Sparkyouth NYC Inc
Sparkyouth NYC Inc is a New York, New York public charity that supports emerging youth development organizations in New York City. Its model combines grant funding with operational assistance and a cohort community for organizations working to expand opportunities for young people.
Sparkyouth NYC Inc at a glance
In short: Sparkyouth NYC Inc gave $1.1M across 15 grants in 2024 (avg $71K), mostly in New York. 0% of 2024 grantees were new. Source: 2024 IRS Form 990.
- Annual giving (2024)
- $1,065,275
- -14.4% vs 2023
- Grants made (2024)
- 15
- -6.3% vs 2023
- Average grant
- $71,018
- -8.6% vs 2023
- Median grant
- $70,000
- Total assets
- $1,335,923
- -14.7% vs 2023
- New grantees (estimate)
- 0% first-time grantees (0 of 15, 2024; small sample)
- Primary geography
- New York (100% of itemized 2024 grant dollars)
- Latest 990 filing
- Form 990, 2024 View filing
Data from IRS Form 990, 2024; updated September 2026. New grantees are estimated by matching recipient names across years (methodology).
How to apply to Sparkyouth NYC Inc
- How to Apply
-
SparkYouth is not currently accepting grantee applications. Its website says the next selection process will begin in Winter 2027 and that it is not accepting phone calls or meetings to discuss funding at this time.
- Contact
Mailing address: 444 Madison Ave 6Th Floor, New York, NY 10022
Phone: (212) 743-7160
Website: https://sparkyouthnyc.org
Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Who Sparkyouth NYC Inc funds
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2024
The largest 2024 recipient was City Living NY ($75K). Together the top 10 received $715K.
Grant Size Distribution
84 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was in the $50–100K range: 65 grants of 84 (77%).
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
SparkYouth describes its work as supporting youth development organizations in New York City. All 2024 grant dollars went to recipients in New York State.
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2024 grant dollars across all 15 itemized grants.
States
Cities
Is Sparkyouth NYC Inc open to new grantees?
0%
first-time grantees, 2024
In 2024, 0 of 15 grantees (0%) were first-time recipients. With only 15 grantees, that is a small sample: one grantee more or less moves the share by about 7 points. How we count
- 100% of 2024 grantees were also funded in 2023. Method
- Giving held roughly steady from 2021 to 2024 (−6%). Method
Estimate from itemized grant lists in IRS Form 990 filings (2019–2024). Recipient names are matched across years, so a renamed or misspelled grantee can look new; grants to individuals are left out. Methodology.
Giving History
Giving Over Time
Total grant dollars and number of grants per year
From 2019 to 2024, annual grant giving ranged from $610K (2020) to $1.3M (2019). In 2024 it made 15 grants totaling $1.1M.
Grants by year
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| City Living NY New York, NY | Operational Support | $75,000 |
| Uptown Stories New York, NY | Operational Support | $75,000 |
| Inspiring Minds of New York City Inc Brooklyn, NY | Operational Support | $72,975 |
| America on Tech New York, NY | Operational Support | $72,300 |
| Bronx Lacrosse Bronx, NY | Operational Support | $70,000 |
| Brooklyn Boatworks Brooklyn, NY | Operational Support | $70,000 |
| City Growers Brooklyn, NY | Operational Support | $70,000 |
| Drama Club Brooklyn, NY | Operational Support | $70,000 |
| Futures Ignite New York, NY | Operational Support | $70,000 |
| Harlem Grown Inc New York, NY | Operational Support | $70,000 |
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Financial History
Multi-year comparison from IRS filings
| Filing year | Total Assets | Revenue | Expenses | Grants paid | Grants | Net Investment Income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | $1,335,923 | $1,838,090 | $1,955,203 | $1,065,275 | 15 | $10,348 |
| 2023 | $1,565,813 | $1,868,256 | $2,087,137 | $1,243,790 | 16 | $1,307 |
| 2022 | $1,678,632 | $1,894,648 | $1,761,466 | $1,076,385 | 15 | $2,809 |
| 2021 | $1,747,459 | $2,048,536 | $1,662,367 | $1,128,500 | 24 | $3,466 |
| 2020 | $1,210,562 | $1,253,103 | $1,399,179 | $610,000 | 14 | $6,904 |
| 2019 | $1,419,187 | $2,295,925 | $1,881,489 | $1,284,000 | 17 | $8,242 |
Research compiled by Grantable AI from public sources. Last updated September 2026.
