PresenTense is laying its organizational roots in the U.S. Having recently established an office in the Jewish Center on West 86th Street, they are looking forward to finally having an open space for its employees and community in the States.

“We have an amazing facility in Jerusalem – a place where our community can gather and exchange ideas, our Fellows can stop-in or host events, and our employees can work in a creative environment,” says Shelby Zitelman, PT’s Venture Resources Coordinator. “We want our NY Hub to have that same feel.”

The NY Hub is also the base for PresenTense staff in the U.S., and where the NYC Community Entrepreneur Partnership programs and training will take place.

Shelby continues, “Our goal is to aesthetically create an open, welcoming and creative space that reflects PresenTense’s image.” Naomi Fein, our Assistant Director of North American Operations, did a phenomenal job identifying the right furniture and lay-out, and now we are focused on the decorating. (Hint to any artists or designers in the NY area, Naomi and Shelby would love to discuss PT’s decorating needs!)

The Hub is equipped with a conference room, printer/copier, desks, wi-fi, a community library and lounge area for PresenTense Community Members who need a place to work when they are in the City.

Coinciding with the opening of the New York office, PresenTense has recently received approval for 501(c)3 status (they previously functioned under the fiscal sponsorship of the American Zionist Movement). In addition to the actual moving, the group had to set themselves up as a new New York/US organization, register to do business in the different states they work in, officially hire staff, find a payroll company, develop employee policies and write a handbook, set up a bank account and apply for credit cards, set up an independent accounting system, establish by-laws, a board of directors and much more. In short, the same steps any new corporate venture would need to undertake. This experience was the real deal of becoming a nonprofit in the U.S.. Though this project has taken a lot of time, effort, and attention to detail, it really has been a great lesson for the entire PresenTense team.

For more on their New York plans, check out PresenTense: NYC.