Van Cortlandt Park Alliance

What Van Cortlandt Park Alliance does

Van Cortlandt Park Alliance (VCPA) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that serves as the sole public-private stewardship partner for Van Cortlandt Park, a 1,146-acre park in the northwest Bronx that is the third-largest in New York City. Founded in 2019 through the merger of Friends of Van Cortlandt Park (est. 1992) and Van Cortlandt Park Conservancy (est. 2009), VCPA operates in close partnership with the NYC Department of Parks & Recreation to preserve, restore, and promote the park's ecology, recreation, cultural arts, and history. In 2024 it served 10,563 people directly through environmental, educational, and cultural programs and engaged more than 1,000 volunteers annually, while the park itself draws roughly 3 million visitors per year.

VCPA's programmatic portfolio integrates natural-area restoration across the 640+ acre Forever Wild Preserve, the Enslaved People Project (including a Mellon Foundation-funded memorial design competition for the Enslaved African Burial Ground), environmental and garden education (Van Cortlandt Adventures, Growing Gardeners, Super Seedlings), three paid high-school internship pipelines tied to SUNY ESF college credit, athletic-field and trail stewardship supporting a world-renowned 3.1-mile Cross Country Course, and free cultural programming (Juneteenth, Pinkster, Barefoot Dancing, Starlight Cinema, Music in the Park). The organization conducts staff-led scientific research on water quality, benthic macroinvertebrate communities, forest-soil geochemistry (XRF), and urban biodiversity via iNaturalist, with peer-reviewed publications and downloadable CC0-licensed datasets. Technology is concentrated in commodity operational tools — Tribe Events calendar, Square/Eventbrite payments, Stock Donator, Dashery e-commerce, Explorable Places booking, and Haku marathon fundraising pages — with no proprietary software or AI systems.

Revenue is generated from a diversified mix of individual memberships ($25-$500 tiers), one-time and planned giving (including stock donations), foundation grants (Mellon, Pinkerton, Altman, NYC Community Trust, NYC Green Fund, Achelis & Bodman, Hyde & Watson, Aaron Judge ALL RISE, City Gardens Club of NYC), corporate sponsorships (Con Edison, HOKA, Patagonia, Tishman Speyer, Carter Ledyard & Milburn, EY), government grants (NYC Council, NYS Council on the Arts, NYC DCLA, NYS DEC, USDA, EPA), event-based fundraising (Springtime Shindig tiers $1,500-$25,000, We Run This Park Field & Trail Fund, Street Banner advertising starting at $1,500), educational program fees ($100-$200 per program), and a 2026 NYC Marathon charity team ($3,000/runner fundraising minimum). The organization is governed by a volunteer board chaired by Judy Mills-Johnson and led by Executive Director Stephanie Ehrlich, who also serves as the Van Cortlandt Park Administrator.

Name

Van Cortlandt Park Alliance

Legal name

Van Cortlandt Park Alliance, Inc.

Website

https://vancortlandt.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2019

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Van Cortlandt Park Alliance is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that preserves, restores, and promotes the 1,146-acre Van Cortlandt Park in the Bronx through public-private partnership with NYC Parks, delivering environmental restoration, education, cultural heritage, and recreation programs to 10,000+ participants annually.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Park Stewardship and Environmental Conservation Services

NAICS

Nature Parks and Other Similar Institutions (712190), Environment, Conservation and Wildlife Organizations (813312), Museums, Historical Sites, and Similar Institutions (712)

SIC

Services-Amusement & Recreation Services (7900), Services-Membership Sports & Recreation Clubs (7997)

akta.pro primary industry

Parks, Recreation & Protected Areas Administration (BPAIAMAH)

akta.pro secondary industries

Education & Community Programs (Junior Ranger, Citizen Science, School Programs) (THAAAGAK), Public Art, Arts Councils & Grantmaking Programs (BPAGAHAH)

Keywords

• Park stewardship services
• Environmental education programs
• Natural areas restoration
• Urban ecology research
• Cultural arts programming

