Friends of Pine and Spruce

What Friends of Pine and Spruce does

Friends of Pine and Spruce (FOPS) is a nonpartisan, 501(c)(4) nonprofit citizens' advocacy organization founded in 2024 and chartered in January 2025 in Center City Philadelphia. The organization was formed in response to the City of Philadelphia's plans to install concrete bike lane barriers and enforce a 'No Stopping Anytime' ordinance on Pine and Spruce Streets — policies triggered in part by the 2024 death of Dr. Barbara Friedes. FOPS represents more than 650 residents of the Rittenhouse and Society Hill neighborhoods and pursues data-driven, balanced safety solutions (such as speed tables and rumble strips) as alternatives to physical barriers that would eliminate parking, restrict curbside access for elderly and disabled residents, and direct roughly $5 million to streets that the organization argues are not among Philadelphia's 400 most dangerous per the PennDOT VRU Safety Assessment.

The organization's core offering is advocacy services rather than technology products. FOPS combines community organizing (petitions, public meetings, donor mobilization), litigation (retained counsel George Bochetto, Esq. and pro bono General Counsel Paul Boni), direct lobbying of the Mayor's office and City Council, and earned-media amplification (notably through Philadelphia Inquirer columnist Stu Bykofsky). There are no proprietary platforms, APIs, software products, or AI/ML components; delivery channels are the FOPS website (friendsofpineandspruce.org), Twitter/X (@Fpinespruce), email updates, community events, and direct mail. The revenue model is donations-only, with a single revenue stream consisting of voluntary member contributions ranging from small amounts to four-figure gifts ($2,500–$5,000), accepted via Zelle, PayPal, credit/debit card, and check. The organization is registered in Pennsylvania, USA, and operates exclusively within Philadelphia's Center City.

FOPS achieved material legal milestones in its first 18 months: a preliminary injunction in December 2024, denial of the City's motion to dismiss in June 2025, and a broad injunction against the City and all its departments in August 2025, followed by the City beginning removal of loading zone signs in September 2025. Leadership is led by President Lloyd Brotman, Vice President Nicole Galli, and Secretary/Treasurer Kate Jay Zweifler, with a board of directors and pro bono legal guidance from Paul Boni. Headcount is estimated at 11–50 (largely volunteer and part-time), with no parent company, no funding rounds, and no subsidiaries.

Name

Friends of Pine and Spruce

Legal name

Friends of Pine and Spruce

Website

https://friendsofpineandspruce.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2024

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Friends of Pine and Spruce (FOPS) is a Philadelphia-based 501(c)(4) nonprofit citizens' advocacy organization founded in 2024 that represents over 650 Center City residents in opposing bike lane barriers and no-stopping ordinances through community organizing, litigation, and direct lobbying.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Donations and Membership Contributions: FOPS operates as a 501(c)(4) nonprofit organization funded entirely by donations from community members. The organization conducts regular fundraising campaigns, including appeals for legal defense funds. Recent donor contributions have ranged from small amounts to four-figure donations in the $2500-$5000 range. Donations are accepted via Zelle, PayPal, credit/debit card, and check by mail.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

FOPS is a nonpartisan, nonprofit citizens' advocacy organization that provides community advocacy services focused on balancing safety needs for cyclists, residents, pedestrians, and drivers on Pine and Spruce Streets in Center City Philadelphia. The organization delivers its work through legal challenges against City of Philadelphia bike lane barrier and no-stopping ordinances, public education and outreach campaigns, grassroots community organizing, and direct engagement with city officials and council members. It does not sell a product or service to customers; instead it mobilizes community members through donations and volunteer action.

Product overview

Friends of Pine & Spruce (FOPS) is a nonpartisan, nonprofit citizens' advocacy organization that does not offer traditional technology products or services. The organization provides community advocacy services centered on promoting accessible, balanced safety solutions for all users of Pine and Spruce Streets while advocating for data-driven public policy. The organization's core offering consists of legal advocacy against the City of Philadelphia's bike lane barrier plans, community organizing, public education campaigns, and lobbying efforts to protect residential access and quality of life. Key activities include filing lawsuits to challenge the 'No Stopping' ordinance and loading zone installations, presenting data-driven safety recommendations to city officials, and mobilizing neighborhood residents through public meetings and awareness campaigns.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Community Advocacy Services Community advocacy services focused on balancing safety needs for cyclists, residents, pedestrians, and drivers on Pine and Spruce Streets in Center City Philadelphia through legal challenges, public education, and community organizing. Targeted at Philadelphia residents concerned about transportation policy impacts on their neighborhoods.

