Annual
Report
2023

Letter From Irene

Irene BaldwinExecutive Director
Ariva

Dear Friends,

We had a terrific year at Ariva in 2023 and we’re very excited about what 2024 will bring. Last year was our 20 th Anniversary! We had a wonderful event in October, with many of our original partners and volunteers coming together with our community to celebrate our accomplishments over the years. It was also the 10th anniversary of the Ventanilla, our financial capabilities collaboration with the Mexican Consulate of New York, Mother Cabrini Health Foundation and M&T Bank!

Time certainly flies, and we have come a long way from our early days when we filed a few hundred tax returns a year at our South Bronx office. We’re still headquartered in the South Bronx, and now we also work in other neighborhoods and other boroughs. Last year, our programs served over 11,000 New Yorkers.

We saw a lot and learned a lot the past twenty years, and we spent some time this past year reflecting with our community partners on our shared experiences. In the report that follows, you can connect to those LinkedIn Live conversations. You can also learn about some of our plans for 2024. We have an exciting new project coming online which will offer free tax assistance exclusively to Bronx seniors. We also have a new partner in the New York State Department of State; with their support, we’ll be expanding our financial counseling program in Bronx neighborhoods. You can read all about this and more in our annual report.

Best wishes in 2024.

Irene Baldwin

our work

Where we are

  • 1

    Ariva at Spring Bank

    69 East 167th St.
    Bronx, NY, 10452
    718-292-2983

  • 2

    Ariva at University Heights

    67 West Tremont Ave. Bronx NY 10453 718-292-2983

  • 3

    Ariva at West Farms Housing

    6 West Farms Sq.
    Bronx, NY, 10460
    718-292-2983 Ext 1015

  • 5

    Ariva at Part of the Solution (POTS)

    2759 Webster Ave.
    Bronx, NY, 10458
    929-566-7963 (tax)
    718-690-9873 (financial counseling)

  • 6

    Ariva at Youth Ministries for Peace and Justice (YMPJ)

    1384 Stratford Ave.
    Bronx, NY, 10472
    718-328-5622

  • 7

    Parkchester Enhancement Program (PEP)

    1525 Unionport Rd.
    Bronx, NY, 10462
    718-409-1619 (tax)
    718-690-9873 (financial counseling)

  • 8

    Ariva at Jasa

    2049 Asch Loop
    Bronx, NY, 10475
    718-320-2066

  • 9

    Ariva at Eastside House

    201 St Ann’s Ave.
    Bronx, NY, 10454
    718-304-0155 ext 560

  • 10

    Bronx River Community Center

    1619 E 174th St.
    Bronx, NY, 10472
    718-589-0553

  • 11

    Ariva at Serviam

    2848 Bainbidge Ave.
    Bronx, NY, 10458
    718-292-2983

  • 12

    Ariva at Bridge Builders Community Partnership

    156 West 164th St.
    Bronx, NY, 10452
    718-690-9873

  • 13

    Ariva at West Farms

    1 West Farms Sq.
    Bronx, NY, 10458
    718-618-4589
    718-618-6562

Sites beyond the bronx

  • La Ventanilla at the Consulate General of Mexico in New York

    27 East 39th St.
    New York, NY, 10016
    212-217-6424

  • Consulate General of Colombia in New York

    10 E 46th St
    New York, NY, 10017
    718-690-9873

  • Center for Urban Community Services (CUCS)