Headquarters

HQ city

Bronx

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Others

Revenue model

1. Individual Membership Tiers: Tiered individual memberships: Field Steward ($25), Wetland Protector ($50), Trail Blazer ($100), Forest Guardian ($250, includes free horseback lesson), Park Leader ($500, includes two-for-one golf coupon). Higher tiers partially non-deductible due to goods/services value.
2. Individual Donations: Direct charitable contributions to a 501(c)(3) nonprofit; donor advised funds, stock donations through Stock Donator, planned giving via wills/trusts/insurance policies, and bench adoption program; tax-deductible under IRS Section 170(b)(2)(iii).
3. Foundation and Government Grants: Grants from foundations (Mellon, Pinkerton, Altman, Achelis & Bodman, Hyde and Watson, NYC Community Trust, Laura J. Niles, Aaron Judge ALL RISE, City Gardens Club of NYC, etc.) and government agencies (NYC Council, NYS Council on the Arts, NYC Department of Cultural Affairs, NYS Department of Environmental Conservation, USDA, EPA).
4. Special Event Sponsorships and Ticket Revenue: Springtime Shindig sponsorships across tiers (Intrepid Acorn through Heroic Hornbeam), raffle prize/inkind sponsors, plus ticket/journal revenue for the annual benefit. Sponsorships 100% tax-deductible minus tangible benefit value.
5. Field & Trail Fund Sponsorships: "We Run This Park" sponsorships for athletic fields and the Cross Country Course. Tiers: Deer ($1,500), Fox ($2,500), Hare ($5,000), Tortoise ($25,000) with logo placements on banners, t-shirts, posters, and website.
6. Street Banner Advertising Program: 8-ft by 3-ft lamp-post banners placed on park perimeter for one year; commitment starts at $1,500 for two banners (volume discount to $5,000 for 8 banners). Visibility on Broadway (W. 240th to Yonkers border) and Van Cortlandt Park South.
7. Educational Program Fees: School/educational program registration fees of $100–$200 per program (non-refundable), paid via Square. Includes field trips, Garden Explorations, Super Seedlings (free), Growing Gardeners ($135 / 7-week drop-off program), and Arts Integration Residencies.
8. Merchandise Sales: Branded merchandise (sticker, map, swag bag, Team VCPA race shirts) sold online via Dashery storefront (vcpalliance.dashery.com) and distributed at events.
9. Charity Marathon Team Fundraising: Official charity partner status with NYRR for the TCS New York City Marathon; Team VCPA runners pledge to fundraise a minimum of $3,000 each by November 1, 2026, via Haku fundraising pages.
10. Bench Adoption Program: Bench adoption in Van Cortlandt Park to commemorate loved ones, friends, or community members; proceeds benefit VCPA's park work directly.
11. Group/Team Building Fees: Paid group stewardship projects for corporate teams, schools, and nonprofits bringing 6+ volunteers; payments processed via Square link.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels7 records

Marketing channels10 records

Core offering

Van Cortlandt Park Alliance preserves, supports, and promotes the recreational, ecological, cultural-arts, and historical value of Van Cortlandt Park (1,146 acres, Bronx, NYC) as a 501(c)(3) public-private partnership with NYC Department of Parks & Recreation. Its core offerings are integrated stewardship programs spanning natural-areas restoration, environmental and garden education for K-12 students, paid high-school internships, cultural arts programming (Juneteenth, Pinkster, Starlight Cinema, Barefoot Dancing, Music in the Park), the Enslaved People Project, athletic fields and trail maintenance, and citizen-science research — all supported by individual memberships, donations, foundation and government grants, and corporate sponsorships.

