August 27, 2024
After an extraordinary 20+ years, Hester Street is sunsetting its current operations.
Since 2003, Hester Street has worked to ensure that neighborhoods are shaped by the people who live in them, innovating approaches to community engagement, design, planning, and economic development that center low-income communities and communities of color. In partnership with community-based organizations in NYC and across the country, Hester Street has worked to advance racial equity and economic justice through projects focused on access to open space, community ownership, civic engagement, environmental justice and climate resilience, justice reform, education, arts and culture, and so much more.
As our methodologies and approaches have evolved, our purpose has been unwavering: To amplify the voices and power of those who have been systematically excluded to shape the plans and policies that directly affect their lives. We have proudly supported over 300 community-based partners, engaged well over half a million community members, helped direct more than $750 million of public investment in low-income communities of color, and secured more than $50 million for community-owned capital projects. Along the way, we’ve published dozens of policy reports and created resources and toolkits that will continue to inform equitable community engagement for years to come.
This work was made possible thanks to the commitment, vision, and passion of Hester Street’s staff and partners. We are so deeply grateful for our collaboration, and for the opportunity to learn and work alongside such an incredible community.
We are heartbroken to announce this difficult decision. We know that it is a real loss for the field and the communities and organizations we serve. However, we’ve determined that Hester Street’s financial model has proven unsustainable.
Hester Street’s senior leadership team – including Kristen Chin, Isella Ramirez, and Vanessa Monique Smith, Casey Wang, and Sarah Pritchard – are working with the board to wind down our current activities.
Hester Street has generated a remarkable body of work over the past 20 years. We have pledged to explore how to continue to make it available to communities seeking proven tools to shape the planning and policy decisions that affect their lives. We welcome any ideas and suggestions for how we can best share what we have learned and honor the work of the generations of talented people that have been part of Hester Street.
Thank you for your support and commitment and for carrying on the spirit and values of our work.