    198 East 121st St.
    New York, NY, 10035
    718-690-9873

Our Community

1

67%

30%

3%

  • 67% Hispanic

  • 30% African American

  • 3% White, Asian, Native American, Multiracial, Other

2

28%

30%

21%

13%

8%

  • Less than $10,000

  • $10,000 - $19,999

  • $20,000 - $29,999

  • $30,000 - $39,999

  • $40,000 or more

3

48%

52%

  • 48% speak a language other than English at home

  • 52% speak English at home

4

9%

13%

14%

17%

21%

26%

  • 16 - 24 years

  • 25 - 34 years

  • 35 - 44 years

  • 45 - 54 years

  • 55 - 64 years

  • 65+ years

Our Programs

TAX PREPARATION

Our ITIN Program: Ariva’s Certified Acceptance Agents help recent immigrants obtain and renew their ITINs. When newcomers obtain an ITIN and file their taxes, it opens the door to a better financial future. To help the NYC immigrant community thrive, we also help them understand the US financial system when they apply for ITINs and file their taxes with us. In 2023, 604 individuals applied for an ITIN.
Our ITIN Program
The senior community needs and deserves easy access to free tax preparation services. Seniors are often targeted by scams and predatory actors, and Ariva provides a safe, high quality alternative to paid preparers. Last year, 28% of Ariva’s tax clients were over 65. We look forward to providing free tax assistance at four dedicated sites for seniors in our community in 2024.
Supporting Seniors
We are committed to bringing tax dollars back to the Bronx community, so we work hard to make our free tax preparation services available to as many Bronxites as possible. With the collaboration of our extraordinary community partners, in 2023 we operated 11 tax sites including three year round and two virtual sites.
Here for the Bronx

FINANCIAL COUNSELING

In 2023, we provided one-on-one financial counseling to our neighbors at 13 locations in the Bronx. Our clients received guidance on improving their budgets, savings, credit, information about the Housing Connect program process, and building stronger applications for the NYC housing lottery. Clients were also referred to our VITA program to file taxes and apply for ITIN numbers.
Reaching Across the Bronx
In 2023, we continued our commitment to supporting New York City’s hard-working immigrants. We work and partner with several Latin American Consulates and immigrant serving organizations, including the Mexican Consulate, the Colombian Consulate, and the Consulate of El Salvador. We provide one-on-one counseling, support in applying for the NYC housing lottery, and free tax preparation.
Our Commitment to Immigrant Communities
In 2023, our financial counselors provided financial counseling and information about affordable housing beyond the Bronx, to residents across NYC. Our counselors support affordable housing seekers to build stronger housing applications by working on their budgets, savings, credit and the application for the NYC Housing Connect program. Our team participated in 29 events in 2023, including community fairs, pop-up events, presentations, and workshops.
Helping New Yorkers Access Housing
In 2023, we supported entrepreneurs and small business owners in the Bronx and at the Mexican Consulate of New York. Our entrepreneurs have access to small business workshops and one-on-one business counseling where they learn about business planning, financing and capital options, the Employer Identification Number (EIN), and self-employment resources, among other topics.
Empowering Entrepreneurs

Our Volunteers

We are grateful to all the volunteers who supported our tax season this year!

“The most important thing to me as an Ariva volunteer was to see people coming because they needed the service being provided. For some people, this is the only savings they may have. You want to make sure you’re doing their taxes accurately to ensure they are getting back their proper refund. It is a pleasure to see the smile on people’s faces and their response when they realize they are getting a refund or don’t owe anything. There is a certain level of integrity when it comes to taxes at Ariva. It’s all about the service.”

Madison Plummer, Volunteer

“I’ve always liked serving. Coming from a small family - my parents are from the Dominican Republic - we rely on community. I grew up with that, your village, your community, you help one another…[Many clients at Ariva], they don’t have a banker who speaks their language. Spanish is my first language. It makes me happy that they are comfortable and can ask questions [while I prepare their taxes]...People are waiting in line in the cold to get a $63 refund from the state, so you know it makes a big difference to them. It’s a really wonderful project. Every year I go back.”

Carmen Paulino, Volunteer

Our Board of Directors

Officers

  • Heng LyChair
  • Steven FlaxVice Chair
  • Susan GrbicTreasurer
  • Astrid AndreSecretary

Directors

  • Walter BlenmanNatalie LozadaLaKia Williams
  • James Buckley Myriam Rebling
  • Josh GarciaTeri Wade

Our Team

Administration

Irene BaldwinExecutive Director

Angelica MuñozExecutive Assistant

Roy NielsenFiscal Director

Bellamy PuchFiscal Associate

Tax Program

Nilda BonillaAdministrative Assistant

Libretta ChampagneSenior Tax Preparer

Sam JohnsonVolunteer Project Coordinator

Maribel MontillaTax Program Director

Madelin QuezadaSenior Tax Preparerr

Financial Counseling Team

Felix ArellanoProgram Manager

Matteo CaramazzaFinancial Counselor

Sidy DiakhateSenior Financial Counselor

Sabrina Escobar FloresFinancial Counselor

Bradley Fernandez Community Outreach Associate

Sharon FortisProgram Manager

Elizabeth Gomez CastrillonFinancial

Cameron HeavenFinancial Counselor

Daysi Lopez CastilloFinancial Counselor

Adelaida MorinSenior Program Director

Jose O'BoyleAdministrative Assistant

Fernando ZeaFinancial Counselor

By the numbers

2023

8,279 Tax returns filed
3,495 Financial counseling clients served
565 Tax Clients also enrolled in Financial Counseling
329 People have received entrepreneurship counseling through our programs

CELEBRATING 20 YEARS

Last year, Ariva celebrated our 20th Anniversary! Over the past two decades, we have filed over 130,000 tax returns and have provided financial counseling to almost 25,000 individuals.

