The RiseBoro Community Partnership (RiseBoro) is a New York City-based nonprofit housing provider. It operates low-income rental housing and community centers where it provides a variety of social services and provides services to the homeless. ¹

In 2010, RiseBoro was subject to controversy following questions of conflict of interests between RiseBoro founder and local politician Vito Lopez and its housing director Angela Battaglia, who was also New York City’s planning commissioner. Concerns were raised after RiseBoro saw a multi-million dollar rise in government subsidies while Battaglia and other officials saw substantial pay increases. ²

In 2012, RiseBoro  executive director Christiana Fisher, who was also Vito Lopez’s campaign treasurer pled guilty to falsifying documents and providing them to the FBI during an investigation of her and Battaglia’s pay raises. ³

History

The RiseBoro Community Partnership was founded in 1973 by Vito Lopez, who would later be elected to the New York State Assembly. Originally named the Ridgewood Bushwick Senior Citizens Council, RiseBoro began by providing social services to senior citizens in the Ridgewood and Bushwick communities of New York City. ⁴

During the 1980s, RiseBoro began providing mobile food services, after-school programs, and English as a Second Language programs. In the 1990s, it began providing low-income housing through its Jefferson Street Task Force that included renovating vacant buildings. ⁵

In 2013, Lopez resigned from the state legislature following sexual-harassment allegations and accusations of using his position as an elected official to obtain public funding for the Ridgewood Bushwick Senior Citizens Council. In 2017, Ridgewood Bushwick Senior Citizens Council changed its name to the RiseBoro Community Partnership, which its then-chief executive officer Scott Short stated is the result of a rebranding that began in 2014 that he claimed was unrelated to Lopez’s scandals. ⁴

As of 2023, RiseBoro provides more than 2,500 low-income housing units and has over 60 community programs. It also reports having 2,112 units under development. ⁵

Controversies

A 2010 report by the Brooklyn Paper accused RiseBoro Community Partnership founder and then-state Assemblymember Vito Lopez (D-Brooklyn) and his girlfriend Angela Battaglia of having a conflict of interest due to the latter’s positions as a city-government official while receiving public funding through RiseBoro. Battaglia served as the New York City Planning Commissioner and as RiseBoro’s housing director. The report also raised concerns of malfeasance by RiseBoro executive director Christiana Fisher, who was also Lopez’s campaign treasurer. The report outlines how the salaries for Fisher rose from $234,234 to $659,591 and Battaglia’s salary rose from $190,609 to $329,910. RiseBoro saw an increase of $4 million in government subsidies, resulting in New Kings Democrats Founder Matt Cowherd accusing Lopez of using his position in public office to “enrich” himself through RiseBoro. ²

In 2012, Christiana Fischer pled guilty to falsifying documents that were given to the FBI that inaccurately stated her pay increases at RiseBoro had been approved by the board of directors. ³

Also in 2010, RiseBoro and its founder Vito Lopez faced controversy after the New York Post reported a city official claimed the New York City government was favoring RiseBoro.  One controversy surrounded a building which the city had given to RiseBoro for development purposes. RiseBoro subsequently relocated a senior center to that site and began billing the city hundreds of thousands of dollars in rent for its operations. One city official called it “kooky” and said that “the city is paying for something it doesn’t have to.” ⁶

In 2016, the New York Post reported that an FBI investigation that started in 2007 and lasted at least five years concluded that RiseBoro rewarded employees who engaged in political work in support of RiseBoro founder Vito Lopez’s campaigns for the New York State Assembly. The FBI reported that one employee stated he believed some executives were more interested in using their positions to campaign for Lopez than engaging in the organization’s social services work. ⁷  In addition, several of RiseBoro’s facilities had served as polling locations. ² No arrests were made. ⁷

Leadership

Kieran Harrington is the chief executive of the RiseBoro Community Partnership and previously served as a priest in the Diocese of Brooklyn. He had worked as executive national director of the Pontifical Mission Societies until February 2024, before resigning from the priesthood after admitting to breaking his vow of celibacy. ⁸

Financials

In 2023, the RiseBoro Community Partnership reported $82.1 million in total revenue, including $43.9 million in government grants, $22.3 million in development fees, $2.4 million in rental income from related parties and through limited liability companies, and $1.1 million in net rental income. ⁹ It also reported $61 million in total expenses, $46.5 million of which was designated as expenses towards program services. It also paid $27.6 million in salaries and compensation of employees and $2.6 million in salaries and compensation of executives. ¹⁰

1. “RiseBoro.” RiseBoro. Accessed September 2, 2024. https://riseboro.org/history-mission/.
2.  Short, Aaron. “Vito’s ‘money Honeys’ Get Big Salaries – Subsidized by You • Brooklyn Paper.” Brooklyn Paper, October 19, 2019. https://www.brooklynpaper.com/vitos-money-honeys-get-big-salaries-subsidized-by-you-3/.
3. Golding, Bruce. “Vito Crony Guilty of Falsifying Documents.” New York Post, November 16, 2012. https://nypost.com/2012/11/16/vito-crony-guilty-of-falsifying-documents/.
4. Jorgensen, Jillian. “Brooklyn Nonprofit Founded by Disgraced Ex-N.Y. Assemblyman Vito Lopez Announces Name Change.” New York Daily News, April 6, 2018. https://www.nydailynews.com/2017/09/18/brooklyn-nonprofit-founded-by-disgraced-ex-ny-assemblyman-vito-lopez-announces-name-change/.
5. “2022-2023 Annual Report.” RiseBoro. Accessed September 2, 2024. https://riseboro.org/annual-report/.
6. Goldstein, Joseph. “City Rents Site That It Gave Vito Lopez Pals.” New York Post, October 24, 2010. https://nypost.com/2010/10/24/city-rents-site-that-it-gave-vito-lopez-pals/.
7. Vincent, Isabel, Melissa Klein, and Jamie Schram. “Vito Lopez’s Charity Aided His Political Career: FBI Probe.” New York Post, July 3, 2016. https://nypost.com/2016/07/03/vito-lopezs-charity-aided-his-political-career-fbi-probe/.
8. Engquist, Erik. “RiseBoro CEO Leaving after 22 Years with Affordable Housing Developer.” The Real Deal, June 20, 2024. https://therealdeal.com/new-york/2024/06/20/riseboro-ceo-scott-short-replaced-by-kieran-harrington/.
9. Return of Organization Exempt from Income Tax (Form 990). RiseBoro Community Partnership Inc. 2023. Part VIII.
10. Return of Organization Exempt from Income Tax (Form 990). RiseBoro Community Partnership Inc. 2023. Part IX.