Quantifiable outcome

• Court injunction secured against City of Philadelphia prohibiting enforcement of neighborhood loading zones on Pine and Spruce Streets (December 2024 / January 2025)
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers1 record

Segments2 records

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 major.

• George Bochetto, Esq. (Bochetto & Lentz)coreOthers · 14 August 2025Retained as lead trial counsel representing FOPS in litigation against the City of Philadelphia. George Bochetto is described as a well-known Philadelphia trial attorney with a reputation as a fierce and impassioned advocate for clients. His legal expertise has been instrumental in securing preliminary injunctions against the city's loading zone and no-stopping policies.
• Ryan Kirk, Esq.majorOthers · 14 August 2025Attorney who worked alongside George Bochetto at the August 2025 injunction hearing. Contributed legal skill and dedication to the successful outcome.
• Neighbors of South 3rd StreetcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 6 March 2025A neighborhood group that FOPS collaborated with to organize an Open House hosted by OTIS and Councilmember Mark Squilla at the Old Pine Community Center. FOPS helped with turnout and supports the group's advocacy against a proposed bike lane on South 3rd Street. The collaboration demonstrates FOPS's commitment to working with allied neighborhood groups facing similar urban planning challenges.
• Paul Boni, Esquire (General Counsel)coreOthersOutside General Counsel providing pro bono legal guidance to FOPS. Described as providing wisdom and leadership throughout the organization's legal and advocacy efforts.
• Stu Bykofsky (Columnist)majorGTM or Marketing PartnerPhiladelphia Inquirer columnist who provides regular editorial coverage and commentary supporting FOPS's positions on bike lane policy. His newsletter and articles serve as a significant platform for amplifying FOPS's message to a broader Philadelphia audience.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Others

• America Walks: National walking-movement advocacy and community-building organization. It is comparable as a thematically adjacent peer because it works on the same broader walkability and street-access issues that FOPS engages, but at the national policy and coalition-building level rather than local litigation.
• Streetsblog: National network of urbanist digital publications covering street policy, bike infrastructure, and pedestrian safety. It is comparable as an adjacent ecosystem participant because it shapes the media and policy discourse in the same street-design space that FOPS is litigating locally in Philadelphia.

Regional players

• Clean Air Council: Philadelphia-based environmental advocacy nonprofit active on transportation, air quality, and urban planning policy. It is a regional peer because it operates in the same Philadelphia advocacy ecosystem and frequently participates in the same street and transportation-policy debates as FOPS.
• Tri-State Transportation Campaign: Northeast regional policy and advocacy organization focused on sustainable transportation across New York, New Jersey, and Connecticut. It is a regional peer because it engages comparable urban street-policy, equity, and infrastructure fights, although in a different metro geography.

Direct peers

• Active Transportation Alliance: Chicago-based advocacy organization working on walking, biking, and transit policy. It is a direct peer because it mobilizes residents around the same categories of street-design and curbside-access decisions that drive FOPS's work, even though its policy orientation is typically pro-bike-lane.
• 5th Square: Philadelphia-based urbanist political action committee focused on land use, transportation, and good governance. It is a direct peer because it operates in the same Philadelphia street-policy advocacy space as FOPS, mobilizing residents around urban planning decisions, though typically from a pro-bike-lane perspective.
• Bicycle Coalition of Greater Philadelphia: Regional bicycle and pedestrian advocacy organization serving Greater Philadelphia. It is a direct peer to FOPS because both engage the same Philadelphia street-policy and bike-lane infrastructure debate, albeit from opposing policy positions.
• Walk Bike Nashville: Nashville-based advocacy nonprofit working on street design, curbside access, and multimodal transportation at the neighborhood level. It is a direct peer because it operates a comparable community-advocacy model around contested urban street redesigns, albeit in a different city.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/Fpinespruce
• Facebookfacebook.com/Friends-of-pine-and-spruce-61571920687001

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 Friends of Pine and Spruce