Living City Project

What Living City Project does

Living City Project, Inc. is a 501(c)(3) tax-exempt nonprofit educational organization incorporated in New York State and headquartered at 532 West 148th Street in Harlem. Founded in 2020 by urban planner Tanya Gallo (MSc, London School of Economics; former Rockefeller Foundation 100 Resilient Cities; HR&A Advisors) and educator Andrew Meyers (Princeton, Yale, Columbia; 23 years at Ethical Culture Fieldston School; former Head of Experiential Learning at Whittle School & Studios), the organization operates immersive, place-based education programs that treat New York City as classroom, laboratory, studio, and community. Its flagship program, CityGAP, is a 14-week fall semester for participants aged 18-25, organized around the proprietary Five City Lenses Framework (urban form, resilient city, just city, city of memory, city of creativity) and delivered to small cohorts of 8-10 participants through a structured mix of 4-week orientation, 10-12 week group projects with partner organizations, and 10-12 week individual projects with mentorship.

The revenue model rests on three streams: participant tuition of $17,500 per CityGAP semester (50% deposit upon acceptance; balance due one month before program start), 501(c)(3) tax-deductible donations earmarked for scholarships and program costs, and a paid College Counseling add-on run by Co-Founder Andrew Meyers. Housing is not a direct LCP revenue line; participants are required to dorm with FOUND Study Midtown East at approximately $7,200 per term, with board and transportation billed separately. A secondary program, CityINSTITUTE, was launched in 2022 to provide professional development workshops for teachers using immersive fieldwork. Operations depend on a partnership network of more than 30 organizations spanning NYC city agencies (DOT, Department of City Planning, Housing Authority, Mayor's Office of Climate and Environmental Justice), community nonprofits (WE ACT, South Bronx Unite, RISE, Friends of Brook Park), cultural institutions (The Climate Museum, Socrates Sculpture Park, Union Docs), and design firms (Leroy Street Studio, One Architecture & Urbanism).

The organization accepts applications on a rolling basis through a structured direct-admissions process (online inquiry, introductory conversation, application items, formal interview, $50 fee) and markets through content (participant work archives, newsletter, social media), membership in Gap Year Association, ISEEN, AEE, and NACAC, and earned media including a College Gazette Top 10 US Gap Year Programs listing. Selected partners (e.g., NYC DOT Public Realm Team) collaborate with participants on co-developed tools such as the Public Space Evaluation Toolkit, and Spring-semester internship placements at organizations including the City Council Legislative Division extend the participant lifecycle. The organization reports an 85% top-choice college acceptance rate among college counseling clients.

Name

Living City Project

Legal name

Living City Project, Inc.

Website

https://livingcityproject.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2020

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Living City Project, Inc. is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit running CityGAP, a 14-week experiential gap semester for ages 18-25 that uses New York City as an immersive classroom, alongside CityINSTITUTE teacher professional development and college counseling.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Experiential Education / Gap Year Programs

NAICS

Educational Services (611)

akta.pro primary industry

Residential Education, Programming & Community Development (EDALACAC)

akta.pro secondary industries

Residential Life Programming & Student Engagement Services (EDAEAFAC), Academic Program Housing (Study Abroad, Language Schools, Field Schools) (THAMAGAE), Commuter Student Life & Non-Residential Engagement (EDALAHAK)

