Rising Ground, Inc.
City-funded organization
Rising Ground (formerly Leake and Watts Services, founded 1831) is one of New York's oldest and largest human services nonprofits, serving approximately 30,000 people annually across 101 programs in NYC and Westchester County; core services include child welfare and foster care, special education, youth development, mental health, and services for survivors of gender-based violence, with $398.3 million in active ACS and DYCD contracts as of August 2026 and over $8.6 million in city council discretionary funding since 2009.
- Industry (per city contracts)
- Human Services
- City contracts (active)
- $398,341,430 · 43 contracts
- Awarded all-time
- $1,108,064,368 · 174 since 2010, incl. expired
- Paid to date
- $626,271,285
- Won without a fresh bid
- 71% of contract value · $791,102,648 · 140 contracts
- Discretionary funding (FY2009-FY2027)
- $10,353,598 · 81 awards
- Funding history
- Funded every year since FY2019 (9 years running)
- Top officer pay (FY2024)
- $457,339 · Alan E Mucatel, Chief Executive Officer
- Based in
- Yonkers, NY (NY State)
Holds contracts at
- Administration for Children's Services City agency
- Department of Social Services City agency
- Department of Youth and Community Development City agency
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).
- Enhanced Family Foster Care (EFFC) Administration for Children's Services · CT106820278800446 $111,231,663
- Residential and Aftercare Services for Adjudicated Youth CTH Administration for Children's Services · CT106820258800101 $80,265,908
- Assessment and Placement Services Administration for Children's Services · CT106820278800203 $24,347,037
- Non-Secure Detention Services - Renewal #2 Administration for Children's Services · CT106820258801588 $13,964,688
- Runaway Homeless Youth- 100 Beds NAE FY26 Department of Youth and Community Development · CT126020268800703 $13,900,038
- Clinical Support Program - Brooklyn Administration for Children's Services · CT106820268802408 $12,532,500
- Prevention Services Renewal Administration for Children's Services · CT106820278800086 $12,083,513
- COMPASS Programs in Public Schools - Elementary Department of Youth and Community Development · CT126020278801192 $10,225,962
- Provision of Teen RAPP and Early RAPP Program Citywide Department of Social Services · CT106920268805671 $10,011,124
- Runaway Homeless Youth- 100 Beds NAE FY26 Department of Youth and Community Development · CT126020268800686 $8,906,683
Discretionary funding received
City Council discretionary (member-item) awards, largest first. Covers FY2009-FY2027.
- Trauma Recovery Centers Trauma Recovery Centers · Dhmh · FY2026 $1,200,000
- Trauma Recovery Centers Trauma Recovery Centers · Dhmh · FY2027 $1,200,000
- Trauma Recovery Centers Trauma Recovery Centers · Dhmh · FY2025 $800,000
- Home Plus Home Plus · Dss/hra · FY2026 $674,610
- Trauma Recovery Centers Trauma Recovery Centers · Dhmh · FY2023 $600,000
- Trauma Recovery Centers Trauma Recovery Centers · Dhmh · FY2024 $600,000
- Trauma Recovery Centers Trauma Recovery Centers · Dhmh · FY2025 $400,000
- Pandemic Support for Human Service Providers Pandemic Support for Human Service Providers · ACS · FY2022 $259,988
- HRA Teen RAPP HRA Teen RAPP · Dss/hra · FY2019 $250,000
- HRA Teen RAPP Enhancement HRA Teen RAPP Enhancement · Dss/hra · FY2020 $250,000
- HRA Teen RAPP HRA Teen RAPP · Dss/hra · FY2022 $250,000
- HRA Teen RAPP HRA Teen RAPP · Dss/hra · FY2023 $250,000
- HRA Teen RAPP HRA Teen RAPP · Dss/hra · FY2024 $250,000
- HRA Teen RAPP HRA Teen RAPP · Dss/hra · FY2025 $250,000
- HRA Teen RAPP HRA Teen RAPP · Dss/hra · FY2026 $250,000
- HRA Teen RAPP HRA Teen RAPP · Dss/hra · FY2027 $250,000
- HRA Teen RAPP Enhancement HRA Teen RAPP Enhancement · Dss/hra · FY2021 $225,000
- Trauma Recovery Centers Trauma Recovery Centers · Dhmh · FY2024 $200,000
- Children Under Five Children Under Five · Dhmh · FY2022 $100,000
- Children Under Five Children Under Five · Dhmh · FY2023 $100,000
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.
