Friends Of The High Line, Inc.
Lobbying client
The nonprofit conservancy that operates and maintains the High Line, the elevated public park on Manhattan's West Side, under a license agreement with NYC Parks. Founded in 1999, it runs the city-owned park largely on private donations. It filed 30 disclosures since 2024, lobbying 17 council members through CMW Strategies, almost entirely for city capital and maintenance funding for the park, including the section around the Western Rail Yards.
- Council members lobbied
- 17
- Filings (since 2024)
- 30
- Lobbying compensation (since 2024)
- $180,456
- Industry (per city contracts)
- Construction Services
- City contracts (active)
- $50,344,950 · 3 contracts
- Awarded all-time
- $53,716,374 · 26 since 2010, incl. expired
- Paid to date
- $5,251,103
- Won without a fresh bid
- 86% of contract value · $46,275,177 · 24 contracts
- Discretionary funding (FY2009-FY2027)
- $2,293,427 · 69 awards
- Funding history
- Funded every year since FY2009 (19 years running)
- Top officer pay (FY2024)
- $664,089 · Alan Van Capelle, Executive Director
Lobbied these council members
- Carmen N. De La Rosa Council Member, District 10 (Manhattan)
- Christopher Marte Council Member, District 1 (Manhattan)
- Linda Lee Council Member, District 23 (Queens)
- Shekar Krishnan Council Member, District 25 (Queens)
- Nantasha M. Williams Council Member, District 27 (Queens)
- Harvey D. Epstein Council Member, District 2 (Manhattan)
- Carl Wilson Council Member, District 3 (Manhattan)
- Virginia Maloney Council Member, District 4 (Manhattan)
- Julie Menin Council Member, District 5 (Manhattan)
- Gale A. Brewer Council Member, District 6 (Manhattan)
- Shaun Abreu Council Member, District 7 (Manhattan)
Represented by lobbyist firms
- CMW Strategies LLC Lobbyist firm
Holds contracts at
- Department for the Aging City agency
- Department of Parks and Recreation City agency
- Department of Youth and Community Development City agency
Funded by these agencies
- Department of Parks and Recreation City agency
- Department of Youth and Community Development City agency
Lobbied former members
Members who have since left their seat
- Adrienne Adams
- Carlina Rivera
- Diana Ayala
- Erik Bottcher
- Keith Powers
- Rafael Salamanca Jr.
What they lobbied on
subjects from their filings
- Budget - Capital Funding for the High Line; Determination of Board or Commission - Improvement of real property at 18th Street
- Budget - Funding
- Budget - Funding for capital projects and/or programmatic funding; Determination of Board or Commission - Improvement of real property at 18th Street where Friends of the High Line is developing a…
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).
- The Department of Parks and Recreation ("Parks") intends to Department of Parks and Recreation · MMA184620248803695 $45,000,000
- FOH -WO 2- High Line Western Rail Yards Reconstruction Department of Parks and Recreation · CTA184620278801692 $5,326,200
- 6HL - older adult wellness and learnings on the high line Department for the Aging · CT112520258807376 $18,750
- High Line Reconstruction Department of Parks and Recreation · CTA184620258801231 · ended 2026 $2,114,997
- Funding to support the expansion and enhancement of program Department of Youth and Community Development · CT126020238803156 · ended 2022 $185,000
- To support free education programming. Department of Youth and Community Development · CT126020201409852 · ended 2020 $150,000
- Funding to support free educational programming Department of Youth and Community Development · CT126020228802845 · ended 2021 $110,000
- This program offers cultural and educational programs. Department of Youth and Community Development · CT126020191419367 · ended 2019 $100,000
- To support the expansion and enhancement of programs Department of Youth and Community Development · CT126020238806199 · ended 2023 $90,000
- Community Development Consulting Department of Youth and Community Development · CT126020111426043 · ended 2011 $90,000
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.
- High Line Reconstruction Department of Parks and Recreation · FY2026 · 4 payments $1,148,070
- High Line Reconstruction Department of Parks and Recreation · FY2025 · 6 payments $606,230
- Funding to support the expansion and enhancement of program Department of Youth and Community Development · FY2023 · 2 payments $183,770
- Funding to support free educational programming Department of Youth and Community Development · FY2022 $109,271
- To support free education programming. Department of Youth and Community Development · FY2020 · 2 payments $105,878
- To support the expansion and enhancement of programs Department of Youth and Community Development · FY2023 $44,073
- To support free education programming. Department of Youth and Community Development · FY2021 $42,382
Discretionary funding received
City Council discretionary (member-item) awards, largest first. Covers FY2009-FY2027.