Mission & Focus Areas
SparkYouth’s mission is to ignite growth in community-based programs to expand opportunities for young people in New York City. It says it supports early-stage youth development organizations with programs for young people that are poised for growth, and pairs funding with tailored operational support through its Cofactor Lab and a cohort model.
Grantees’ own mission statements illustrate the range of organizations supported. Uptown Stories says it empowers young people in Upper Manhattan to write their own stories; City Living NY says it helps youth aging out of foster care transition into adulthood; and America on Tech says it prepares technology leaders from underestimated communities. Other 2024 grantees describe work in education and life experiences, college and career guidance, youth development through theater, urban agriculture, and wooden boatbuilding.
Grantmaking
In filing year 2024, SparkYouth reported 15 grants totaling $1,065,275. The grants ranged from $70,000 to $75,000, with a median of $70,000. Its website says recent grants have generally been in the range of $50,000–$80,000 per calendar year, with amounts varying.
Among the largest 2024 grants were $75,000 each to City Living NY and Uptown Stories; $72,975 to Inspiring Minds of New York City; and $72,300 to America on Tech. Bronx Lacrosse, Brooklyn Boatworks, City Growers, Drama Club, Futures Ignite, Harlem Grown, Harold Hunter Foundation, and Seeds of Fortune each received $70,000.
The website’s eligibility criteria include a primary mission of direct services to low-income children or teens; a fiscal-year operating budget of $150,000–$1.5 million; 501(c)(3) status; location and operation within New York City; continuous operation while under 10 years old at application; and plans to expand services. It says organizations whose sole mission is not exclusively serving youth ages 1–24 are not eligible. The website also says applicants over 10 years old or with budgets over $1.5 million are disqualified, even if they have recently launched youth programming.
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
The 2024 filing lists Mary Suzy Myers Jackson as executive director; Steven Kohn as president; Edward Adler, Greta Guggenheim, and Robert Lapidus as vice presidents; Greta Guggenheim as secretary; Matthew Lazar as treasurer; and Martin Burger, Gisele Castro, Anar Chudgar, and Kevin Faxon as directors.
Sparkyouth NYC Inc is led by Mary Suzy Myers Jackson, Executive Director on every filing since 2023; 1 of 27 officers listed in 2024 is compensated.
Officers on the 2024 filing
Mary Suzy Myers Jackson
Executive Director
On filings since 2023
40 hrs/week
$210K (2023) → $217K (2024)
Steven Kohn
President
On filings since 2019
3 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Adam Schwartz
Director
On filings since 2019
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Eric Mulkowsky
Director
Treasurer → Director, 2022
On filings since 2019
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
James Nelson
Director
On filings since 2019
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Kevin Faxon
Director
On filings since 2019
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Michael Nash
Director
On filings since 2019
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Rhea Wong
Director
On filings since 2019
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Richard Kessler
Director
On filings since 2019
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Sonny Kalsi
Director
On filings since 2019
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Steven Lichtenfeld
Director
On filings since 2019
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Anar Chudgar
Director
On filings since 2020
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Gisele Castro
Director
On filings since 2020
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Martin Burger
Director
On filings since 2021
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Kyle Bolden
Director
On filings since 2022
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Baaba Halm
Director
On filings since 2023
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Cia Buckley Marakovits
Director
On filings since 2023
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Neha Santiago
Director
On filings since 2023
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Shiva Viswanathan
Director
On filings since 2023
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Ally Heyburn
Director
New on the 2024 filing
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Evin Floyd Robinson
Director
New on the 2024 filing
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
John P. McCarthy
Director
New on the 2024 filing
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Greta Guggenheim
V.p. & Secretary
Vice President → Secretary, 2022
Secretary → V.p. & Secretary, 2023
On filings since 2019
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Robert Lapidus
Vice President
On filings since 2019
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Edward Adler
Vice President
On filings since 2021
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Matthew Lazar
Treasurer
Director → Treasurer, 2022
On filings since 2021
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Bethany
Logan Ropa
New on the 2024 filing
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Former officers (16)
- Former: Bethany Logan Ropa (2019–2023) — Director
- Former: Kenneth Horn (2019–2022) — Vice President
- Former: Richard Wagman (2019–2022) — Director
- Former: Daniel Schor (2020–2022) — Director
- Former: Karamjit Kalsi (2021–2022) — Director
- Former: Mary Suzy Myers (2021–2022) — Executive Director
- Former: David Schulman (2019–2021) — Director
- Former: Florence Wiener (2019–2021) — Executive Di
- Former: Jeffrey Schwartz (2019–2021) — Secretary
- Former: Ed Adler (2019–2020) — Vice President
- Former: Marty Burger (2019–2020) — Director
- Former: Matt Lazar (2019–2020) — Director
- Former: Suzy Myers-Jackson (2019–2020) — Director
- Former: Marty Kravet (2019) — Director
- Former: Matt Galligan (2019) — Director
- Former: Michael Lehrman (2019) — Director
Data from IRS Form 990 filings, 2019–2024. "On filings since" is the earliest filing we hold that lists the person; hours are average hours per week as reported.
