What South Bronx Unite does

South Bronx Unite is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit community coalition founded in 2012 and based in the Mott Haven and Port Morris neighborhoods of the South Bronx, New York City. The organization operates as a sponsored project of The Mott Haven-Port Morris Community Land Stewards and is co-led by Mychal Johnson and Monxo López. Its mission centers on environmental justice and community self-determination in a two-square-mile, ~60,000-resident catchment encircled by three highways, five bridges, and 850 acres of industrial zoning. Core programs include the HEARTS (Health, Education & The Arts) community center, a Clean Air Program addressing childhood asthma (1 in 5 children affected), a Green Space Program, a Community Land Trust, a Waterfront Plan, a Local Action Committee for grassroots organizing, and a community-owned air quality monitoring network. The organization operates campaigns against harmful infrastructure projects (FreshDirect warehouse, a proposed jail at 320 Concord Avenue) and supplies community-driven development plans such as the Diego Beekman Neighborhood Development Plan and the Mott Haven-Port Morris Waterfront Plan.

The organization's business model is structured as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit: it generates no commercial revenue and is funded through individual donations (via PayPal) and institutional grants. Documented grant funding includes $40,000 from the New York Foundation (2017), a $1 million EPA Climate Resilience Grant (2024), and a $2.5 million environmental justice grant to fund the HEARTS community center (2025). The go-to-market motion is community-led organizing rather than commercial sales, with awareness generated through earned media (NYT, NY1, Gothamist, CBS News, Pix 11), public demonstrations, town halls, voter mobilization, and direct legal action. Strategic partnerships with Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health, Design Trust for Public Space, the Environmental Defense Fund, the EPA, and News 12 The Bronx extend operational capacity beyond the 1-10 person staff.

The underlying technology stack is minimal: the primary technical asset is the first-ever community-owned and operated air quality monitoring network deployed in the South Bronx, supported by research collaboration with Columbia University. The organization does not offer commercial products or services, has no proprietary software product, and operates its digital presence through a standard Squarespace website with email sign-up. No patents, certifications, or formal compliance regimes are disclosed. Legal counsel and litigation have been central to the organization's history, including a 2013 lawsuit against the City and State over FreshDirect environmental review that was ultimately dismissed in 2018.

Name

South Bronx Unite

Legal name

South Bronx Unite

Website

https://southbronxunite.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2012

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

South Bronx Unite is a 501(c)(3) community coalition founded in 2012 that advocates for environmental justice, clean air, waterfront access, green space, and community-led development for approximately 60,000 residents of Mott Haven and Port Morris in the South Bronx.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Community Advocacy Services

NAICS

Civic and Social Organizations (81341), Social Advocacy Organizations (8133)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300), Services-Membership Organizations (8600)

akta.pro primary industry

Community Centers & Neighborhood Support Services (BPAGAEAL)

akta.pro secondary industry

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

Keywords

• Environmental justice advocacy
• Community organizing
• Grassroots coalition building
• Affordable housing advocacy
• Urban environmental health

Headquarters

HQ city

Bronx

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. Donations: Accepts donations through PayPal and other channels to support community organizing activities, advocacy campaigns, and program implementation.
2. Environmental Justice Grants: Receives grant funding from government and foundation sources for environmental justice initiatives, including the $2.5M environmental justice grant for the HEARTS community center and EPA climate resilience grants.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

South Bronx Unite is a community coalition that organizes residents in Mott Haven and Port Morris to fight environmental injustice, industrial pollution, and disinvestment. It delivers advocacy programs including the Waterfront Plan, the H.E.ARTS Center, the Clean Air Program, the Green Space Program, the Community Land Trust, and the Local Action Committee. Its work combines litigation, direct action, media campaigns, and community-driven development plans to address asthma, lack of green space, waterfront access, and affordable housing in the South Bronx.

