Center for Family Representation, Inc.
Lobbying client
The Center for Family Representation (CFR) is a New York City nonprofit, founded in 2002, that provides free legal representation and social work services to parents facing Administration for Children's Services investigations or prosecutions in Family Court, aiming to keep families together and reduce the time children spend in foster care. It has filed 15 lobbying disclosures since 2024 worth $252,000 through Pitta Bishop & Del Giorno LLC, lobbying all 51 council members for legal and human-services program funding, and holds about $88.8 million in active NYC contracts as of August 2026.
- Council members lobbied
- 51 (citywide)
- Filings (since 2024)
- 15
- Lobbying compensation (since 2024)
- $270,000
- Industry (per city contracts)
- Human Services
- City contracts (active)
- $88,812,787 · 3 contracts
- Awarded all-time
- $218,923,641 · 35 since 2009, incl. expired
- Paid to date
- $179,033,122
- Won without a fresh bid
- 56% of contract value · $122,203,601 · 28 contracts
- Discretionary funding (FY2009-FY2027)
- $9,548,212 · 117 awards
- Funding history
- Funded every year since FY2016 (12 years running)
- Top officer pay (FY2024)
- $259,065 · Tehra Coles, Executive Di
- Based in
- New York, NY
Represented by lobbyist firms
- Pitta Bishop & Del Giorno LLC Lobbyist firm
Holds contracts at
- Mayoralty City agency
- Office of Criminal Justice City agency
Funded by these agencies
- Department of Social Services City agency
- Department of Youth and Community Development City agency
- Mayoralty City agency
- Office of Criminal Justice City agency
What they lobbied on
subjects from their filings
- Budget - Legal and family support service funding.
- Budget - Legal and human services program funding.
- Budget - New York City Fiscal Year 2027 Operating Budget -- Program Funding.
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).
- Article 10 Family Court for Legal services (Lower Manhattan) Office of Criminal Justice · CT112820258801208 $88,362,787
- Additional funding provided by NYS Office of ILS for FY26-27 Office of Criminal Justice · CT112820258805024 $350,000
- FY27-28 ILS Professionalization & Modernization Grant Office of Criminal Justice · CT112820278800770 $100,000
- ARTICLE 10 - Family Court Legal Services Mayoralty · CT100220191409065 · ended 2021 $28,107,791
- Article 10 Family Court for Legal services Mayoralty · CT100220248800534 · ended 2024 $19,452,798
- Legal Services Mayoralty · CT100220171400322 · ended 2018 $16,956,593
- Article 10 Family Court for Legal services Mayoralty · CT100220238805467 · ended 2023 $14,759,017
- Article 10 Petition Parental Representation Mayoralty · CT100220228804554 · ended 2022 $9,490,153
- For the provision of legal representation in Article 10 case Mayoralty · CT100220121410241 · ended 2014 $7,615,290
- Article 10 Legal Services Mayoralty · CT100220150002192 · ended 2015 $6,231,750
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.
- Article 10 Family Court for Legal services (Lower Manhattan) Office of Criminal Justice · FY2026 · 8 payments $22,490,318
- Article 10 Family Court for Legal services (Lower Manhattan) Office of Criminal Justice · FY2025 · 12 payments $18,876,169
- Article 10 Family Court for Legal services Mayoralty · FY2023 · 7 payments $11,518,856
- Article 10 Family Court for Legal services (Lower Manhattan) Office of Criminal Justice · FY2027 · 2 payments $11,371,305
- Article 10 Family Court for Legal services Mayoralty · FY2024 · 11 payments $11,283,128
- ARTICLE 10 - Family Court Legal Services Mayoralty · FY2020 · 12 payments $9,718,645
- ARTICLE 10 - Family Court Legal Services Mayoralty · FY2021 · 13 payments $9,094,800
- Article 10 Petition Parental Representation Mayoralty · FY2022 · 5 payments $3,031,961
- Article 10 Petition Parental Representation Mayoralty · FY2023 · 3 payments $2,012,652
- Article 10 Family Court for Legal services Mayoralty · FY2025 · 4 payments $1,867,311
- Article 10 Family Court for Legal services Office of Criminal Justice · FY2025 $860,687
- Funding will support victim services work Department of Youth and Community Development · FY2026 · 2 payments $781,574
- Funding will support victim services work Department of Youth and Community Development · FY2025 · 2 payments $746,500
- To support services to Black Latinx & Immigrants Department of Youth and Community Development · FY2024 $671,500
- Legal services for disadvantaged families- Queens /Manh Mayoralty · FY2022 · 2 payments $435,666
- ARTICLE 10 - Family Court Legal Services Mayoralty · FY2023 · 2 payments $389,224
- Legal Services and Discretionary Mayoralty · FY2020 $387,100
- Discretionary Mayoralty · FY2023 $362,351
- Prov of legal representation on a range of matters Department of Social Services · FY2025 · 2 payments $334,000
- legal services for clients in foster care with low income Mayoralty · FY2020 $258,000
Discretionary funding received
City Council discretionary (member-item) awards, largest first. Covers FY2009-FY2027.