Keywords

• Experiential gap year program
• Place-based education
• Urban studies curriculum
• Professional development workshops
• College counseling 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. Program Tuition: CityGAP semester program tuition of $17,500 per participant, covering educational programming, fieldwork, mentorship, and portfolio development. Financial aid is available for qualifying individuals.
2. Housing Services: Partnership with FOUND Study Midtown East for dorm-style housing. Participants pay separately for housing (approximately $7,200 for the term), board, and transportation. LCP facilitates but does not directly collect these fees.
3. Donations and Scholarships: 501(c)(3) tax-exempt organization accepting donations to provide scholarships for students from diverse backgrounds who have critical voices but lack means to enroll. Suggested donation levels support fieldwork fees ($200), board ($500/month), housing ($1,800/month), community murals ($3,000), OMNY cards ($6,000), and full participant support ($22,000).
4. College Counseling: Additional college, gap year, and transfer counseling services offered to CityGAP participants for a nominal extra fee, provided by Co-Founder Andrew Meyers with 15+ years of college counseling experience.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Living City Project delivers place-based experiential education programs using New York City as a living classroom. Its flagship CityGAP program is a 14-week semester (September-December) for participants aged 18-25 that combines fieldwork, group projects with partner organizations, individual mentored projects, and portfolio development. The organization also operates CityINSTITUTE (professional development workshops for teachers) and offers college counseling as an add-on service.

Product overview

Living City Project offers experiential education programs centered on New York City as a learning laboratory. The primary offerings are CityGAP (an experiential gap semester program for ages 18-25) and CityINSTITUTE (a think tank for urban scholars and professionals), with College Counseling available as an add-on service for CityGAP participants. The organization provides place-based, project-based learning experiences focused on urban challenges, civic engagement, and social justice.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• CityGAP: An experiential gap semester program for participants ages 18-25 engaging with the city as a classroom, laboratory, studio and community.
• CityINSTITUTE
• College Counseling

Products and services

• CityGAP A 14-week experiential gap semester program (September-December) for young people ages 18-25. Participants engage with NYC as a classroom, laboratory, studio, and community, working with city officials, artists, policymakers, journalists, performers, activists, and entrepreneurs through fieldwork, group projects with partner organizations, and individual mentored projects culminating in portfolios.
• CityINSTITUTE A professional development think tank and workshop series for teachers and urban scholars, providing resources and support for rigorous research into the culture, design, politics, policies, and civic landscape of New York City and other global cities. Participants journey from theory to practice with immersive fieldwork and classroom project design.
• College Counseling Full-service college, gap year, and college transfer counseling offered to CityGAP participants for a nominal extra fee. Co-Founder Andrew Meyers provides counseling focused on fit over prestige, with his clients achieving an 85% top-choice acceptance rate and 98% top-three acceptance rate.

Named customers4 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

35 partnerships are on record, tiered core and secondary.

