tri-State Transportation Campaign: Regional advocacy nonprofit focused on transit-oriented development and sustainable transportation across NY/NJ/CT. Comparable as a policy-and-advocacy peer working on overlapping mobility and infrastructure issues.
- Street Plans: Urban planning consultancy whose Principal Mike Lydon endorsed OpenPlans' Framework for the Future report. Comparable as a mission-aligned collaborator on tactical urbanism and street design.
- Project for Public Spaces: Nonprofit focused on placemaking and public space; awarded OpenPlans the $100K Community Placemaking Grant for Clarkson Street. Operates in an adjacent niche around public-space activation and community engagement.
- Transportation Alternatives: NYC-based 501(c)(3) advocacy nonprofit focused on biking, walking, and street safety. Co-organized the City Hall rally with OpenPlans on daylighting and shares an overlapping coalition and donor base for livable-streets policy work.
- StreetsPAC: NYC political action committee supporting pro-livable-streets candidates. Operates as a campaign-finance adjunct to OpenPlans' advocacy mission and shares the same elected-official targeting strategy.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
OpenPlans social profiles
Digital presenceOpenPlans financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
OpenPlans leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles6 records
OpenPlans subsidiaries and ownership
Company hierarchySubsidiaries4 records
OpenPlans funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
OpenPlans M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about OpenPlans
What does OpenPlans do?
OpenPlans is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that advocates for livable, people-first streets in New York City through campaigns, research reports, interactive tools, and community organizing. The organization runs a portfolio of advocacy campaigns covering curb management, school streets, daylighting, outdoor dining, low traffic neighborhoods, and public space management, while producing sister media properties (Streetfilms, Streetsblog NYC/USA/Empire State). It also publishes policy reports, maintains a School Streets Toolkit, hosts an annual Public Space Awards fundraiser, and operates an interactive Digital Curb Sample tool built on the Open Mobility Foundation's Curb Data Specification standard.
Is OpenPlans a public or private company?
OpenPlans is a private company. It is classified as nonprofit foundation owned and is currently operating.
When was OpenPlans founded?
OpenPlans was founded in 1999. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is OpenPlans based?
OpenPlans is headquartered in New York, United States, in the North America region.
How does OpenPlans make money?
Three revenue lines are on record. Donations and Contributions are the primary driver. The others are benefit Event Tickets and grants and Program Funding.
Who are OpenPlans's main competitors?
Broad incumbents on record are National Association of City Transportation Officials (NACTO), Smart Growth America and Code for America. Emerging players are BetaNYC and Open Mobility Foundation. Direct peers are Tri-State Transportation Campaign, Street Plans, Project for Public Spaces, Transportation Alternatives and StreetsPAC.
Does OpenPlans have an API?
No public API is recorded for OpenPlans.
What industry is OpenPlans in?
OpenPlans's product category is Urban Mobility & Public Space Advocacy. Its primary akta.pro industry code is BPAGAFAL, Digital Rights, Privacy & Free Expression Advocacy, with a secondary code of BPAIAAAH, Public Communications, Transparency & Open Government. Its NAICS code is 8133 and its SIC code is 8300.