Mahalo
Long Island City, NY

FRIENDS OF MATERIALS FOR THE ARTS INC

EIN 81-0551712
Arts, Culture & Heritage Community Arts & Public Programs
Mission

Friends of Materials for the Arts (FOMA) supports Materials for the Arts (MFTA) — New York City’s municipal creative reuse center — by funding and guiding education, outreach, and programmatic initiatives that expand access to free materials, arts education, and creative-reuse programming across the five boroughs.

IRS-recognized 501(c)(3) public charity Contributions are tax-deductible

About FRIENDS OF MATERIALS FOR THE ARTS INC

Friends of Materials for the Arts (FOMA) is the nonprofit partner of Materials for the Arts (MFTA), a program of the NYC Department of Cultural Affairs based in Long Island City, NY. EIN 81-0551712 is confirmed in public Form 990 filings and nonprofit databases and corresponds to the Friends of Materials for the Arts organization that supports MFTA’s Education Center, artist residencies, gallery programming, teacher professional development, and free field trips for students.

FOMA raises philanthropic support that supplements City funding for MFTA’s operations and enables expanded programming, longer warehouse hours for members, and education/outreach initiatives. The organization helps distribute salvaged supplies (on the order of over one million pounds annually) to thousands of registered member organizations including public schools, arts nonprofits, social-service groups, and city agencies.

In recent years FOMA has maintained an active fundraising and program support role — publishing annual reports, hosting and underwriting Education Center programs, and continuing public partnerships with corporations, foundations, and municipal agencies to sustain MFTA’s creative-reuse and environmental-impact work. Tara Sansone is listed as Executive Director of Friends of Materials for the Arts and the group continues to operate a public-facing website and donor channels.

Notable achievements

Large-scale material redistribution

Supports MFTA’s redistribution program that collects and provides over one million pounds of donated materials each year to NYC schools, nonprofits, and agencies, keeping large volumes of usable goods out of landfills.

Broad membership reach

Helps sustain a membership network of several thousand registered organizations across the five boroughs that access free supplies, online direct-donation listings, and scheduled warehouse shopping.

Education Center programming

Underwrites and expands MFTA’s Education Center offerings — including artist/ designer-in-residence programs, free student field trips, teacher professional development, workshops, and gallery exhibitions — reaching thousands of students and educators annually.

At a glance

Total assets
$1.2M
Annual revenue
$1.0M
Tax status
501(c)(3)Public charity
EIN
81-0551712
Location
Long Island City, NY
On Mahalo since
May 2026

Financial figures from the IRS Business Master File, the IRS’s registry of tax-exempt organizations.

Recognition

Official nonprofit partner to the City of New York’s Materials for the Arts program (NYC Department of Cultural Affairs), recognized for its role in supporting municipal creative-reuse and arts-education services.
Featured and supported by major foundations and corporate partners, and regularly noted in local and national media coverage for its sustainability and arts-education impact.
Listed in public nonprofit databases and charity directories with confirmed tax-exempt status (501(c)(3)) and annual Form 990 filings under EIN 81-0551712.

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