Product overview

Van Cortlandt Park Alliance (VCPA) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit stewardship organization — not a software vendor — whose "product" is the integrated programming, stewardship, and fundraising portfolio that preserves, supports, and promotes the ecology, recreation, cultural arts, and history of Van Cortlandt Park in partnership with NYC Parks. Its offering is structured as a unified stewardship platform-plus-modules architecture: a core membership/communications backbone (VCPA Membership Program, Calendar of Events, VCPA Email Newsletter, Bench Adoption Program, Street Banner Program) that connects a set of named program modules — Cultural Programs (Barefoot Dancing, Music in the Park, Starlight Cinema: New York, New York), the Enslaved People Project (including the Reimagining the Enslaved African Burial Ground initiative), Education Programs (Van Cortlandt Adventures), Natural Areas Restoration, Fields & Trails (Cross Country Course and athletic fields), Dog Runs Volunteer Program, the Daylighting Tibbetts Brook infrastructure program, three High School Internship Programs (Green Scholars, Garden 2 Market, Urban Ecology Teens), Research Projects, and event-based fundraising (Springtime Shindig, We Run This Park Field & Trail Fund, Team VCPA NYC Marathon team). These modules interlock by sharing the park's 1,146 acres as the operating environment, overlapping volunteer bases, and shared donor pipelines (foundations, government, corporate, community partners).

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Team VCPA: Official charity team of Van Cortlandt Park Alliance that fundraises through participation in races including the TCS New York City Marathon in partnership with New York Road Runners.
• We Run This Park
• Enslaved People Project

Products and services

• Enslaved People Project (EPP) Coalition-led cultural and historical program that researches, educates, and publicly commemorates the enslaved Africans and Indigenous people associated with the Van Cortlandt family plantation. Includes K-8 curricula, Arts Integration Residencies, the Reimagining the Enslaved African Burial Ground memorial design competition, Juneteenth and Pinkster ceremonies, and a digital self-guided tour; targeted at Bronx/NYC schools, educators, and cultural-heritage community.
• Daylighting Tibbetts Brook Program Advocacy and educational program supporting the open-channel daylighting of Tibbetts Brook to remove 4–5 million gallons/day of clean brook water from the NYC combined sewer, reducing Combined Sewer Overflows at outfall WI-056 into the Harlem River. Includes a public-education fellowship project, greenway extension planning, and ongoing coordination with NYC Parks and NYC DEP; targeted at NYC Parks/DEP and Bronx community stakeholders.
• Education Programs (Van Cortlandt Adventures) School-group and family educational programs using the park's 1,146 acres as an outdoor classroom, including paid Van Cortlandt Adventures field trips booked through Explorable Places ($100–$200 per program), Garden Explorations, Super Seedlings (free), and Growing Gardeners ($135 / 7-week drop-off program); serves pre-K through high school students and families.
• Natural Areas Restoration Stewardship of the ~640-acre Forever Wild Preserve in partnership with NYC Parks, including invasive species removal (e.g., water chestnut manual removal in Hester & Piero's Mill Pond, Japanese Knotweed solarization), native plantings, Forest Action Plan 2022–2026 implementation, and weekly volunteer events; serves NYC Parks and Bronx community.
• Fields & Trails Stewardship program supporting the park's athletic infrastructure — 11 soccer fields, 16 baseball fields, 8 cricket pitches, 12 tennis courts, and the world-renowned 3.1-mile Cross Country Course that hosts the Manhattan College Cross Country Invitational (~10,000 high school runners annually); serves NYC Parks, athletic leagues, and runners.
• High School Internship Programs (Green Scholars, Garden 2 Market, Urban Ecology Teens) Three paid high-school internship tracks: Green Scholars "Wilderness Warriors" (nature identification), Garden 2 Market (horticulture + farm-stand business + ServSafe certification), and Urban Ecology Teens (summer environmental fieldwork with tuition-free 3-credit SUNY ESF college courses); serves Bronx-area high school students.
• Starlight Cinema: Movies in the Park Free Friday-night outdoor film series presented with Horace Mann School at the Parade Ground, including pre-show music, movie-themed crafts, and on-screen advertising opportunities; serves the Bronx community and park visitors.
• Barefoot Dancing Annual multi-ethnic cultural-literacy program that brings live traditional dance and music from various world traditions to Van Cortlandt Park, with audience-participation performances; serves Bronx/NYC cultural-community audiences.
• Music in the Park Recurring outdoor music programming in Van Cortlandt Park, including the Bronx Arts Ensemble Summer Music Series; serves park visitors and Bronx cultural-community audiences.
• VCPA Membership Program Tiered annual membership (Field Steward $25, Wetland Protector $50, Trail Blazer $100, Forest Guardian $250, Park Leader $500) with benefits including park map, Van Cortlandt House Museum admission, member hikes, private tours, horseback riding lesson, and golf coupon; serves individual donors and community members.
• Springtime Shindig (Annual Benefit) Annual spring benefit honoring advocates for the park's Memorial Grove, with published sponsor journal and tiered sponsorship levels (Heroic Hornbeam, Valiant Maple, Lionhearted Holly, Intrepid Acorn); serves individual donors, corporate sponsors, and the Bronx community.
• Team VCPA — TCS NYC Marathon Charity Team Charity-partner team in the New York Road Runners TCS NYC Marathon, offering guaranteed race entry to runners who commit to a $3,000 fundraising minimum for VCPA, with personal Haku fundraising pages; serves individual fundraisers and marathon runners.
• Bench Adoption Program Donor recognition program allowing supporters to dedicate park benches in Van Cortlandt Park to loved ones, friends, or community members; proceeds benefit VCPA's park work directly; serves individual donors and community members.
• Street Banner Program Lamp-post banner advertising program on Broadway (W. 240th to Yonkers border) and Van Cortlandt Park South, offering businesses year-round visibility; commitments start at $1,500 for two banners (volume discount to $5,000 for 8 banners); includes acknowledgement in annual report and website; serves corporate sponsors and local businesses.
• We Run This Park — Field & Trail Fund Annual sponsorship and donor program funding seasonal trail and field maintenance, stone-dust and equipment replacement for athletic fields and the Cross Country Course; tiered sponsorships (Tortoise $25,000, Hare $5,000, Fox $2,500, Deer $1,500) with logo placements on banners, t-shirts, posters, and website; serves corporate sponsors and athletic partners.
• Dog Runs Volunteer Program Volunteer-supported maintenance program for the three Van Cortlandt Park dog runs (Dog Bone Run, Oneida Run, plus the Canine Court referenced in FAQ); serves local dog owners and park visitors.
• Research Projects Staff-led scientific research on water quality, freshwater biodiversity, forest biodiversity, geochemistry, ecological restoration, socio-ecological research, and paleoecology of Tibbetts Brook and the park's natural areas; includes publicly downloadable CC0 datasets; serves academic researchers, NYC agencies, and the public.
• Vital Volunteers Self-Serve Program Self-serve stewardship program launched Summer 2020 where trained volunteers independently maintain hiking trails, conduct litter patrol, and pull non-indigenous plant species on a monthly cadence with orientation and field training; serves individuals, corporate teams, and community groups.

