Nonprofit New York #WHY15 Statement in Response to Fiscal Year 2025 Adopted Budget
Nonprofit New York Members and Community,
On Friday, June 30, 2024, the New York City Council and Mayor Adams announced an agreement on a $112 billion budget for Fiscal Year 2025. This final version of the budget includes the restoration of hundreds of millions of dollars in cuts that the Adams Administration previously presented as necessary to help address the city’s $7 billion deficit. This monumental win is a testament to our collective advocacy efforts through the #WHY15 campaign.
As part of the #WHY15 campaign, Nonprofit New York celebrates a $58 million restoration to city libraries, allowing them to serve their communities on Sundays, and a number of cultural institutions were relieved to find themselves back at baseline budget levels. The restoration of vital community services like H.I.V. treatment programs, community composting, second shift parks maintenance and cleaning, arts programming, and summer youth programs provide momentary relief to some nonprofit organizations following the uncertainty, confusion, and challenges presented by the November and December proposed budget cuts. We are heartened to learn that this budget includes some funding to replace expiring federal stimulus support and capital funding for affordable housing development and preservation, but we all know there is so much more to do.
It is important to note that too many nonprofits and agencies did not see crucial funding restored. Some of these nonprofits will be forced to close their doors because their organizational needs were zeroed out of the recently approved budget. Nonprofits supporting the parks and open spaces – places that are crucial to public health and safety – are forced, once again, to confront the challenges created by a consistent lack of investment and funding.
This budget agreement – the largest in New York City history – reinforces #WHY15’s key point: an arbitrary, across-the-board 15% budget reduction with no transparency about decision-making and no consultation with the nonprofits doing the work that keeps our city going, is not the way to serve New Yorkers. The uncertainty and whiplash-like announcements around this budget negotiation process made it nearly impossible to plan and extremely hard for nonprofits to engage in their business – businesses that employ hundreds of thousands of New Yorkers; build vibrant, healthy, diverse communities; and support these communities as they make meaning, art, and change together.
The adopted budget did not cut the Mayor’s Office of Contract Services (MOCS). While we are glad additional barriers were not created, it is no secret that the city’s nonprofit contracting processes remain excessively complicated and extremely delayed. These concerns will be front and center as we move beyond the #WHY15 campaign to the work ahead.
Questions? Please contact Policy & Advocacy Coordinator, Thara Duclosel.
