At the start of the new year, Christine Siller, executive director of the Friends of Rye Nature Center, found herself doing something no nonprofit leader wants to do — pausing a long-planned project midstream.
A sudden freeze on disbursements from the federal government brought everything to a halt for a nearly $285,000 grant for design and permitting work.
“There wasn’t much communication at first,” Siller said of the budget for the environmental restoration project. “We were just left wondering, are we going to be reimbursed at all?”
Eventually, funding resumed but new hurdles emerged. Future federal grants now require a 50 percent local match — double what was required before. For a planned $900,000 construction phase, “that changes everything, especially for the construction phase,” Siller said. “We’re talking about a $900,000 build. It’s a heavy lift, but we’re committed to seeing it through.”
Siller’s experience isn’t isolated. Across Rye, nonprofit leaders are weighing how the federal government’s slashing of grants and support for nonprofits might affect their budgets, programs, and long-term planning.
The Rye Arts Center receives partial federal funding through the New York State Council on the Arts and ArtsWestchester, both of which are supported by the National Endowment for the Arts. Arts center Executive Director Adam Levi, who also serves on the board of ArtsWestchester, said the impact of federal cuts already can be felt.
“It’s a very frightening time,” Levi said. “Every day, I get emails from arts organizations talking about funding being stripped — especially NEA support, which is disappearing fast.”
While the arts center has yet to pause or cancel programming, Levi said, the organization is preparing for reduced grant availability by intensifying donor outreach and pursuing new foundation support.
“We’re definitely reliant on federal funding to a degree in our budget,” he said, adding that the center is “tripling down on donor conversations and foundations…. It’s going to affect every nonprofit, especially the arts organizations. If art centers and museums die, we’re in trouble.”
Levi’s concerns mirror those of many others nationwide. According to a recent survey by the Center for Effective Philanthropy, 85 percent of nonprofit leaders say the current political climate is already negatively affecting their work. Another 94 percent expect it to affect their organizations in the future. Even with that in mind, Levi’s focus remains squarely on Rye.
“We’re preparing now, before it’s too late,” he said.
Public libraries, while not always top of mind in funding debates, are also affected. Chris Shoemaker, director of The Rye Free Reading Room, said that although the library doesn’t directly receive federal dollars, it benefits significantly through state partnerships supported by the federal government.
“The New York State Library relies on $8.1 million in federal funding from the Institute of Museum and Library Services, and that support trickles down to the 7,000 libraries and 72 library systems across the state,” Shoemaker said.
For Rye, that funding has meant access to the New York Electronic Virtual Library, which brings research databases directly to residents; summer reading initiatives that help prevent learning loss; and workforce development, adult literacy, and outreach programs run in partnership with the Westchester Library System. While no local programs have been cut, Shoemaker said, those services are only possible because of continued federal support, making the Rye library’s programming vulnerable to future reductions at the state or national level.
“Federal funding helps ensure that libraries can continue meeting the evolving needs of their communities,” he said.
For some local nonprofits, though, the concern isn’t about shrinking government support — it’s about operating in an environment where more nonprofit organizations are vying for the same private funding .
Wainwright House, the nonprofit on Milton Harbor, for example, receives no federal, state or municipal funding — it follows a self-funded nonprofit model.
“We’re 100 percent funded by memberships, donations, and events like weddings,” said Lexy DeVane-Tomaino, a longtime board member. “We have to make what it takes to sustain ourselves each year.”
Without an endowment, the organization is working to diversify revenue through civics-based school programs and potential historic- site designation. DeVane-Tomaino said rising costs from inflation, including increased expenses associated with insurance, landscaping, and general upkeep, are looming.
“People assume all nonprofits are getting government support,” DeVane-Tomaino said. “That’s not the case. It’s a hustle every year.”
While Wainwright works to expand its revenue streams, other organizations operating without government support have, so far, remained more insulated. For the Friends of Read Wildlife Sanctuary, funding uncertainty hasn’t posed a problem — at least not yet. “We are 100 percent funded by membership fees and donations, and fortunately in solid financial standing,” said President Jana Seitz.
Still, local improvement projects dependent on government funds must pivot quickly when those funds fall through. During the Annual Community Conversation on May 31 at the Rye Town Park, Town Supervisor and Park Commission President Gary Zuckerman described the impact of a key source of federal funding vanishing at the last minute.
“We applied for Congressionally directed spending, which comes straight from Congress,” he said. “We were on Senator Schumer’s and Senator Gillibrand’s list … one vote away from getting funded.”
The vote never came. “They passed the continuing resolution that cut out all Congressionally directed spending,” Zuckerman explained. “So we have reapplied.”
Zuckerman and the Park Commission continue to explore other avenues to assist with funding needs for large- and small-scale capital projects. “Every project we’re attempting [has] more than one funding source, if possible, knowing that we may get one and not get another,” he said.
In addition to federal requests, the Park Commission has pending applications for two state grants — the Green Infrastructure Program and the Green Resiliency Grant Program — to support both the parking lot renovation and a storm water mitigation project.
“It’s like juggling a lot of balls at one time,” Zuckerman said. “Hopefully, only a few fall.”
Nevertheless, nationwide and in Rye, the nonprofit sector’s resilience is being tested. Organizations adjust in real time — reworking budgets, revising funding strategies, and leaning heavily on community support. With federal dollars less certain and economic instability on the rise, the question isn’t what will be funded, but which organizations will be strong enough to move forward without it.
