Our Impact
Since 2001, we've worked with...
130
community organizations
325
designers and teaching artists
46
schools and youth organizations
5,225
high school students
The projects we’ve created together have reached over 300,000 people, and contributed to important gains for marginalized communities in NYC and beyond, including:
Chinatown residents successfully fought landlord harassment in several buildings, preventing eviction for dozens of families, through CUP’s work with CAAAV.
NYC street vendors have been able to better meet city laws and avoid fines, and also successfully advocated for a reduction in fines with Vendor Power! our guide created with the Street Vendor Project.
Our Envisioning Development Toolkits, hands-on workshop tools about land use policies, have been used by over 100 community organizations to train several thousand NYC residents to more effectively participate in critical land use decisions.
High school students are more confident in their public speaking and critical thinking skills, and more engaged in the decision-making that impacts their communities.
CUP’s work has influenced the work of government agencies, including several that have hired CUP to work with them, to create more accessible materials.
Here's what our work does
Community Education:
- increases the number of people accessing rights and services
- increases individuals’ confidence in their ability to effect change
- increases the capacity of organizers to do their work and amplify the impacts of their work
- creates measurable changes and improvements in policies impacting marginalized communities
Youth Education:
- develop art-making and technical skills and experience
- learn how the places we live are products of decision-making
- identify pathways to civic engagement and new careers
- increase their confidence to create change
Leadership and Training Programs:
- support government workers to create local opportunities for meaningful civic engagement
- support designers and teaching artists to develop the necessary skills to lead community-centered collaborations
Awards & Recognition
CUP's work has been recognized by a Cooper Hewitt National Design Award for Institutional Achievement, a National Arts & Humanities Youth Program Award from First Lady Michelle Obama, several Core 77 Design Awards, and the Curry Stone Design Prize.