Quantifiable outcome

• 10,563 people served directly in 2024 across educational, stewardship, and cultural programs
• +9 more outcomes

Named customers24 records

Segments8 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration9 records

Feature5 records

Partnerships

14 partnerships are on record, tiered flagship and core.

• NYC Department of Parks & RecreationflagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerVCPA's primary public-private partnership: NYC Parks provides the Van Cortlandt Park Administrator's Office (1 Bronx River Parkway, Bronx NY 10462, 718-430-1890) and shares co-stewardship of the park. Together they manage Forever Wild preserves, capital projects, and the VCP Master Plan 2034.
• Con EdisoncoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCorporate sponsor and program funder: funds Green Scholars "Wilderness Warriors" Spring 2026 internship, 2026 Urban Eco-Teens leadership, and Garden 2 Market 2026 program year. Provides additional support for Movies in the Park.
• New York Road Runners (NYRR)flagshipGTM or Marketing PartnerOfficial 2026 TCS NYC Marathon charity partner; hosts Team VCPA runners via Haku fundraising pages. Previously partnered on park-based running events.
• Horace Mann SchoolflagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-presents Starlight Cinema Movies in the Park (free Friday-night series); Park Leader member; Springtime Shindig 2025 Heroic Hornbeam sponsor; Banner Hero 2024. Board member Dr. Thomas M. Kelly is Head of School.
• Ethical Culture Fieldston SchoolcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerBanner Hero sponsor for 2024 Banner Program; Springtime Shindig partner; educational collaborator.
• SAR Academy / SAR High SchoolcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerBanner Steward sponsor 2024; Springtime Shindig Valiant Maple sponsor; Board member Rabbi Binyamin Krauss is Academy Principal.
• Riverdale Country SchoolcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSpringtime Shindig 2025 Intrepid Acorn sponsor; community partner.
• Collegiate SchoolcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSpringtime Shindig 2025 Valiant Maple sponsor; community partner.
• Manhattan UniversityflagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerHosts the largest high school cross country meet in the country (Manhattan College Cross Country Invitational) at the Parade Ground each fall; Springtime Shindig 2025 Intrepid Acorn sponsor; cross-country research collaborator.
• CUNY Lehman CollegecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCommunity partner; Lehman College students regularly weed and plant the Enslaved African Burial Ground; research collaborator (Dr. Yuri Gorokovich on geochemistry).
• SUNY Environmental Science and Forestry (ESF)flagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerTuition-free 3-credit college courses for Garden 2 Market and Urban Eco-Teens interns (e.g., EST 135 Climate Justice, EST 296 Comics and the Drawn Environment, EHS 150 US History & Environmental Health); supports Garden 2 Market 2026.
• Bronx Arts EnsembleflagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-hosts Juneteenth celebrations (2021-2026), Summer Music Series, and other cultural programming; Banner Participant 2024.
• Bronx River AlliancecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCommunity partner for regional watershed and ecological stewardship.
• Bronx Council for Environmental Quality (BCEQ)