- Family Advocacy and Guardianship Support Family Advocacy and Guardianship Support · MOCJ · FY2022 $650,000
- Family Advocacy and Guardianship Support Family Advocacy and Guardianship Support · DYCD · FY2023 $650,000
- Family Advocacy and Guardianship Support Family Advocacy and Guardianship Support · DYCD · FY2024 $650,000
- Family Advocacy and Guardianship Support Family Advocacy and Guardianship Support · DYCD · FY2025 $650,000
- Legal Services for Family Advocacy and Guardianship (formerly Family Advocacy and Guardianship Support and Legal Services for Families) Legal Services for Family Advocacy and Guardianship (formerly Family Advocacy and Guardianship Support and Legal Services for Families) · DYCD · FY2026 $650,000
- Legal Services for Family Advocacy and Guardianship Legal Services for Family Advocacy and Guardianship · DYCD · FY2027 $650,000
- Family Advocacy and Guardianship Support Family Advocacy and Guardianship Support · MOCJ · FY2020 $325,000
- Immigrant Opportunities Initiative Immigrant Opportunities Initiative · Dss/hra · FY2026 $300,000
- Immigrant Opportunities Initiative Immigrant Opportunities Initiative · Dss/hra · FY2027 $300,000
- Legal Services for Low-Income New Yorkers Legal Services for Low-Income New Yorkers · MOCJ · FY2017 $250,000
- Legal Services for Low-Income New Yorkers Legal Services for Low-Income New Yorkers · MOCJ · FY2018 $250,000
- Legal Services for Low-Income New Yorkers Legal Services for Low-Income New Yorkers · MOCJ · FY2019 $250,000
- Legal Services for Low-Income New Yorkers Legal Services for Low-Income New Yorkers · MOCJ · FY2020 $250,000
- Legal Services for Low-Income New Yorkers Legal Services for Low-Income New Yorkers · MOCJ · FY2022 $250,000
- Legal Services for Low-Income New Yorkers Legal Services for Low-Income New Yorkers · Dss/hra · FY2024 $250,000
- Legal Services for Low-Income New Yorkers Legal Services for Low-Income New Yorkers · Dss/hra · FY2025 $250,000
- Low-Income Legal Services for Low-Income and Working-Class New Yorkers (formerly Legal Services for Low-Income New Yorkers and Legal Services for the Working Poor) · Dss/hra · FY2026 $250,000
- Low-Income Legal Services for Low-Income and Working-Class New Yorkers · Dss/hra · FY2027 $250,000
- Family Advocacy and Guardianship Support Family Advocacy and Guardianship Support · MOCJ · FY2021 $216,666
- Legal Services for Low-Income New Yorkers Legal Services for Low-Income New Yorkers · MOCJ · FY2021 $212,500
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.
- Moya FY2021-2026 · 6 awards $175,000
- Tiffany L. Cabán FY2022-2027 · 12 awards $96,000
- Selvena N. Brooks-Powers FY2022-2027 · 11 awards $70,000
- Lynn C. Schulman FY2022-2027 · 6 awards $69,000
- Shekar Krishnan FY2023-2027 · 5 awards $50,000
- Julie Menin FY2023-2027 · 5 awards $50,000
- Holden FY2020-2025 · 6 awards $47,000
- Adams FY2022-2026 · 5 awards $40,000
- Nantasha M. Williams FY2024-2027 · 4 awards $40,000
- Shanel Thomas-Henry FY2027 · 1 award $35,000
- Koslowitz FY2020-2021 · 2 awards $15,000
- Rodriguez FY2020 · 1 award $10,000
- Jordan FY2022 · 1 award $10,000
- Phil Wong FY2026-2027 · 2 awards $10,000
- Costa Constantinides FY2020-2021 · 2 awards $9,500
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.
- Tehra Coles Executive Di $259,065
- Alicia Williams Chief Operat $213,173
- Christine Waer Managing Director $193,752
- Carol Siegel Litigation S $191,933
- Alexandra Rosin Litigation D $187,740
- Sandeep Kandhari Litigation D $187,320
Officer pay over time
Total officer pay changed +24% 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 Michele Cortese · 12.77% of revenue $198,135
- FY2021 Michele Cortese · 8.09% of revenue $198,170
- FY2022 Michelle Cortese · 7.17% of revenue $215,468
- FY2023 Alicia Williams · 8.17% of revenue $201,567
- FY2024 Tehra Coles · 8.59% of revenue $259,065