Since 1978, Materials for the Arts (MFTA) has provided thousands of New York City's arts and cultural organizations, public schools and community arts programs with the supplies they need to run and expand their programs.
Materials are gathered from companies and individuals that no longer need them and redistributed to the artists and educators that do. In the process, hundreds of tons are removed from the waste stream every year and kept out of landfills, helping to sustain our environment and promote reuse and waste reduction.
Starting as a one person operation with a desk and a phone, MFTA has grown into a program with thirteen staff members, two trucks, and a 35,000 square foot facility in Long Island City. It has formed a unique partnership among New York City’s Departments of Cultural Affairs, Education and Sanitation, meeting the needs and missions of each partner: promoting reuse and recycling, educating thousands of New Yorkers in the arts and reuse and sustaining non-profit arts organizations throughout the City. New York City residents and the local environment are ultimately the beneficiaries of MFTA’s efforts.
From a used refrigerator to 757 tons of materials valued at over $5,334,000 in 2005, Materials for the Arts continues to grow and provide essential materials to those in need.

http://www.mfta.org/