Product overview

South Bronx Unite is a community advocacy organization (sponsored project of The Mott Haven—Port Morris Community Land Stewards, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit) rather than a commercial product company. Its offerings consist of advocacy programs and community initiatives including: The Waterfront (waterfront access and green space advocacy), The H.E.ARTS Center (community health/education/arts center development), Clean Air Program (asthma and pollution advocacy), Green Space Program (park access advocacy), Community Land Trust (community-controlled housing), Local Action Committee (grassroots organizing), Heat Map & Air Quality Monitoring (environmental data collection), Campaign Against Fresh Direct (opposition to diesel trucking operations), and No New Jails (opposing jail construction). These programs collectively address environmental justice, public health, land use, and community empowerment in Mott Haven and Port Morris.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• The Waterfront Community-driven initiative advocating for public access, green space, and flood protection on the Mott Haven-Port Morris waterfront, serving residents who have been fenced off from their own shoreline.
• The H.E.ARTS Center (Health, Education & The Arts Center) Community center providing holistic health, education, and arts programming for South Bronx residents, designed to create a cycle of opportunity instead of harm.
• Clean Air Program Health advocacy program addressing the disproportionate asthma rates in the South Bronx (1 in 5 children affected) caused by industrial pollution, highways, and lack of green space, including the deployment of community-owned air quality monitoring.
• Local Action Committee Grassroots organizing committee providing a permanent space for education, strategy, and power-building that transforms decades of community action into organized advocacy in the South Bronx.
• Green Space Program Advocacy program for more parks, gardens, and green spaces in Mott Haven and Port Morris, where approximately 60,000 residents currently share a single park.
• Community Land Trust Community-controlled land and housing program empowering local ownership to ensure affordable housing, prevent gentrification displacement, and protect neighborhood interests in the South Bronx.

Quantifiable outcome

• 1 in 5 children with asthma in South Bronx affected by industrial pollution
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers1 record

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Mott Haven—Port Morris Community Land StewardscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSouth Bronx Unite is a sponsored project of this 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization (EIN: 82-4463916). The Community Land Stewards organization supports community land trust initiatives and serves as the fiscal sponsor for South Bronx Unite's environmental justice work.
• Columbia UniversitycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerOngoing collaboration with Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health on air quality research, studies on traffic congestion, and climate justice initiatives. Research partnership documented increased truck and vehicle traffic (10-40%) from FreshDirect facility between June 2017 and May 2020.
• Design Trust for Public SpacecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAward-winning partnership for tackling public space inequity. Design Trust collaborated on proposals for the Mott Haven-Port Morris waterfront and public space improvements, winning awards in 2017 for innovative design concepts.
• Environmental Defense FundminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration on federal flooding plan advocacy for NY-NJ Harbor and environmental protection initiatives affecting the South Bronx.
• News 12 The BronxminorGTM or Marketing PartnerOngoing media coverage partner featuring South Bronx Unite's environmental justice work, clean air initiatives, and community advocacy through regular news segments and press coverage.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Community Voices Heard: NYC-based member-led organizing group focused on economic justice, housing, and community development in low-income communities. Comparable on grassroots organizing approach, NYC focus, and coalition-driven campaign tactics against harmful development.
• WE ACT for Environmental Justice: Founded in 1988 in Harlem, WE ACT is a leading NYC environmental justice organization that combines community organizing, policy advocacy, and participatory science on air quality and climate issues. Directly comparable to South Bronx Unite on geography, mission (EJ in low-income communities of color), and tactics (data, advocacy, federal grants).
• Make the Road New York: NYC-wide immigrant and working-class community organization running member-led campaigns on housing, environmental justice, and immigrant rights. Comparable on member-driven organizing, EJ campaign tactics, and multi-issue community advocacy in NYC.
• El Puente: Brooklyn-based Latino community-led human rights and arts organization doing environmental justice, youth leadership, and community organizing. Comparable on community-organizing model, arts/education programming, and EJ advocacy in low-income NYC neighborhoods.
• UPROSE: Brooklyn-based youth-led multi-issue EJ and community sustainability organization working on air quality, climate resilience, and participatory research. Closely parallel to SBU's community-owned air monitoring and youth organizing model, also targeting industrial pollution in a low-income neighborhood.
• New York Communities for Change: NYC-wide grassroots organizing group running tenant, housing, and environmental justice campaigns across low-income neighborhoods. Directly comparable to SBU's coalition-driven, direct-action advocacy model and member-led Local Action Committee structure.
• Nos Quedamos: South Bronx community development organization founded in the 1990s to combat disinvestment and displacement, with deep roots in affordable housing, community planning, and waterfront advocacy. Same neighborhood and similar mix of housing preservation and resident-led planning as SBU.
• The Point CDC: South Bronx (Hunts Point) community development corporation focused on arts, youth development, and economic justice in a heavily industrial waterfront neighborhood. Directly comparable to SBU on geography (South Bronx), community-development model, waterfront access advocacy, and industrial-pollution context.

Emerging players

• Mothers Out Front: State-based EJ organizing network mobilizing parents to advocate for clean air and climate action. Comparable on grassroots member-led EJ organizing, family/children health framing (asthma), and air-quality focus, though operating outside NYC.

Broad incumbents

• Earthjustice: National environmental law organization that litigates and advocates on environmental justice, air quality, and pollution issues. Broader and larger than SBU, but directly comparable on the legal-advocacy lever (FreshDirect-style litigation) SBU also uses.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/southbronxunite
• Facebookfacebook.com/rubendiazjr
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/south-bronx-unite

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 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 South Bronx Unite