We commemorated this milestone at our 2023 Toast to Ariva celebration, where we raised more than $40,000 to support economic justice, opportunity and inclusion in the Bronx and beyond.

We also celebrated this milestone year by sharing our experiences in a LinkedIn Live series featuring conversations with some of our wonderful partners.

What a night!

Watch our LinkedIn Live Series

Photos from Toast to Ariva 2023

Vision
For
2024

In 2024, we look forward to the beginning of our next 20 years! We’ll continue to deepen our presence in the Bronx and respond to the stated needs of our community by launching four senior-focused tax preparation sites. Our team and leadership are working hard to increase the impact in our community by creating more opportunities for service integration across our tax and financial capabilities programs.

THANKS TO OUR PARTNERS

Individual Donors

  • Astrid Andre
  • Irene Baldwin & Mike McGrath
  • Walter Blenman
  • Heather & Elsa Blumberg
  • Caitlyn Brazill
  • Diana Breen & Michael Ritter
  • Will & Lindsay Bressman
  • Caroline Bretter
  • Daeman Di Stefano
  • Aubrie Fennecken
  • Steven Flax
  • Friend of Ariva
  • Orville Froome
  • Joshua Garcia
  • Joan Gasser & Jim Buckley
  • Susan Grbic
  • Gary Hattem & Frazier Holloway
  • Jacqueline Hoeger
  • Angelica Juarez Sanchez
  • Heng Ly Family
  • Barry J. Mann
  • Colleen Marocco
  • Linda McLaughlin
  • Maribel Montilla
  • Adelaida Morin
  • Debra Putzer
  • Myriam Rebling
  • Gustavo Rodrigues
  • Kathleen Scott
  • Marie Sturm
  • Bob Swanton
  • Teri Wade
  • LaKia William

Corporate

  • Amalgamated Foundation
  • Apple Bank
  • B Storytelling
  • BankUnited
  • BNY Mellon
  • Capital One
  • Credit Builders Alliance
  • Dime Community Bank
  • Flagstar Bank
  • Fordham-Bedford Housing Corporation
  • Hanover Bank
  • JPMorgan Chase
  • M&T Charitable Foundation
  • Signature Bank
  • Spring Bank
  • University Neighborhood Housing Program
  • W&F Maintenance Corp.
  • West Farms Square LLC

Foundation

  • Irene Ritter Foundation
  • Mother Cabrini Health Foundation
  • Robin Hood Foundation

Government

  • NYC Council Member Amanda Farías
  • NYC Department of Consumer and Worker Protection
  • NYC Department of Housing Preservation and Development
  • NYC Department of Youth and Community Development
  • NYS Department of State
  • U.S Department of the Treasury- Internal Revenue Service

In-Kind Support

  • Fordham Bedford Housing Corporation
  • Spring Bank
  • VanGennep Design

Partners

  • 163rd Street Improvement Council
  • Bridge Builders Community Partnership
  • Bronx River Community Center
  • Center for Urban Community Service (CUCS)
  • Consulado de Colombia en Nueva York
  • Consulate General of El Salvador in New York City
  • Consulate General of Mexico in New York City
  • Eastside House
  • JASA
  • La Jornada
  • Legal Hand Crown Heights
  • Legal Hand Jamaica
  • New York Cares
  • NYC Health & Hospitals
  • NYS Department of Taxation and Finance
  • Office of NYC Council Member Pierina Sanchez
  • Parkchester Enhancement Program
  • Part of the Solution (POTS)
  • Serviam Hall (Fordham Bedford Housing Corporation)
  • Spring Bank
  • Susan’s Place
  • University Neighborhood Housing Program (UNHP)
  • West Bronx Housing and Neighborhood Resource Center
  • West Farms (Fordham Bedford Housing Corporation
  • Youth Ministries for Peace and Justice (YMPJ)

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