Long Island Nonprofits Struggle to Stay Afloat Amid Funding and Personnel Challenges

On Long Island, nonprofits are wrestling with challenges that threaten their very

survival. With dwindling donations and uncertain federal funding, organizations

dedicated to causes ranging from environmental stewardship to substance use

prevention are navigating a precarious landscape.

For Tom Vicale, vice president and director of communications at Coastal

Steward, the struggle is immediate and urgent. “We’re at a crisis moment here with the

Coastal Steward,” Vicale said. “It’s that perfect-storm-syndrome. Not enough money, not

enough people. It’s just very, very tough to stay afloat with those kinds of conditions.”

Founded to protect Long Island’s beaches and waterways in 2005, Coastal

Steward relies on volunteers for its beach cleanups and shellfish restoration efforts.

However, an aging board and the loss of key personnel have left the organization

stretched thin. Programs once robust, like marine ecology education, have been unused

for years due to lack of staff.

“We’ve got a bunch of compound microscopes sitting in the Marine

Environmental Stewardship Center down at Cedar Beach, and really, they’re just

dormant. We can’t use them. We can’t run the program. That’s one arm of the nonprofit

that really has no legs to it,” Vicale said. “Even if someone were to donate thousands of

dollars, the organization doesn’t have enough people to implement programs

effectively,” he added.

Funding challenges compound these personnel issues. “Last year we got a

company to give us $2,500 for a [beach] cleanup,” he said. “This year it was $750.

Donations have been diminishing over the years, while our costs keep going up. We

have a landing craft, we have insurance to cover the boat, the truck, the liability for the

board, and all of our events. Two-thirds to three-quarters of our operating expenses

goes to insurance and liability, and it's just getting prohibitive,” he said.

Vicale said the nonprofit is preparing for all contingencies, including a potential

merger with another organization or, in the worst case, dissolution within months.

Recently, the group reached out to Brookhaven government officials Councilman

Jonathan Kornreich and Councilwoman Jane Bonner to make them aware of the

situation and explore possible solutions.

These struggles are not unique to environmental nonprofits. Linda Oristano,

director of the AWARE Drug and Alcohol Community Coalition in Northport, said opioid

prevention and recovery programs are facing unprecedented pressure from federal

funding changes. “Ever since COVID, SAMHSA (the Substance Abuse and Mental Health

Services Administration) has given out a tremendous amount of funds,” she said. “Now

those funds have been rescinded, which totally impacts the addiction services that

aren’t reimbursed by insurance.”

Oristano also noted how difficult it is for local nonprofits like hers to find and

maintain sponsors. “It's even harder than it was before for us to find sponsors today

because we have so much competition now that all the grant funding has been cut.

Unfortunately, if you don't have somebody in your family or a friend that has issues with

mental health or substance misuse, they're not likely to donate to you,” she said.

The uncertainty that comes with dwindling federal support adds another layer of

stress.

The proposed FY 2026 budget initially sought sweeping cuts to SAMHSA

programs, as well as reductions to the CDC’s opioid overdose prevention initiatives.

While House and Senate proposals largely rejected the deepest cuts, nonprofits remain

on edge. Block grants, strategic prevention frameworks, and state opioid response

programs are vital lifelines for organizations that operate programs at no cost, such as

the Riverhead Community Awareness Program (CAP) and their substance-abuse

prevention initiatives. Executive Director Felicia Scocozza said her group is bracing for

potential disruptions.

“With the federal budget slated to start on Oct. 1, we still don't have confirmation

if our grants are continued,” Scocozza said. “Typically grants that we have from the

federal government run for five years – those five years aren’t complete yet, but we still

have not received notification as to whether they will be continuing, so there's a lot of

uncertainty and that’s really the issue right now.”

On a state level, New York cut over $300 million from public health programs,

including $40 million for addiction recovery and substance abuse treatment, according

to Oristano. Proposed federal budget cuts could further strain services, including

another potential $1 billion reduction to SAMHSA programs and possible Medicaid

reductions, which many agencies rely on for reimbursement.

Even nonprofits that may appear financially stable, like the Mt. Sinai Sailing

Association, face subtle challenges. Commodore Marianne Waterbury said the group

relies on membership dues—which were raised this year to cover increasing taxes—and

sponsorships to fund its programs, including their annual American Cancer Society

regatta, which has raised over $1 million for cancer research in its 44-year history.

“We don’t have paid employees,” she said. “It’s all volunteers. Sponsorships are

important, and we’d like more, but it’s been difficult.” While MSSA has a consistent

donor base, like Northwell’s Mather Memorial Hospital (which donates $1,000 to the

group each year), Waterbury acknowledged that recruiting younger volunteers is an

ongoing challenge—a difficulty shared by many local nonprofits across Long Island, like

the Coastal Steward.

The picture for non-profits in Long Island is a patchwork of dedication and strain.

Organizations like the Coastal Steward face existential threats—others like AWARE

must balance growing community needs against shrinking funding, and prevention-

focused nonprofits like Riverhead CAP contend with uncertainty over grants and sponsorships.

Vicale, reflecting on the Coastal Steward’s challenges, said, “We could have

somebody give us $25,000, but if we don’t have a board to operate, it doesn’t help. It’s a

double-edged sword. You need both funding and personnel to keep going.”

The stakes often extend beyond organizational survival; the services these

nonprofits provide are vital to community health and the environment. Oristano

highlighted the real-world impact of losing support. “Mental illness and substance

misuse are more prevalent than ever,” she said, “so we need to have these services.”

Despite the challenges, the organizations continue to find ways to adapt. AWARE

organizes fundraising events, like their upcoming Color Dash Festival, to engage

families and youth, and Riverhead CAP maintains prevention programs at no cost, with

hopes federal support will stabilize.