University Settlement Society of New York
Lobbying client
University Settlement, founded in 1886 on Manhattan's Lower East Side, describes itself as the first settlement house in the United States and now runs early childhood, youth development, mental health, housing and older-adult programs across Lower Manhattan and Brooklyn, reaching more than 40,000 New Yorkers a year. In city lobbying records it filed once in 2026, registering citywide through Cozen O'Connor Public Strategies with no reported compensation. City data lists it as holding active contracts worth about $73.9 million as of August 2026.
- Council members lobbied
- 51 (citywide)
- Filings (since 2024)
- 1
- Lobbying compensation (since 2024)
- $16,000
- Industry (per city contracts)
- Human Services
- City contracts (active)
- $73,931,417 · 16 contracts
- Awarded all-time
- $417,754,018 · 250 since 2007, incl. expired
- Paid to date
- $285,129,470
- Won without a fresh bid
- 60% of contract value · $250,149,054 · 195 contracts
- Discretionary funding (FY2009-FY2027)
- $11,993,880 · 196 awards
- Funding history
- Funded every year since FY2009 (19 years running)
- Top officer pay (FY2023)
- $364,911 · Melissa E Aase, Chief Executive Officer
- Based in
- New York, NY
Represented by lobbyist firms
- Cozen O'Connor Public Strategies, LLC Lobbyist firm
Holds contracts at
- Administration for Children's Services City agency
- Department for the Aging City agency
- Department of Health and Mental Hygiene City agency
- Department of Youth and Community Development City agency
Funded by these agencies
- Administration for Children's Services City agency
- Department for the Aging City agency
- Department of Education City agency
- Department of Youth and Community Development City agency
What they lobbied on
subjects from their filings
- Determination of Board or Commission - determination
City contracts
Registered city contracts, largest first by current contract value (not amount spent): running now, then registered to start later, then ended. Totals count every registered contract. Each line shows its Checkbook contract ID. The tag on each row is how it was awarded (“no-bid” = non-competitive).
- COMPASS Center Based CD Manhattan 03 Elementary School Department of Youth and Community Development · CT126020278801069 $9,298,170
- FY20 Children's Non-Medicaid Care Department of Health and Mental Hygiene · CT181620200001096 $8,442,243
- FY27 Cornerstone Community Centers NAE Department of Youth and Community Development · CT126020278800740 $8,157,415
- Family and Youth Peer Support for Manhattan Department of Health and Mental Hygiene · CT181620228800129 $7,875,000
- CASE MANAGEMENT Department for the Aging · CT112520258800174 $7,689,608
- Prevention Services Administration for Children's Services · CT106820278800030 $6,826,683
- COMPASS Program NAE Department of Youth and Community Development · CT126020268800773 $4,793,484
- CMS Negotiated Acquisition Department of Youth and Community Development · CT126020278800897 $4,350,215
- COMPASS Program NAE Department of Youth and Community Development · CT126020268800780 $3,514,933
- COMPASS Program NAE Department of Youth and Community Development · CT126020268800707 $3,368,850
Largest payments, by purpose
The organization's largest individual city payments (roughly $25,000 and up), grouped by purpose, to show what recent money was for. This is NOT a total — smaller payments aren't listed; see “Paid to date” above for the complete amount paid against its contracts. Fiscal years 2020 and later.
- UPK Family Child Care Networks Department of Education · FY2024 · 21 payments $4,638,208
- Assignment/Negotiated Acquisition Extensions for Early Learn Department of Education · FY2020 · 10 payments $3,982,964
- COMPASS Program NAE Department of Youth and Community Development · FY2026 · 8 payments $3,886,094
- UPK Family Child Care Networks Department of Education · FY2025 · 16 payments $3,051,239
- Assignment/Negotiated Acquisition Extensions for Early Learn Department of Education · FY2021 · 6 payments $2,543,901
- COMPASS Program Department of Youth and Community Development · FY2025 · 21 payments $2,351,091
- CASE MANAGEMENT Department for the Aging · FY2026 · 10 payments $2,322,037
- UPK Family Child Care Networks Department of Education · FY2023 · 13 payments $2,261,601
- COMPASS Program Department of Youth and Community Development · FY2024 · 25 payments $2,221,844
- Family Child Care Network Department of Education · FY2026 · 8 payments $1,971,506
- Cornerstone services at Atlantic Terminal Cornerstone Department of Youth and Community Development · FY2022 · 6 payments $1,675,329
- Family Child Care Networks Department of Education · FY2026 · 9 payments $1,669,214
- Cornerstone services at Atlantic Terminal Cornerstone Department of Youth and Community Development · FY2023 · 19 payments $1,664,710
- UPK Family Child Care Networks Department of Education · FY2022 · 7 payments $1,613,722
- Prevention Services - Family Support - BK2 Administration for Children's Services · FY2026 · 9 payments $1,605,956
- Crisis Management Systems Department of Youth and Community Development · FY2026 · 6 payments $1,590,437
- UPK Family Child Care Networks Department of Education · FY2026 · 6 payments $1,554,624
- Cornerstone Program Department of Youth and Community Development · FY2026 · 7 payments $1,469,877
- OLDER ADULT CENTER Department for the Aging · FY2026 · 9 payments $1,439,481
- UPK-HST Department of Education · FY2025 · 11 payments $1,303,204
Discretionary funding received
City Council discretionary (member-item) awards, largest first. Covers FY2009-FY2027.
