01 Who we are
An independent nonprofit, not a City office.
Korea Desk is a program of KCED Foundation Inc., an independent New Jersey nonprofit recognized as a public charity under Section 501(c)(3). The Foundation carries the cost.
02
The organization
- Legal name
- KCED Foundation Inc.
- Federal status
- 501(c)(3) public charity. IRS determination effective June 30, 2026.
- EIN
- 42-3500250
- Principal office
- 2029 Lemoine Avenue, Suite 202, Fort Lee, New Jersey 07024
- Program
- Korea Desk — a program of KCED Foundation Inc.
- Pilot term
- October 1, 2026 through September 30, 2027
- Service area
- Jersey City and Hudson County. The Foundation also serves Bergen County.
- Developed with
- Hudson County Chamber of Commerce
03
The people at the table
- Sylvia Kim — Founder, President and Executive Director
- Program design, case judgment, and the Foundation's relationships with agencies. Publisher of KORISE/Mom&I. Chair of the Korean Chapter of the Hudson County Chamber of Commerce. Twenty-six years of community publishing in this region, across 302 published issues.
- Matthew Kim — Director of Operations
- Intake, scheduling, case follow-up, and coordination with City departments. Bilingual in Korean and English. From 2011 to 2024, set up businesses end to end for clients in New York — identity, signage, print, interior build-out, and vendor management.
04
Our standards
These are stated to every owner at intake and observed without exception.
- Free, always. No fees from any business owner, for any service.
- No legal, tax, or immigration advice. Each is referred to a qualified professional.
- No handling of funds on a client's behalf.
- No steering. Where a bank, contractor, attorney, accountant, or designer is required, the owner is given at least three options and chooses. Any staff member with a business interest in a referral category recuses from the matter.
- Nothing accepted in return for a referral. From anyone, in any form.
05
What we report, and what we never report
The Foundation reports quarterly to its partners: businesses served, languages used, applications completed, referrals made, and matters closed.
Reporting is in aggregate only. No information identifying an individual business or owner is disclosed to any partner, agency, or funder. The measure of this pilot is not how many owners the Desk sees — it is how many reach City and agency services who otherwise would not have.