Variety Boys and Girls Club of Queens Inc
City-funded organization
Variety Boys and Girls Club of Queens Inc is a youth development nonprofit founded in 1955 that runs after-school and enrichment programs for children ages 6 to 18 from its Astoria, Queens clubhouse and multiple public-school sites, serving over 5,000 young people annually and describing itself as the largest youth development organization in Western Queens. It holds $13 million in active New York City contracts as of August 2026 across five awards, led by a $8.3 million Department of Youth and Community Development "COMPASS Programs in Public Schools - Elementary" award and a $2.6 million DYCD "FY27 Beacon Program NAE" award, plus a $1.9 million Department of Education community school services renewal and smaller Department for the Aging and Department of Design and Construction awards funded through Council discretionary (member-item) money. Across its full history with the city, 63% of contract value ($18.6 million across 20 contracts) was awarded without a fresh competitive bid, largely through renewals of its DYCD and DOE youth-services agreements. Its Chief Executive Officer, Costa Constantinides, is a former City Council member for District 22 who resigned his seat in April
- Industry (per city contracts)
- Human Services
- City contracts (active)
- $13,024,012 · 5 contracts
- Awarded all-time
- $29,350,970 · 25 since 2015, incl. expired
- Paid to date
- $15,301,877
- Won without a fresh bid
- 63% of contract value · $18,602,367 · 20 contracts
- Discretionary funding (FY2009-FY2027)
- $6,558,226 · 171 awards
- Funding history
- Funded every year since FY2009 (19 years running)
- Top officer pay (FY2023)
- $264,005 · Costa Constantinides, Chief Execut
- Council connection
- Costa Constantinides, Chief Executive Officer (FY2023 filing); former Council member
- Council members lobbied
- 51 (citywide)
- Filings (since 2024)
- 15
- Lobbying compensation (since 2024)
- $90,000
- Also appears as
- Variety Boys & Girls Club of Queens, Inc.
Holds contracts at
- Department for the Aging City agency
- Department of Design and Construction City agency
- Department of Education 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).
- COMPASS Programs in Public Schools - Elementary Department of Youth and Community Development · CT126020278801903 $8,262,000
- FY27 Beacon Program NAE Department of Youth and Community Development · CT126020278800726 $2,609,258
- FY25 Renewal Community School Service R1191 Department of Education · CT104020268802042 $1,891,504
- 5VR - support district-based older adult services Department for the Aging · CT112520258806854 $131,250
- PW9BGCQ2 - Purchase of Three Vehicles Department of Design and Construction · CT185020228807946 $130,000
- Beacon Community Activities at I.S. 10 Department of Youth and Community Development · CT126020211400917 · ended 2024 $3,120,291
- Funding will be used to support after-school activities for Department of Youth and Community Development · CT126020258807300 · ended 2026 $2,208,750
- Community School Services - R1191 Department of Education · CT104020228805858 · ended 2024 $1,891,504
- SONYC after school services for middle school student Center Department of Youth and Community Development · CT126020190000205 · ended 2021 $1,735,544
- Beacon community activities at I.S.10 Horace Greeley School Department of Youth and Community Development · CT126020181408491 · ended 2020 $1,729,803
Discretionary funding received
City Council discretionary (member-item) awards, largest first. Covers FY2009-FY2027.
- Local DYCD · FY2010 $200,000
- Local CM Speaker · DYCD · FY2022 $150,000
- Local CM Speaker · DYCD · FY2023 $150,000
- Speaker's Initiative CM Speaker · Speaker's Initiative · DYCD · FY2024 $150,000
- Local CM Speaker · DYCD · FY2025 $150,000
- Local CM Speaker · DYCD · FY2026 $150,000
- Speaker's Initiative CM Speaker · Speaker's Initiative · DYCD · FY2027 $150,000
- Local CM Speaker · DYCD · FY2026 $140,000
- Local CM Speaker · DYCD · FY2027 $140,000
- Local CM Speaker · DYCD · FY2024 $130,000
- Local CM Speaker · DYCD · FY2025 $130,000
- Local DYCD · FY2009 $100,000
- Local DYCD · FY2010 $100,000
- Local DYCD · FY2011 $100,000
- Local DYCD · FY2011 $100,000
- Salah M. Hassanein Club DYCD · FY2012 $100,000
- Local CM Speaker · DYCD · FY2026 $100,000
- Local CM Speaker · DYCD · FY2027 $100,000
- Local DYCD · FY2013 $90,000
- Local DYCD · FY2015 $75,835
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.
- Tiffany L. Cabán FY2022-2027 · 23 awards $474,000
- Shekar Krishnan FY2022-2027 · 20 awards $419,700
- Joann Ariola FY2025-2027 · 10 awards $265,000
- Costa Constantinides FY2020-2021 · 10 awards $219,000
- Phil Wong FY2026-2027 · 6 awards $214,000
- Vickie Paladino FY2025-2027 · 4 awards $135,000
- James F. Gennaro FY2022-2027 · 6 awards $117,500
- Holden FY2025 · 2 awards $80,000
- Adams FY2025-2026 · 2 awards $70,000
- Sandra Ung FY2025-2027 · 4 awards $59,000
- Lynn C. Schulman FY2025-2027 · 3 awards $48,000
- Linda Lee FY2026-2027 · 3 awards $30,000
- Shanel Thomas-Henry FY2027 · 1 award $10,000
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.
- Costa Constantinides Chief Execut $264,005
- Andy Rodriguez Executive Di $172,259
Officer pay over time
Total officer pay changed +208% 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 Andy Rodriguez · 3.69% of revenue $141,780
- FY2021 Costa Constantinides · 6.53% of revenue $201,387
- FY2022 (9 mo) Costa Constantinides $200,467
- FY2023 Costa Constantinides · 7.81% of revenue $264,005
Council connections
Resigned the Council in April 2021 to become CEO of Variety Boys & Girls Club of Queens, an organization he had steered $219,000 in discretionary funding to while in office. Role and pay are from the organization's own 990 filings; the identity was confirmed in press coverage (see sources). No
- Costa Constantinides Former Council Member, District 22 (Queens) · Chief Executive Officer, since April 2021 $264,005 (FY2023)
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 Variety Boys and Girls Club of Queens Redevelopment · NY · Transportation, Housing and Urban Development $1,166,279
- Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez Variety Boys and Girls Club of Queens Redevelopment · NY · Transportation, Housing and Urban Development $1,166,279
What they lobbied on
subjects from their filings
- Budget - Capital and Discretionary Budget Funding
- Budget - Funding for organization
- Budget - NYC Capital and Expense Budget Resolutions
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 Housing and Urban Development 14.251 Economic Development Initiative, Community Project Funding, and Miscellaneous grants · Assistant Secretary for Community Planning and Development · Grant $1,166,279
- Department of Health and Human Services 93.493 Congressional Directives · Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration · Grant $500,000
- Department of Labor 17.289 Community Project Funding/Congressionally Directed Spending · Employment and Training Administration · Grant $250,000