Big Brothers Big Sisters of New York City (BBBS NYC) is the nation's first and the city's largest youth mentoring organization. Founded in 1904 in New York by Ernest Kent Coulter, BBBS NYC celebrated its centennial in 2004 and has continuously served NYC youth for more than 120 years. Alicia Guevara serves as Chief Executive Officer; she became the first woman CEO of the organization on June 10, 2019. BBBS NYC serves over 2,500 youth annually across all five boroughs through one-to-one mentoring, Workplace Mentoring Program, affinity groups, College and Career Success Program, Bigs in Blue (partnership with NYPD), and other community partner programs. 97 percent of Littles are promoted to the next grade and 93 percent of Littles are accepted into college. BBBS NYC is an affiliate of Big Brothers Big Sisters of America (the national network of 230-plus affiliates). The organization's history is intertwined with the BBBSA national history: when Ernest Kent Coulter founded the Big Brothers movement in 1904, he did so in New York City.
BBBS NYC operates the largest professional one-to-one mentoring network in New York City. The organization supports youth ages 7 and older across the five boroughs (Manhattan, Brooklyn, Queens, the Bronx, and Staten Island) through a suite of mentoring and youth development programs designed to empower youth to access opportunities for college and career success. Programs ignite potential through one-to-one community-based or workplace site-based mentoring, group mentoring, college and career readiness, and wraparound support services for volunteers and families.
The community-based mentoring model serves youth ages 7-17 across all five boroughs. Bigs and Littles spend 8 hours a month in their community building their relationship and taking steps toward achieving the Little's S.M.A.R.T. goals (Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Realistic, and Time-bound). Each match is supported by a Program Manager who manages daily communication with the Big, Little, and family. The program is free for families.
Big Brothers Big Sisters of New York City traces its founding to 1904 when Ernest Kent Coulter started the Big Brothers movement in New York City. Coulter was a court clerk in the New York City Children's Court who observed that many of the boys appearing before the court would benefit from the support of a caring adult mentor. The Big Brothers movement spread to other cities in the early twentieth century. A parallel Big Sisters movement developed; the two movements operated separately until merging into Big Brothers Big Sisters of America in 1977.
BBBS NYC celebrated its centennial anniversary in 2004. Allan Luks served as executive director from 1990 to 2008, leading the organization through a phase of programmatic development and increased visibility. Under Luks's guidance, BBBSNYC solidified its position as the nation's oldest and largest youth mentoring affiliate. Michael Corriero served briefly as executive director starting in 2008. Hector Batista was appointed executive director in October 2010, becoming the first Latino to lead the organization.
Batista's tenure from 2010 to 2018 emphasized inclusive growth and measurable impact. Under his guidance, BBBS NYC broadened its programs to address holistic youth development, including the Bigs in Blue initiative that paired NYPD officers as mentors. Batista was recognized with the 2011 Executive Leadership Award. He departed in 2018 to join The City University of New York. Alicia Guevara joined as CEO in 2019, becoming the first woman to lead the 118-year-old organization.
Alicia Guevara began serving as CEO of Big Brothers Big Sisters of New York City on June 10, 2019, marking her as the first woman CEO in the organization's history. Alicia is a native New Yorker of Cuban heritage who grew up in the Bronx. From a young age, her family taught her to love her community and the importance of giving back. She is a graduate of Columbia University, a 2023 John Jay Award honoree from Columbia, and holds an executive education certificate for senior leaders in nonprofit management from Columbia Business School.
Under Guevara's leadership, BBBS NYC navigated the COVID-19 pandemic with the 2020 launch of virtual mentorship to continue assisting Littles during the public health emergency. The organization expanded the Workplace Mentoring Program corporate engagement model, supported by Chief Program and Innovation Officer Michael Coughlin. Guevara's leadership has emphasized the BBBS NYC commitment to serving NYC's increasingly diverse youth population, with particular attention to the Bronx where Guevara herself grew up.
Community-based mentoring is the original BBBS NYC program model. Bigs and Littles spend 8 hours a month in their community building their relationship. Activities range widely: park visits, museum trips, sporting events, library visits, cooking, walks through the boroughs. The five-borough geography offers Bigs and Littles enormous opportunity to explore NYC together; matches are encouraged to explore Manhattan museums, Brooklyn neighborhoods, Queens cultural events, Bronx parks, and Staten Island attractions.
The S.M.A.R.T. goals framework (Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Realistic, and Time-bound) structures each match relationship. Bigs and Littles work together on goals that the Little has identified, with Program Manager support throughout the year. Matches commit to at least one year; many relationships extend far beyond that minimum commitment. The professional Program Manager support distinguishes BBBS NYC mentoring from informal mentoring and is part of what enables the 97 percent grade promotion and 93 percent college acceptance outcomes.
The BBBS NYC Workplace Mentoring Program is one of the agency's distinctive offerings. Corporate partners host on-site mentoring during business hours, allowing employees to mentor a Little without the time commitment of community-based mentoring. The model introduces students to the world of business through on-site, one-to-one mentoring from employees of participating companies. Workplace partnerships expand the volunteer pool to include working professionals who could not commit to community-based mentoring schedules.