Compensation Overview
From 2024 IRS filing
The highest reported compensation on the 2024 filing was $217K, to Mary Suzy Myers Jackson (Executive Director).
Frequently asked questions about Sparkyouth NYC Inc
How much does Sparkyouth NYC Inc give each year?
Sparkyouth NYC Inc gave $1.1M across 15 grants in 2024, according to its 2024 IRS Form 990. In 2023 it gave $1.2M across 16 grants.
What is Sparkyouth NYC Inc's typical grant size?
Sparkyouth NYC Inc's median grant in 2024 was $70,000, and its average grant was $71,018, across 15 grants on its 2024 IRS Form 990.
Where does Sparkyouth NYC Inc give grants?
Sparkyouth NYC Inc gives mostly in New York: 100% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2024 IRS Form 990 went to recipients there. The most frequent recipient cities were New York, NY (7 grants) and Brooklyn, NY (7 grants).
Does Sparkyouth NYC Inc give general operating support?
Yes: 100% of Sparkyouth NYC Inc's 2024 grants with a stated purpose (15 of 15) were for general or operating support, per its 2024 IRS Form 990.
Who are Sparkyouth NYC Inc's largest grantees?
Sparkyouth NYC Inc's largest 2024 grantees include City Living NY ($75,000), Uptown Stories ($75,000) and Inspiring Minds of New York City Inc ($72,975), according to its 2024 IRS Form 990. Together they received 21% of its itemized 2024 grant dollars.
How large is Sparkyouth NYC Inc?
Sparkyouth NYC Inc reported $1.3M in total assets on its 2024 IRS Form 990. Its revenue that year was $1.8M.
What does Sparkyouth NYC Inc fund?
SparkYouth’s mission is to ignite growth in community-based programs to expand opportunities for young people in New York City. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from Sparkyouth NYC Inc?
SparkYouth is not currently accepting grantee applications. Eligibility and process details are in the grantmaking section of this profile. See how to apply ↑
What is Sparkyouth NYC Inc's EIN?
Sparkyouth NYC Inc's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 13-3037380. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2019–2024.
Data last updated September 2026. Sourced from IRS Form 990 filings. Research dossier generated September 2026.
Data update history
(7)
When this profile's IRS filing data changed on Grantable
- Added Form 990 for fiscal year 2019 (received by the IRS September 4, 2020)
- Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2020 (received by the IRS November 15, 2021)
- Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2021 (received by the IRS November 15, 2022)
- Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2022 (received by the IRS September 15, 2023)
- Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2023 (received by the IRS August 5, 2024)
- Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2024 (received by the IRS September 16, 2025)
- IRS filings on file for fiscal years 2020–2024
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Cite this profile
Grantable. (2026). Sparkyouth NYC Inc funder profile. GrantGraph. Retrieved October 5, 2026, from https://grantable.co/funders/sparkyouth-nyc-inc-morg_a1ce8453972f484ebc3253202d053b55
BibTeX
@misc{grantable_133037380_2026,
author = {{Grantable}},
title = {{Sparkyouth NYC Inc funder profile}},
howpublished = {GrantGraph},
year = {2026},
url = {https://grantable.co/funders/sparkyouth-nyc-inc-morg_a1ce8453972f484ebc3253202d053b55},
note = {Accessed 2026-10-05. Data licensed CC BY 4.0}
}The figures on this page are open data under CC BY 4.0: reuse them with credit to Grantable and a link. Download the data.
Figures come from Sparkyouth NYC Inc's IRS filings (methodology). AI-written summaries, news items and logos are not covered by the open licence. Spot an error? Email hello@grantable.co.
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