New York Restoration Project
New York, New York, United States · Nonprofit · Local · since 1995
NYC nonprofit founded by Bette Midler that plants trees and builds gardens in underserved neighborhoods
About
New York Restoration Project (NYRP) is a New York City nonprofit founded in 1995 by Bette Midler to restore neglected parks and create green space in underserved neighborhoods. It stewards more than 80 acres of parkland in Northern Manhattan, owns and operates more than 50 community gardens, and plants and distributes thousands of trees a year through free tree giveaways, which it has run since 2008. NYRP was the nonprofit partner in MillionTreesNYC and reports planting more than 200,000 trees since its founding.
What they run
Free tree giveaway events for residents in all five boroughs.
Plants blight-resistant hybrid American chestnuts in Highbridge Park with NYC Parks and the American Chestnut Foundation; launched the 1,000 Chestnut Challenge in 2025.
Stewards more than 80 acres of parkland including Highbridge and Sherman Creek Parks.
Trees by type of work
| Activity | Trees | Years |
|---|---|---|
| 🎁 Tree adoption & giveaways | 75,000 | 2024 |
Only figures attached to a named program count here. Organization-wide totals sit in the table below.
The numbers
| Metric | Year | Value | Program | Confidence | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Trees planted | 2024 | 4,500 | Organization-wide | Self-reported | source2024 Annual Report: '4,500 trees were planted and distributed, 22 free tree giveaway events were hosted' |
| Trees planted | 2025 | 4,649 | Organization-wide | Self-reported | source2025 Annual Report, 'Our 2025 Impact': 'Planted and distributed 4,649 trees' |
| Trees plantedto date | 2025 | 200,000 | Organization-wide | Self-reported | source2025 Annual Report, ED letter: 'Since our founding, NYRP has planted more than 200,000 trees' |
| Volunteers engaged | 2025 | 1,200 | Organization-wide | Self-reported | source2025 Annual Report: 'Welcomed 1,200+ volunteers' |
| Trees distributedto date | 2024 | 75,000 | Free tree giveaways | Self-reported | source2024 Annual Report: 'giving away more than 75,000 free trees citywide since 2008' |
Upcoming events
None listed here right now. Send us their calendar feed.