Scale indicators14 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Prospect Park Alliance: Brooklyn-based 501(c)(3) that partners with NYC Parks for Prospect Park. Closest functional peer to VCPA: similar size-class, similar park-stewardship mandate, comparable membership/event/grant revenue mix, and analogous athletic-field and natural-areas programs.
• Friends of the High Line: NYC 501(c)(3) that operates and programs the High Line in partnership with NYC Parks. Comparable as a public-private NYC park steward with a strong membership/event/grant mix, capital-project advocacy, and large annual visitor base.
• Natural Areas Conservancy: NYC nonprofit focused on natural-areas restoration and stewardship in city parks. Directly comparable to VCPA's Natural Areas Restoration, research, and volunteer programs; publishes citywide ecological assessments that overlap VCPA's research agenda.
• Central Park Conservancy: Largest NYC park-private stewardship organization; 501(c)(3) that partners with NYC Parks for Central Park. Directly comparable model to VCPA — public-private stewardship, membership tiers, capital project co-design, donor cultivation, and volunteer programming — but at much larger scale.
• Riverside Park Conservancy: Manhattan-based 501(c)(3) public-private partnership with NYC Parks for Riverside Park. Directly comparable operating model to VCPA: park stewardship, volunteer mobilization, capital project advocacy, and donor-driven programming along a NYC Parks asset.

Broad incumbents

• Hudson River Park Trust: NY-state-chartered public benefit corporation stewarding the 4-mile Hudson River Park waterfront. Broader-scope NYC waterfront steward with similar public-private-partnership structure, capital project delivery, and event/programming revenue model — but operates at a larger, multi-segment scale.
• City Parks Foundation: Citywide NYC nonprofit that administers the NYC Green Fund (a VCPA funder) and runs citywide programming. Comparable as a parks-focused nonprofit intermediary but broader in scope than VCPA's single-park mandate.
• Brooklyn Botanic Garden: Larger NYC-area 501(c)(3) with comparable garden education, horticulture, and youth-programming portfolio. Comparable operating model (membership tiers, paid programs, foundation/corporate fundraising) but at greater scale and broader programmatic scope.

Regional players

• Bronx River Alliance: Bronx-based 501(c)(3) that stewards the Bronx River corridor and is a named VCPA community partner. Comparable regional watershed-stewardship nonprofit with overlapping donor, volunteer, and grant-maker pools in the Bronx.
• New York Botanical Garden: Adjacent Bronx-based 501(c)(3) with overlapping horticulture, education, and volunteer programming and a shared donor base. Listed as a VCPA community partner; comparable nonprofit operating model but at significantly larger scale.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UC_kwtfXcPAVwQUW9gI2uJsA
• Xx.com/vcpalliance
• Facebookfacebook.com/vcpalliance
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/vcpalliance

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles24 records

Subsidiaries2 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 Van Cortlandt Park Alliance