- Speaker's Initiative Speaker's Initiative · DYCD · FY2020 $150,000
- Speaker's Initiative Speaker's Initiative · DYCD · FY2022 $150,000
- Local DYCD · FY2009 $100,000
- Speaker's Initiative Speaker's Initiative · DYCD · FY2019 $100,000
- Speaker's Initiative Speaker's Initiative · DYCD · FY2021 $100,000
- Programs and Community Engagement CM Speaker · Speaker's Initiative · DCLA · FY2026 $100,000
- Programs and Community Engagement CM Speaker · Speaker's Initiative · DCLA · FY2027 $100,000
- Local DYCD · FY2010 $90,000
- Local DYCD · FY2011 $90,000
- Local DYCD · FY2012 $75,000
- Local DYCD · FY2013 $75,000
- Local DYCD · FY2014 $75,000
- Hudson River Park River Project CM Speaker · Speaker's Initiative · DYCD · FY2023 $75,000
- A Greener NYC A Greener NYC · DYCD · FY2018 $30,000
- A Greener NYC A Greener NYC · DYCD · FY2019 $30,000
- A Greener NYC CM Johnson · A Greener NYC · DYCD · FY2020 $30,000
- Local DYCD · FY2016 $25,000
- Local DYCD · FY2017 $25,000
- Local DYCD · FY2018 $25,000
- A Greener NYC CM Bottcher · A Greener NYC · DYCD · FY2022 $25,000
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.
- Erik Bottcher FY2022-2026 · 20 awards $391,000
- Johnson FY2020-2021 · 8 awards $145,000
- Carl Wilson FY2027 · 4 awards $76,000
Officer & key-staff pay
Reportable compensation from this organization's IRS Form 990 (Part VII), latest available filing (FY2024). Includes pay from related organizations where reported; an annual figure, not a running total. Source: ProPublica Nonprofit Explorer.
- Alan Van Capelle Executive Director $664,089
- Tara Morris Chief Advancement Officer $416,543
- Cecilia Alemani Chief Curator/Director Of High Line Art $274,388
- Matthew Lansburgh Gen. Counsel/Assistant Sec (Thru 11/24) $267,558
- Jean Desravines Chief Administrative Officer $259,048
- Joe Tarver Chief Operating Officer $234,025
Officer pay over time
Total officer pay changed +34% from FY2020 to FY2024. Top-officer reportable compensation by year (org-paid only), with each year's share of total revenue. Source: ProPublica Nonprofit Explorer 990 filings.
- FY2020 Robert Hammond · 12.09% of revenue $620,095
- FY2021 Robert Hammond · 9.19% of revenue $693,684
- FY2022 Joshua David · 6.29% of revenue $601,077
- FY2023 Alan Van Capelle · 15.12% of revenue $613,804
- FY2024 Alan Van Capelle · 17.64% of revenue $664,089
Where their influence converges
Outside interests connected to this official through more than one independent channel — drawn straight from the records the rest of the site already shows. “Lobbied them” = a lobbying filing that named the member. “Outside spending” = an independent-expenditure committee the interest funds spent in
- Christopher Marte It lobbied them; it holds contracts at 2 agencies in their committees' jurisdiction
- Gale A. Brewer It lobbied them; it holds contracts at 1 agency in their committees' jurisdiction
- Julie Menin It lobbied them; it holds contracts at 2 agencies in their committees' jurisdiction
- Linda Lee It lobbied them; it holds contracts at 3 agencies in their committees' jurisdiction
- Nantasha M. Williams It lobbied them; it holds contracts at 1 agency in their committees' jurisdiction
- Shekar Krishnan It lobbied them; it holds contracts at 1 agency in their committees' jurisdiction
Community project funding secured by (FY2024)
Members of New York's congressional delegation named as requestors of an enacted FY2024 community project for this organization, in the House Appropriations Committee's own final project tables. Each figure is the amount APPROPRIATED for that project, not money paid out to this organization to date.
- Kirsten E. Gillibrand Elevator Modernization Project for the High Line · NY · Transportation, Housing and Urban Development $850,000
- Jerrold Nadler Elevator Modernization Project for the High Line · NY · Transportation, Housing and Urban Development $850,000
- Charles E. Schumer Elevator Modernization Project for the High Line · NY · Transportation, Housing and Urban Development $850,000
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
- National Endowment for the Arts 45.024 Promotion of the Arts Grants to Organizations and Individuals · National Endowment for the Arts · Grant $40,000
- National Endowment for the Arts 45.024 Promotion of the Arts Grants to Organizations and Individuals · National Endowment for the Arts · Grant $40,000