Dear Nonprofit New York Community,
Nonprofit New York today announced the appointment of Jacqueline M. Ebanks as its permanent President and CEO. Ebanks, who has served as Interim CEO since November 2024, will lead the organization at a time when federal funding cuts and rising operational challenges pose serious risks to New York’s nonprofit infrastructure.
Ebanks assumes the role as New York’s nonprofits brace for the fallout from federal proposals to slash funding to critical social, health, and education programs. Nonprofit New York, a membership association engaging more than 3,000 organizations across the region, has been at the forefront of advocacy, most recently through its #WHY15 campaign, which helped restore hundreds of millions of dollars in threatened city funding. During her interim tenure, Ebanks not only sustained this advocacy but expanded the organization’s impact, launching new, peer-driven Learning Circles to strengthen nonprofits and convening the Safeguarding New York City’s Nonprofit Sector forum, which produced a widely used action framework for navigating political and operational threats.
“Nonprofits are the backbone of care, creativity, and justice in this city. Right now, the sector is confronting a generational crisis,” said President and CEO Jacqueline Ebanks. “As funding disappears and need grows, we cannot afford to be silent or sidelined. Nonprofit New York is here to organize, to advocate, and to build the collective strength this moment demands. I’m proud to lead that charge.”
Ebanks previously served as Executive Director of the NYC Commission on Gender Equity under two mayoral administrations, as well as in leadership roles at United Way of New York City, the New York Women’s Foundation, Women’s City Club of New York (now known as Women Creating Change), and Citigroup. She brings a deep understanding of cross-sector partnerships and capacity building to the role.
“Jacqui is the leader we need for this moment – she is principled, experienced, smart, strategic and tough. She brings her experience, her vision, her relationships and her deep understanding of non-profit organizations to the work,” said Lisa Pilar Cowan, Chair of Nonprofit New York’s Board of Directors. “Jacqui took the job as interim CEO just weeks after the Presidential election and steered the organization through an unprecedented attack on non-profit organizations and the communities we serve. She has helped to refine our programs to meet the moment, and has secured the resources to get us there. Her nimble combination of steering us through a moment of danger and planting the seeds for the future has been remarkable and inspiring.”
With Ebanks at the helm, Nonprofit New York is poised to deepen its role as the sector’s leading voice for policy change, equity, and organizational resilience. Her appointment signals a renewed commitment to mobilizing the full power of New York’s nonprofits in the face of mounting fiscal and political pressure.
Looking ahead, Nonprofit New York will host its 2025 Annual Conference on November 12, bringing together about 1,000 nonprofit professionals for the city’s premier convening of sector leaders, practitioners, and advocates. This year’s theme, Onward … Together, reflects the collective resilience of a sector navigating unprecedented challenges—and the power of connection to chart what’s next. The full-day, in-person gathering will feature timely discussions, practical resources, and opportunities to recharge among peers who understand the urgency and complexity of nonprofit work.