- Children Under Five Children Under Five · DOHMH · FY2009 $364,500
- Public School 63 - William Mckinley Elementary School OST · DYCD · FY2013 $360,000
- Children Under Five Children Under Five · DOHMH · FY2010 $356,261
- Children Under Five Children Under Five · Dhmh · FY2023 $300,769
- Children Under Five Children Under Five · Dhmh · FY2024 $300,769
- Children Under Five Children Under Five · Dhmh · FY2025 $300,769
- Children Under Five Children Under Five · Dhmh · FY2026 $300,769
- Children Under Five Children Under Five · Dhmh · FY2027 $300,769
- P.S. 137 John Bernstein School OST · DYCD · FY2013 $282,000
- P.S. 137 JOHN BERNSTEIN SCHOOL Out of School Time Restoration · DYCD · FY2014 $282,000
- PS 219 Kennedy-King (K219) OST · DYCD · FY2013 $240,000
- P.S. 219 KENNEDY-KING SCHOOL Out of School Time Restoration · DYCD · FY2014 $240,000
- Adult Literacy Forward (Formerly Adult Literacy Pilot Project) Adult Literacy Forward (Formerly Adult Literacy Pilot Project) · DYCD · FY2026 $240,000
- NYC RISE with Adult Literacy Forward (Formerly Adult Literacy Initiative and Adult Literacy Forward) NYC RISE with Adult Literacy Forward (Formerly Adult Literacy Initiative and Adult Literacy Forward) · DYCD · FY2027 $240,000
- Children Under Five Children Under Five · DOHMH · FY2016 $230,769
- Children Under Five Children Under Five · DOHMH · FY2017 $230,769
- Children Under Five Children Under Five · Dhmh · FY2018 $230,769
- Children Under Five Children Under Five · Dhmh · FY2019 $230,769
- Children Under Five Children Under Five · Dhmh · FY2020 $230,769
- Children Under Five Children Under Five · Dhmh · FY2022 $230,769
Funded by these council members
City Council members who steered discretionary (member-item) money to this organization, largest first (FY2020 and later, where the sponsoring member is disclosed). Sitting members link to their page.
- Rivera FY2020-2025 · 20 awards $380,000
- Christopher Marte FY2022-2027 · 21 awards $191,000
- Harvey D. Epstein FY2026-2027 · 8 awards $155,000
- Crystal Hudson FY2022-2027 · 9 awards $58,000
- Chin FY2020-2021 · 3 awards $27,000
- Cumbo FY2020-2021 · 2 awards $16,000
- Stephen Levin FY2020 · 1 award $15,000
Officer & key-staff pay
Reportable compensation from this organization's IRS Form 990 (Part VII), latest available filing (FY2023). Includes pay from related organizations where reported; an annual figure, not a running total. Source: ProPublica Nonprofit Explorer.
- Melissa E Aase Chief Executive Officer $364,911
- Laura Mcginley Chief External Relations Officer $244,274
- Rabiya Akhtar Chief Financial Administrative Officer $235,712
- Michelle A Green Chief People Officer $214,852
- Mary Grace Adams Associate Executive Director $187,117
- Jennifer L Vallone Associate Executive Director $171,413
Officer pay over time
Total officer pay changed +1% from FY2020 to FY2023. Top-officer reportable compensation by year (org-paid only), with each year's share of total revenue. Source: ProPublica Nonprofit Explorer 990 filings.
- FY2020 Melissa E Aase · 4.54% of revenue $275,989
- FY2021 Melissa E Aase · 2.75% of revenue $282,983
- FY2022 Melissa E Aase · 2.82% of revenue $276,432
- FY2023 Melissa E Aase · 2.79% of revenue $364,911
Federal awards
Federal awards made directly to this organization in fiscal years 2023 through 2026. Each amount is what the federal government has OBLIGATED on that award as recorded on USAspending.gov as of 2026-08-31 — money committed, not money paid out. These are prime awards only: federal money this
- Department of Health and Human Services 93.600 Head Start · Administration for Children and Families · Grant $20,834,164
- Department of Health and Human Services 93.600 Head Start · Administration for Children and Families · Grant $18,552,525
- Department of Health and Human Services 93.600 Head Start · Administration for Children and Families · Grant $9,738,644
- Department of Health and Human Services 93.600 Head Start · Administration for Children and Families · Grant $8,223,091
- Department of Health and Human Services 93.600 Head Start · Administration for Children and Families · Grant $4,513,460
- Department of Health and Human Services 93.600 Head Start · Administration for Children and Families · Grant $3,822,317
- Department of Education 84.044 TRIO Talent Search · Department of Education · Grant $3,308,973
- Department of Education 84.044 TRIO Talent Search · Department of Education · Grant $3,030,468
- Department of Health and Human Services 93.600 Head Start · Administration for Children and Families · Grant $2,410,994
- Department of Health and Human Services 93.600 Head Start · Administration for Children and Families · Grant $1,820,673
- Department of Justice 16.047 Community-Based Approaches to Advancing Justice · Office of Justice Programs · Grant $400,000
- Department of Health and Human Services 93.600 Head Start · Administration for Children and Families · Grant $64,480
- National Endowment for the Arts 45.024 Promotion of the Arts Grants to Organizations and Individuals · National Endowment for the Arts · Grant $40,000