Nonprofits in Jeopardy of Losing Funding in Mid-Year Budget Cuts

From Nonprofit Westchester:

White Plains, NY – Nonprofit Westchester is calling upon Westchester County government leaders to come up with long term solutions to shortfalls in revenue now that officials have signaled that crucial funding promised earlier in the year may not materialize.

NPW’s announcement followed yesterday’s committee meeting of the County Board of Legislators at which the budget director suggested that funding to non-profit agencies be used to close a $17.6 million budget deficit.

“A mid-year funding cut to nonprofits is unthinkable. It is crucial that our county’s leaders keep the promises made during the budget negotiations only six months ago. We ask now that they find a long-term, sustainable and viable solution to these revenue challenges in order to support the vital services that community residents at every level of the economic and social spectrum depend upon,’’ said Joanna Straub, Executive Director of Nonprofit Westchester. “

In December, the County Board of Legislators approved a $1.8 billion budget that restored proposed cuts of up to 20 percent to agencies including the 130 represented by Nonprofit Westchester. These agencies provide a wide array of services to all spectrums of the community including vital services like childcare, housing and senior services.

Straub said that these services are vital to the health and welfare of the entire community and their loss would have a negative impact on economic development and Westchester’s quality of life. Cuts in the budget should not be borne by the most vulnerable citizens who are dependent on vital services including childcare, housing and senior services, she said.

“Clearly, there is not enough revenue. There needs to be a new approach where responsible leadership ensures that adequate resources are secured to provide for the financial health and overall wellbeing of the community,” said Straub.

Nonprofit Westchester

Nonprofit Westchester (NPW) provides the nonprofit sector with a single unified voice for the role it plays in the economic vitality and sustainability of the county, focusing on sharing resources, connections, and information to strengthen Westchester in partnership with the for-profit and government sectors. The organization represents 138 501(c)(3) nonprofit organizations in the county under a cooperative mission to strengthen the impact, capacity and visibility of the nonprofit sector for a more just and caring community. In 2014, NPW released a study done in collaboration with Johns Hopkins Center for Civil Society Studies called “Westchester County Nonprofits: A Major Economic Engine,” which concluded that nonprofits are a multi-billion dollar industry and make up the largest employment sector in Westchester County. NPW is grateful for the support of its sponsors, including Andrus, O'Connor Davies, KeyBank, Rollins Insurance and TD Bank.