• NYC Department of TransportationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerKey partner in examination of Equitable Public Space. DOT creates and manages much of NYC's public realm including roads, bike lanes, sidewalks, and plazas. Since 2020, they have expanded public space initiatives with Open Streets. LCP participants collaborate with the DOT Public Realm Team on a Public Space Evaluation Toolkit to assess various types of spaces and provide data for future improvements.
• Rockaway Initiative for Sustainability & Equity (RISE)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerRISE provides civic engagement and youth development programs that advance social equity and the physical well-being of the vibrant coastal neighborhood in Queens, New York.
• South Bronx UnitecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSouth Bronx Unite brings together neighborhood residents, community organizations, academic institutions, and allies to improve and protect the social, environmental, and economic future of Mott Haven and Port Morris.
• La Morada RestaurantcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerOwned by Natalia Mendez and Antonio Saavedra, specializing in Oaxacan cuisine. Supports community action on immigration policy and runs a mutual aid program providing free meals to those in need (600 meals/day to recent immigrants and community members). LCP students prepare and distribute food and assemble pamphlets.
• Friends of Brook ParkcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerA community garden and urban farm serving as an environmental justice and education center in Mott Haven, overseen by Danny Chervoni. LCP participants support by working in the garden and advocating for environmental and racial justice, waterfront access, and green space development.
• Waterfront AlliancesecondaryStrategic or Co-development PartnerWorks to protect, transform and revitalize our harbor and waterfront, creating an accessible coastline for all communities.
• WE ACTcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMission to build healthy communities by ensuring that people of color and/or low income residents participate meaningfully in the creation of sound and fair environmental health and protection policies and practices.
• 34th Avenue Open Streets CoalitionsecondaryStrategic or Co-development PartnerHelps facilitate safe open space on the 34th Avenue Open Street in Jackson Heights. Every day at 8 AM volunteers put out barricades and at 8 PM remove them, creating a popular linear community plaza.
• Leroy Street StudiosecondaryStrategic or Co-development PartnerAward-winning architectural studio inspired by innovation in design, the craft of construction, and a collaborative approach that places clients at the center of the design process.
• The American Dream Charter SchoolsecondaryStrategic or Co-development PartnerBased in Mott Haven, develops academic excellence in both Spanish and English for grades 6-12, preparing students to excel in college and become leaders in their communities.
• Urban ArchivesecondaryTechnology or IntegrationPlatform for Cities, Museums, Libraries, and Urban Explorers creating technology that enhances collection engagement and digital storytelling, helping LCP participants use archival resources to tell neighborhood stories.
• Howl Archive/Howl ArtssecondaryStrategic or Co-development PartnerNonprofit dedicated to preserving the past and celebrating the contemporary culture of the East Village and Lower East Side, curating exhibitions and events that invite active participation of the community.
• NYC Mayor's Office of Climate and Environmental JusticecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCity agency that works to ensure that NYC is prepared to withstand and emerge stronger from the impacts of climate change.
• NYC Housing AuthoritysecondaryStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe largest public housing authority in North America, created in 1935 to provide decent, affordable housing for low- and moderate-income New Yorkers across over 177,569 apartments in 335 developments.
• NYC Department of City PlanningsecondaryStrategic or Co-development PartnerNYC's primary land use agency, instrumental in designing the City's physical and socioeconomic framework with ambition to make all of New York a better place to live.
• Sam SchwartzsecondaryStrategic or Co-development PartnerLeading engineering, planning, and consulting firm working across transportation and environmental planning, transit, civil engineering, and community engagement.
• One Architecture & UrbanismsecondaryStrategic or Co-development PartnerAward-winning design and planning firm with offices in Amsterdam and New York led by founding principal Matthijs Bouw. Global leader in large-scale climate adaptation and waterfront infrastructure planning.
• The Trust for Governors IslandsecondaryStrategic or Co-development PartnerCreated by the City of New York and responsible for the planning, operations, and ongoing development of Governors Island.
• Bronx River AlliancesecondaryStrategic or Co-development PartnerWorking to protect, improve and restore the Bronx River corridor so that it can be a healthy ecological, recreational, educational and economic resource for the communities through which the river flows.
• The Climate MuseumcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerDedicated to climate change and climate solutions in the United States. Mission to inspire action on the climate crisis with programming across the arts and sciences that deepens understanding, builds connections, and advances just solutions.
• Hawthorne Valley FarmsecondaryStrategic or Co-development PartnerA diversified, 900-acre Biodynamic farm in upstate New York, healing the planet through regenerative agriculture, connecting children and adults with the land and local food.
• GrowNYCsecondaryStrategic or Co-development PartnerSeeks to improve New York City's quality of life through environmental programs including greenmarkets, community gardens and recycling that transform communities and empower New Yorkers.