Major NYC employers participate in the Workplace Mentoring Program. Financial services firms, law firms, media companies, healthcare organizations, and other employers across Manhattan host workplace mentoring programs for their employees. The corporate partner often provides on-site space, supports employee volunteer time, and contributes financial sponsorship. The workplace model has been one of BBBS NYC's fastest-growing programs under recent leadership.
BBBS NYC affinity groups bring together Bigs and Littles around shared cultural, ethnic, or community identities. The New American program serves Asian immigrants and first-generation Americans. May Ng serves as president of the Big Brothers Big Sisters Asian Mentoring Committee, with members including Spencer and Matthew of the program. The Asian Mentoring Committee is one of the established affinity groups at BBBS NYC.
Other specialized programs include the College and Career Success Program (focused on college access and career readiness for older Littles preparing to graduate high school), various community partner programs that work with specific NYC neighborhoods or school systems, and group mentoring formats that supplement the one-to-one approach. The diversity of program offerings allows BBBS NYC to meet families and youth where they are rather than requiring families to fit a single program model.
Bigs in Blue is the Big Brothers Big Sisters of NYC partnership with the New York City Police Department. NYPD officers serve as Bigs to NYC youth, building trust and positive role models between law enforcement and the communities they serve. The program was launched during Hector Batista's tenure as CEO (2010-2018) and continues as one of BBBS NYC's distinctive programs.
The Bigs in Blue model addresses both individual youth mentoring goals and broader community-police relationship building. NYPD officers participate as volunteer Bigs alongside their professional duties, with the screening, training, and matching following the standard BBBS NYC process. The program has been adopted at other BBBSA affiliates across the country, but BBBS NYC was an early adopter that helped develop the model.
97 percent of BBBS NYC Littles are promoted to the next grade and 93 percent of BBBS NYC Littles are accepted into college. The two metrics together demonstrate the educational impact of the BBBS NYC mentoring model. The grade promotion rate exceeds general NYC public school promotion rates, particularly for the at-risk youth populations BBBS NYC serves. The 93 percent college acceptance rate exceeds general NYC graduating senior rates.
The outcomes are sustained over multiple years and across the diverse five-borough population BBBS NYC serves. Outcomes tracking aligns with the broader BBBSA national research on long-term mentorship impact. BBBS NYC contributes data to the BBBSA national research framework, which launched groundbreaking 30-year longitudinal research in 2024.
The Sidewalks of New York Dinner is BBBS NYC's flagship annual fundraising event. The dinner celebrates the power of mentoring and the incredible matches that make the work possible. The 40th Annual Sidewalks of New York Dinner reflected four decades of continuous fundraising tradition. The dinner brings together donors, corporate partners, Bigs, Littles, alumni, and community leaders.
Other signature events include the TCS New York City Half Marathon team running (the 2026 race will see Bigs, leaders, and supporters running with each dollar going toward matching NYC youth with mentors), the Gridiron Games at MetLife Stadium (annual touch football tournament featuring corporate teams supporting youth mentorship), the Accountants and Bankers Reception (industry professional networking and philanthropy), and a golf outing. The TCS NYC Marathon (full marathon) also features BBBS NYC participants raising funds. These signature events generate millions of dollars in operating revenue each year.
To become a Big with BBBS NYC, visit bigsnyc.org and fill out the volunteer interest form. The one-to-one mentoring model requires a minimum commitment of at least one year as a match. BBBS NYC creates matches based on the interests, strengths, experiences, location, and preferences of Bigs to the unique needs of Littles. Prior to matching, the Big, Little, and parent/guardian all pre-approve their match.
BBBS NYC provides all Bigs with a comprehensive youth development training session and assigns each a dedicated Program Manager. These BBBS NYC staff members provide support for both the family and volunteer through regular check-ins and access to citywide resources. The professional case management distinguishes the BBBS NYC model from informal mentoring.
Multiple program models offer different commitment levels. Community-based mentoring (8 hours per month, one-year minimum) is the most traditional. Workplace mentoring (corporate-hosted, structured hours) requires less weekend and evening time. Virtual mentoring options launched during the COVID-19 pandemic continue to offer additional flexibility.
Families can enroll children ages 7 and older in BBBS NYC programming. Visit bigsnyc.org and complete the youth enrollment form. The enrollment process includes information about the child, the family situation, the child's interests and needs, and any specific mentoring goals. BBBS NYC staff then identifies a Big whose background, interests, and availability best match the Little's profile. The program is free for families.
Many Littles are referred by NYC public schools, social workers, faith communities, or other professionals. The Department of Education partnerships allow school-based referrals to flow directly into BBBS NYC enrollment. Family self-referrals are also welcomed. BBBS NYC has particular focus on serving Bronx youth, Brooklyn youth, and other boroughs with higher concentrations of at-risk youth.
