The Apollo Theater Foundation, Inc.
Lobbying client
The Apollo Theater Foundation is the nonprofit that has run the historic Apollo Theater on West 125th Street in Harlem since 1991, when New York State transferred the venue to it after prior owner Percy Sutton's finances collapsed. It filed 20 lobbying disclosures since 2024, reporting $189,719 in compensation and registering citywide across all 51 council districts through two lobbyists, on city budget advocacy and Community Board 10 transportation matters. It has $1.3 million in city contracts since 2011, though none are currently active.
- Council members lobbied
- 51 (citywide)
- Filings (since 2024)
- 20
- Lobbying compensation (since 2024)
- $189,719
- Industry (per city contracts)
- Standardized Services
- City contracts
- none active as of 2026-08-22 · $1,303,977 awarded since 2011
- Paid to date
- $1,160,431
- Won without a fresh bid
- 47% of contract value · $609,417 · 7 contracts
- Discretionary funding (FY2009-FY2027)
- $800,881 · 48 awards
- Funding history
- Funded 18 years (FY2009–FY2027), including each of the last 11
- Top officer pay (FY2023)
- $375,687 · Jonelle Procope, Former President & CEO
Represented by lobbyist firms
- Cozen O'Connor Public Strategies, LLC Lobbyist firm
- Higgins Quasebarth & Partners, LLC Lobbyist firm
Holds contracts at
- Department of Cultural Affairs City agency
- Department of Education City agency
- Department of Youth and Community Development City agency
Funded by these agencies
- Department of Cultural Affairs City agency
- Department of Education City agency
- Department of Youth and Community Development City agency
What they lobbied on
subjects from their filings
- Budget - NYC Budget
- Budget - NYC budget
- Budget - budget advocacy
- Determination of Board or Commission - Community Board #10 (M) Transportation
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).
- SUPPORT GRANTEES MISSION AND CULTURAL EVENTS Department of Cultural Affairs · CT112620201427079 · ended 2020 $133,330
- SUPPORT GRANTEES MISSION AND CULTURAL EVENTS Department of Cultural Affairs · CT112620211425580 · ended 2021 $110,000
- SUPPORT GRANTEES MISSION AND CULTURAL EVENTS Department of Cultural Affairs · CT112620191417209 · ended 2019 $109,600
- SUPPORT GRANTEES MISSION AND CULTURAL EVENTS Department of Cultural Affairs · CT112620181415798 · ended 2018 $106,755
- SUPPORT GRANTEES MISSION AND CULTURAL EVENTS Department of Cultural Affairs · CT112620171413158 · ended 2017 $106,150
- Venue rental for the final show in the Step It Up NYC Department of Youth and Community Development · CT126020241419366 · ended 2024 $31,472
- NEGOTIATED SERVICES-SERVICES Department of Education · CT104020263128424 · ended 2026 $25,000
- NEGOTIATED SERVICES-SERVICES Department of Education · CT104020253127571 · ended 2025 $25,000
- NEGOTIATED SERVICES-SERVICES Department of Education · CT104020253126626 · ended 2025 $25,000
- NEGOTIATED SERVICES-SERVICES Department of Education · CT104020243097524 · ended 2024 $25,000
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.
- SUPPORT GRANTEES MISSION AND CULTURAL EVENTS Department of Cultural Affairs · FY2020 $101,665
- SUPPORT GRANTEES MISSION AND CULTURAL EVENTS Department of Cultural Affairs · FY2022 $84,500
- NEGOTIATED SERVICES-SERVICES Department of Education · FY2026 · 2 payments $50,000
- Venue rental for the final show in the Step It Up NYC Department of Youth and Community Development · FY2025 $27,051
- SUPPORT GRANTEES MISSION AND CULTURAL EVENTS Department of Cultural Affairs · FY2021 $26,665
- NEGOTIATED SERVICES-SERVICES Department of Education · FY2023 $25,000
- NEGOTIATED SERVICES-SERVICES Department of Education · FY2024 $25,000
- NEGOTIATED SERVICES-SERVICES Department of Education · FY2025 $25,000
Discretionary funding received
City Council discretionary (member-item) awards, largest first. Covers FY2009-FY2027.
