Kathy
Del Beccaro
Urban planner, researcher, and consultant committed to preserving small business economies and cultural spaces.
I've worked with many kinds of public, non-profit, and philanthropic clients to perform place-based research and engage immigrant and low-income communities in the planning of new initiatives, policies, and community anchor projects. My projects occur at the ecosystem-level and prioritize racial equity planning and strategies for community wealth building.
In 2023, while I was consulting for Rockaway Film Festival to identify a new venue and build organizational capacity, we came across a rare opportunity to convene many small businesses and non-profits around the redevelopment of a civic asset into a large-scale, multi-sector community hub and resilience center. In 2024 until 2026, I served as RFF’s first full-time Managing Director to lead that project's strategy development, build our new non-profit infrastructure, and run the operations of our existing venues and programs.
I have given guest lectures on equitable community engagement and urban planning practices at the Yale School of Management Inclusive Economic Development Lab and on cooperative models for small food businesses at the Flatbush Central Small Business Academy. I served on funding panels for the NYC Department of Cultural Affairs in 2025 and 2026.
My belief in better models for economies, cities, and communities stems from my supreme faith in small players. Small businesses and their workers bring value to my life every day, and I’m dedicated to doing what I can to help them preserve autonomy while building collective power.