Donations can be made at bigsnyc.org/donate or by mail to BBBS NYC headquarters at 40 Rector Street, 11th Floor, New York, NY 10006. BBBS NYC is a 501(c)(3) tax-exempt organization with EIN 13-5600383. Donations are tax-deductible.
Major corporate partnerships drive much of BBBS NYC's fundraising. Workplace Mentoring Program corporate partners contribute both volunteer hours and financial support. Foundation grants from NYC-area philanthropies support specific program areas. Major donor cultivation through the Board of Directors and Development team supports major gifts including planned giving and donor-advised fund gifts.
Annual fundraising events (Sidewalks of New York Dinner, Gridiron Games, Marathon team participation, Accountants and Bankers Reception, golf outing) generate significant operating revenue. Corporate sponsorships of these events, individual ticket purchases, and post-event giving all contribute to the annual fundraising total. BBBS NYC's Manhattan headquarters location and the NYC corporate concentration enable a particularly robust corporate partnership program.
BBBS NYC files its own Form 990 separately from Big Brothers Big Sisters of America. The agency's revenue mix includes corporate partnerships, foundation grants, individual giving, special events, and limited government grants. As the largest NYC youth mentoring organization with 2,500+ youth served annually, BBBS NYC's operating budget reflects the scale of professional Program Manager staffing required to support that many matches.
Program Manager staffing represents a significant share of operating costs because each Big and Little match requires ongoing professional case management. The 97 percent grade promotion and 93 percent college acceptance outcomes reflect both the volunteer Bigs' commitment and the Program Manager support that makes those volunteer hours productive.
For pure scale of youth-serving nonprofit infrastructure in NYC, Boys and Girls Clubs of America has substantial NYC affiliate operations, the YMCA of Greater New York operates extensively across the five boroughs, and dozens of other youth-serving nonprofits operate at scale. For one-to-one structured mentoring specifically, BBBS NYC is the largest single agency in New York City with 2,500+ active matches annually.
Other NYC mentoring nonprofits operate at smaller scales: iMentor focuses on college-readiness mentoring with NYC public school partners, Friends of the Children operates a paid-professional-mentor model in a few NYC sites, and various community-specific mentoring organizations serve particular neighborhoods or populations. BBBS NYC's advantages: 120-year institutional history, five-borough geographic reach, the affinity group model serving diverse NYC communities, the Workplace Mentoring Program corporate partnership infrastructure, and the integration with the BBBSA national network of 230-plus affiliates.
Practical framing: for parents looking for a structured mentor for their child in NYC, BBBS NYC is the largest and most established one-to-one mentoring agency in the city. For adults looking to mentor a young person in any of the five boroughs, BBBS NYC offers the deepest infrastructure of vetted matches, ongoing professional support, and program quality. For donors interested in NYC youth mentoring, BBBS NYC represents the largest and most established channel.
Last updated May 2026. BBBS NYC description (nation's first and NYC's largest youth mentoring org, 2,500+ youth annually across five boroughs, 97% promoted next grade, 93% accepted into college) from the Idealist BBBS NYC profile and the GuideStar BBBS NYC page (13-5600383). Alicia Guevara as first woman CEO since June 10 2019, native New Yorker of Cuban heritage from the Bronx, Columbia University graduate, 2023 John Jay Award honoree, Columbia Business School executive education certificate, from the BBBS NYC News page interview and the Wikipedia BBBS NYC article and the Grokipedia BBBS NYC page. Past CEOs Allan Luks (1990-2008), Michael Corriero (2008-2010), Hector Batista (2010-2018 as first Latino CEO with Bigs in Blue launch and 2011 Executive Leadership Award, departed for City University of New York), from the Wikipedia and Grokipedia articles. Founded 1904 by Ernest Kent Coulter in New York City, centennial 2004, 1971 Big Brothers Association grows to 208 affiliates, 1977 merger with Big Sisters International forming BBBSA with 357 agencies, from the Wikipedia BBBS NYC timeline. BBBS NYC programs (community-based mentoring 8 hours per month for ages 7-17 in five boroughs with S.M.A.R.T. goals framework, Workplace Mentoring Program corporate engagement, affinity groups including Asian Mentoring Committee with May Ng as president, College and Career Success Program, Bigs in Blue NYPD partnership, virtual mentorship launched 2020 COVID) from the BBBS NYC About page (bigsnyc.org/about) and the Become a Big page. Chief Program and Innovation Officer Michael Coughlin reference. Signature events (Sidewalks of New York Dinner 40th annual, TCS New York City Half Marathon team for 2026 race, Gridiron Games at MetLife Stadium touch football tournament, Accountants and Bankers Reception, golf outing) from the BBBS NYC Events page (bigsnyc.org/bbbsnycevents). New American program for Asian immigrants and first generation Americans reference from BBBS NYC News page. We are not affiliated with Big Brothers Big Sisters of New York City and receive no compensation for this listing. Errors: [email protected]
More New York and donation resources