• Teens for Food JusticesecondaryStrategic or Co-development PartnerCatalyzing a youth-led movement to end food insecurity in one generation through high-capacity, school-based hydroponic farming, supporting innovative farming technology, integrated health education, healthy food distribution and advocacy.
• Loisaida Inc.secondaryStrategic or Co-development PartnerAddresses the disenfranchisement of low income Latinx residents with employment and training opportunities, youth development initiatives, and neighborhood revitalization activities.
• The Corbin Hill Food ProjectsecondaryStrategic or Co-development PartnerSupplies fresh food to those who need it most, achieving this through the distribution of local, farm fresh food to communities throughout New York City.
• Hunter College Food Policy CentersecondaryStrategic or Co-development PartnerDevelops intersectoral, innovative and evidence-based solutions to prevent diet-related diseases and promote food security in New York City and other urban centers.
• StreetLabsecondaryStrategic or Co-development PartnerNonprofit that creates and shares extraordinary programs for public space across New York City including pop-up reading rooms and open-air drawing studios to improve the urban environment and bring New Yorkers together.
• Union DocssecondaryStrategic or Co-development PartnerNon-profit center for documentary art that presents, produces, publishes, and educates, bringing together activist artists, experimental media-makers, journalists, and local partners.
• Socrates Sculpture ParksecondaryStrategic or Co-development PartnerCommunity engaged New York City waterfront park dedicated to supporting artists in the production and presentation of public art.
• Gap Year AssociationcoreOthersProfessional membership organization for the gap year industry. Co-Founder Tanya Gallo serves as a board member.
• Independent School Experiential Educators Network (ISEEN)coreOthersProfessional network for experiential educators in independent schools. LCP Board member Beth Pilsbury serves on the ISEEN Board.
• Association of Experiential Educators (AEE)secondaryOthersProfessional association for experiential educators.
• National Association of College Admissions Counselors (NACAC)secondaryOthersProfessional association for college admissions counselors.
• FOUND Study Midtown EastcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorLeading supplier of student housing in New York City. Provides dorm-style housing in a newly renovated dorm building in midtown Manhattan. Houses students from other programs including Hunter College and Joffrey Ballet School. Provides resident advisors, onsite nurse, activities, cafeteria, cooking kitchens, TV room, study rooms and other amenities. Participants are required to dorm at FOUND with some exceptions.
• City Council Legislative DivisionsecondaryStrategic or Co-development PartnerSecond-semester CityGAP students may apply to return in Spring, replacing Group Project work with an internship at partner organizations such as City Council Legislative Division.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Thinking Beyond Borders: Thinking Beyond Borders offers experiential gap year and semester programs with a focus on global and civic engagement. It competes for the same segment of high-achieving students seeking meaningful pre-college experiences with a thematic/curricular framework similar to CityGAP's Five City Lenses.
• Verto Education: Verto Education offers gap semesters and year programs with college credit, including experiential and place-based experiences. It is one of the most directly comparable semester-length gap programs targeting 18-25 year-olds, and competes with CityGAP for the same applicant pool.
• Rustic Pathways: Rustic Pathways runs service- and experiential-based gap year and summer programs for high school graduates, with project-based curricula and partner organizations. It is a direct competitor in the experiential gap year category with stronger national brand recognition.
• Where There Be Dragons: Where There Be Dragons runs immersive gap semester and year programs built around place-based, experiential learning in international and US settings. Like CityGAP, it markets small-cohort experiential programming and project-based fieldwork with partner organizations.
• Global Citizen Year: Global Citizen Year runs a gap year fellowship for recent high school graduates focused on immersive, project-based learning. Its structure (cohort-based, semester/year-long, with field projects and partner placements) closely mirrors CityGAP's CityGAP program model.

Broad incumbents

• Outward Bound USA: Outward Bound is a long-established experiential education provider running gap year and semester programs emphasizing outdoor leadership and challenge-based learning. It is a broader incumbent in the experiential education category that competes for the same applicant pool as CityGAP.
• National Outdoor Leadership School (NOLS): NOLS is a large, established experiential education provider offering semester and gap year courses rooted in outdoor and leadership learning. While not urban-focused, it competes for the same applicant pool seeking meaningful pre-college experiences.

Emerging players

• Dynamy Internship Year: Dynamy is a small gap year/interim year program combining internships, outdoor experiences, and group living for high school graduates. It is comparable in scale to CityGAP and serves a similar self-discovery-oriented applicant pool.
• Carpe Diem Education: Carpe Diem Education designs customized gap year and semester programs with a focus on individualized experiential learning. Like LCP, it emphasizes small cohorts, mentorship, and project-based work.
• City Year: City Year is an AmeriCorps gap year program placing young adults in year-long service roles in schools. While structured differently from CityGAP, it competes for 18-25 year-olds seeking civic engagement and service-based pre-college experiences.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/CityGapCityLab
• Instagraminstagram.com/livingcityproject
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/living-city-project

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles9 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 Living City Project