- Speaker's Initiative CM Speaker · Speaker's Initiative · DCLA · FY2025 $50,000
- Apollo Theater Academy CM Speaker · DCLA · FY2026 $50,000
- Speaker's Initiative CM Speaker · Speaker's Initiative · DCLA · FY2027 $50,000
- Coalition Theaters of Color Coalition Theaters of Color · DCLA · FY2025 $38,947
- Coalition Theaters of Color Coalition Theaters of Color · DCLA · FY2026 $38,947
- Coalition Theaters of Color Coalition Theaters of Color · DCLA · FY2027 $38,947
- Coalition Theaters of Color Coalition Theaters of Color · DCLA · FY2022 $30,000
- Coalition Theaters of Color Coalition Theaters of Color · DCLA · FY2023 $30,000
- Coalition Theaters of Color Coalition Theaters of Color · DCLA · FY2024 $30,000
- Speaker's Initiative CM Speaker · Speaker's Initiative · DCLA · FY2024 $25,000
- Urban Assembly for Global Commerce - (2005 Madison Ave) Cultural After-School Adventure (CASA) · DCLA · FY2018 $20,000
- [02M177] Yorkville East Middle School Cultural After-School Adventure (CASA) · DCLA · FY2019 $20,000
- Public School/Middle School 279M & Urban Assembly School for Global Commerce Cultural After-School Adventure (CASA) · DCLA · FY2019 $20,000
- Public School 154 Harriet Tubman (05M154) CM Perkins · Cultural After-School Adventure (CASA) · DCLA · FY2020 $20,000
- Yorkville East Middle School (02M177) CM Kallos · Cultural After-School Adventure (CASA) · DCLA · FY2020 $20,000
- Public School 154M Harriet Tubman (05M154) CM Perkins · Cultural After-School Adventure (CASA) · DCLA · FY2021 $20,000
- Yorkville East Middle School (02M177) CM Kallos · Cultural After-School Adventure (CASA) · DCLA · FY2021 $20,000
- Public School 154 Harriet Tubman (05M154) CM Jordan · Cultural After-School Adventure (CASA) · DCLA · FY2022 $20,000
- Yorkville East Middle School (02M177) CM Menin · Cultural After-School Adventure (CASA) · DCLA · FY2022 $20,000
- Public School 154M Harriet Tubman (05M154) CM Jordan · Cultural After-School Adventure (CASA) · DCLA · FY2023 $20,000
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.
- Yusef Salaam FY2024-2026 · 5 awards $75,000
- Jordan FY2022-2023 · 3 awards $47,500
- Perkins FY2020-2021 · 2 awards $40,000
- Kallos FY2020-2021 · 2 awards $40,000
- Julie Menin FY2022-2023 · 2 awards $40,000
- Levine FY2020-2021 · 2 awards $8,500
- Shaun Abreu FY2022-2023 · 2 awards $8,500
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.
- Jonelle Procope Former President & CEO $375,687
- Aldo Scrofani COO $369,923
- Donna Lieberman SR.Director Of Development $281,171
- Kamilah Forbes Executive Producer $276,290
- Kelly Mckaig SR. Director Of Finance $192,703
- Michelle Ebanks President & CEO $190,380
Officer pay over time
Total officer pay changed +35% 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 Jonelle Procope · 5.22% of revenue $346,632
- FY2021 Jonelle Procope · 8.95% of revenue $348,114
- FY2022 Jonelle Procope · 11.85% of revenue $402,696
- FY2023 Jonelle Procope · 16.13% of revenue $375,687
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 $55,000
- National Endowment for the Arts 45.024 Promotion of the Arts Grants to Organizations and Individuals · National Endowment for the Arts · Grant $50,000
- National Endowment for the Humanities 45.149 Promotion of the Humanities Division of Preservation and Access · National Endowment for the Humanities · Grant $5,000