- Ayala FY2020-2023 · 4 awards $145,000
- Selvena N. Brooks-Powers FY2024-2027 · 10 awards $122,000
- Holden FY2022-2025 · 4 awards $20,000
- Nantasha M. Williams FY2025-2027 · 3 awards $15,000
- Farah N. Louis FY2026-2027 · 2 awards $10,000
- Stephen Levin FY2020-2021 · 2 awards $6,000
- Phil Wong FY2026 · 1 award $5,000
- Lincoln Restler FY2022 · 1 award $3,000
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 E Mucatel Chief Executive Officer $457,339
- Elliot Hagler Chief Financial Officer $366,753
- Lissa M Southerland Chief Operational Officer $312,215
- Laura Grossfield Birger Chief Legal Officer $308,650
- Susan Sampogna Chief Program Officer $264,640
- Marcel Suarez Vice President Of Finance $227,294
Officer pay over time
Total officer pay changed -6% 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 Alan E Mucatel · 2.46% of revenue $381,987
- FY2021 Alan E Mucatel · 2.1% of revenue $344,579
- FY2022 Alan E Mucatel · 1.29% of revenue $413,145
- FY2023 Alan E Mucatel · 1.15% of revenue $415,055
- FY2024 Alan E Mucatel · 1.28% of revenue $457,339
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 93.676 Unaccompanied Alien Children Program · Administration for Children and Families · Grant $73,591,701
- Department of Health and Human Services 93.676 Unaccompanied Alien Children Program · Administration for Children and Families · Grant $40,671,240
- Department of Health and Human Services 93.676 Unaccompanied Alien Children Program · Administration for Children and Families · Grant $38,094,170
- Department of Health and Human Services 93.676 Unaccompanied Alien Children Program · Administration for Children and Families · Grant $34,598,886
- Department of Health and Human Services 93.676 Unaccompanied Alien Children Program · Administration for Children and Families · Grant $30,643,108
- Department of Health and Human Services 93.676 Unaccompanied Alien Children Program · Administration for Children and Families · Grant $15,734,100
- Department of Health and Human Services 93.600 Head Start · Administration for Children and Families · Grant $10,912,633
- Department of Health and Human Services 93.566 Refugee and Entrant Assistance State/Replacement Designee Administered Programs · Administration for Children and Families · Grant $9,319,066
- Department of Health and Human Services 93.600 Head Start · Administration for Children and Families · Grant $8,312,041
- Department of Health and Human Services 93.676 Unaccompanied Alien Children Program · Administration for Children and Families · Grant $7,649,440
- Department of Health and Human Services 93.600 Head Start · Administration for Children and Families · Grant $5,312,520
- Department of Health and Human Services 93.600 Head Start · Administration for Children and Families · Grant $2,852,782
- Department of Housing and Urban Development 14.267 Continuum of Care Program · Assistant Secretary for Community Planning and Development · Grant $2,780,195
- Department of Housing and Urban Development 14.267 Continuum of Care Program · Assistant Secretary for Community Planning and Development · Grant $2,657,895
- Department of Housing and Urban Development 14.267 Continuum of Care Program · Assistant Secretary for Community Planning and Development · Grant $2,588,859
- Department of Housing and Urban Development 14.267 Continuum of Care Program · Assistant Secretary for Community Planning and Development · Grant $2,367,789
- Department of Housing and Urban Development 14.267 Continuum of Care Program · Assistant Secretary for Community Planning and Development · Grant $2,177,663
- Department of Health and Human Services 93.566 Refugee and Entrant Assistance State/Replacement Designee Administered Programs · Administration for Children and Families · Grant $2,013,764
- Department of Health and Human Services 93.600 Head Start · Administration for Children and Families · Grant $1,820,424
- Department of Health and Human Services 93.600 Head Start · Administration for Children and Families · Grant $203,656