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Non-profit

Open Space Institute

Website:

www.openspaceinstitute.org
Location:

NEW YORK, NY
Tax ID:

52-1053406
Tax-Exempt Status:

501(c)(3)

Budget (2018):

Revenue: $3,908,202
Expenses: $2,465,419
Assets: $7,853,848
Type:

Land Conservation Nonprofit
President:

Christopher J. Elliman

The Open Space Institute is a left-of-center environmentalist organization that seeks to prevent the development of land that is rich in natural resources. Open Space Institute does so by bundling contributions that allow the organization to purchase such properties with the intent of preventing their sale to individuals and businesses that plan to engage in land or energy development. [1]

History

The Open Space Institute was established in 1974. While originally created as a conservancy organization focused on the state of New York, today the organization is also active in New Jersey, South Carolina, and Florida. [2]

Finances

In 2019, the Open Space Institute received $3,761,533 in contributions,[3] $3,908,202 in total revenue,[4] and $2,465,419 in expenses. [5] At the end of the year, the Institute reported $6,443,582 in net assets. [6]

The organization conducts its purchases through a separate entity, the Open Space Institute Land Trust. In 2019, the Land Trust received $12,080,600 in contributions,[7] $4,972,668 in program service revenue,[8] $9,153,791 in investment income,[9] and $27,628,155 in total revenue. [10] The same year, the Land Trust incurred $37,579,399 in expenses [11] and reported $245,848,911 in net assets. [12]

Purchases

The Open Space Institute has purchased a variety of properties across the United States. The organization generally breaks down its purchase into five categories: land for recreation, land for clean water, land for habitat, land for healthy communities, and climate-related purchases. [13]

Most of the Open Space Institute’s purchases so far have been in New York. These include forest in the Beaver Kill Valley of the Catskill Mountains, the Manitou Nature Preserve, farmland in Saratoga County, the Palmerton Range and the Marion River Carry in the Adirondacks, 17,000 acres of land across the Hudson River Valley, and the Minnewaska State Park Preserve. [14]

In recent years, the Open Space Institute has made purchases in New Jersey, South Carolina, Vermont, and Florida. These include the Giralda Farms in New Jersey; 616 acres of land along Lake Champlain in Vermont,  the 4,000-acre Triple Head Diamond Ranch in the Florida Everglades, and 259,000 acres of the Fairlawn Plantation in South Carolina. [15]

Leadership

Christopher “Kim” J. Elliman is the president and CEO of the Open Space Institute. [16] Prior to joining the organization, Elliman was president of Gray Seifart Investment Management, a financial services firm. Prior to that, Elliman was a partner at the Elmrock Group, a private equity firm. [17]

References

  1. “Land Acquisition” Open Space Institute. https://www.openspaceinstitute.org/how/land-acquisition ^
  2. “About” Open Space Institute. https://www.openspaceinstitute.org/about ^
  3. Return of Organization Exempt from Income Tax (Form 990). Open Space Institute. Part I, lines 8-12. 2019. ^
  4. Return of Organization Exempt from Income Tax (Form 990). Open Space Institute. Part I, line 12. 2019. ^
  5. Return of Organization Exempt from Income Tax (Form 990). Open Space Institute. Part I, line 18. 2019. ^
  6. Return of Organization Exempt from Income Tax (Form 990). Open Space Institute. Part I, line 22. 2019. ^
  7. Return of Organization Exempt from Income Tax (Form 990). Open Space Institute Land Trust. Part I, lines 8. 2019. ^
  8. Return of Organization Exempt from Income Tax (Form 990). Open Space Institute Land Trust. Part I, line 9. 2019. ^
  9. Return of Organization Exempt from Income Tax (Form 990). Open Space Institute Land Trust. Part I, line 10. 2019. ^
  10. Return of Organization Exempt from Income Tax (Form 990). Open Space Institute Land Trust. Part I, line 12. 2019. ^
  11. Return of Organization Exempt from Income Tax (Form 990). Open Space Institute Land Trust. Part I, line 18. 2019. ^
  12. Return of Organization Exempt from Income Tax (Form 990). Open Space Institute Land Trust. Part I, line 22. 2019. ^
  13. “Land Acquisition” Open Space Institute. https://www.openspaceinstitute.org/how/land-acquisition ^
  14. “Land Acquisition” Open Space Institute. https://www.openspaceinstitute.org/how/land-acquisition ^
  15. “Land Acquisition” Open Space Institute. https://www.openspaceinstitute.org/how/land-acquisition ^
  16. “Kim Elliman” Center for Humans & Nature. https://www.humansandnature.org/kim-elliman ^
  17. “Kim Elliman” Center for Humans & Nature. https://www.humansandnature.org/kim-elliman ^
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Nonprofit Information

  • Accounting Period: December - November
  • Tax Exemption Received: January 1, 1966

    • Available Filings

    Period Form Type Total revenue Total functional expenses Total assets (EOY) Total liabilities (EOY) Unrelated business income? Total contributions Program service revenue Investment income Comp. of current officers, directors, etc. Form 990
    2018 Dec Form 990 $3,908,202 $2,465,419 $7,853,848 $1,410,265 Y $3,761,533 $126,387 $10,065 $118,576 PDF
    2017 Dec Form 990 $2,147,064 $959,520 $7,037,256 $1,765,579 N $1,680,361 $406,244 $20,046 $187,858 PDF
    2016 Dec Form 990 $1,097,397 $1,105,214 $5,939,594 $2,109,341 N $828,856 $231,294 $861 $20,604
    2015 Dec Form 990 $1,042,294 $1,172,849 $5,828,397 $2,090,647 N $811,877 $186,285 $1,156 $18,562 PDF
    2014 Dec Form 990 $2,154,957 $2,713,528 $5,383,971 $1,494,411 N $1,851,500 $176,787 $4,300 $318,575 PDF
    2013 Dec Form 990 $4,801,961 $6,812,598 $5,983,243 $1,568,275 N $4,458,958 $180,257 $13,738 $114,271 PDF
    2012 Dec Form 990 $4,194,300 $4,687,898 $9,867,611 $3,626,598 Y $4,006,255 $110,676 $15,266 $185,316 PDF
    2011 Dec Form 990 $14,528,046 $10,919,832 $11,761,751 $5,062,001 Y $14,269,485 $157,809 $23,250 $158,857 PDF

    Additional Filings (PDFs)

    Map image for Open Space Institute

    Open Space Institute

    1350 BROADWAY RM 201
    NEW YORK, NY 10018-0983