The situation is similar at Queens Community House. “I think that we’ll see bigger cuts—I think they’re putting it off. I think we’re going to lose some services across the board,” said executive director Irma Rodriguez. “If we’re not successful in raising unrestricted money, we’ll definitely be cutting programs. There is no fat left.”
But Janet Weinberg at Gay Men’s Health Crisis is ready to fight for the organization’s funding. “Our representatives will be hearing from me,” she said. “We’re planning on visitations to elected officials for that very purpose.”
What will New York City’s nonprofit sector look like following the recovery—if and when it comes?
There are, of course, some dire predictions.
“Something really serious needs to change right away, or we’re going to see half of the [city’s] small arts organizations die in the next twenty-four months or less,” said Kevin Cunningham, executive artistic director of 3-Legged Dog, a nonprofit theater group in lower Manhattan. “If we don’t want New York City to turn into a northeastern version of Houston, Texas, we need to take some kind of action.”
Others offer a more nuanced take.
“There will be fewer independent organizations, but I think there will be more networked organizations,” Community Resource Exchange’s Fran Barrett notes. “I think we will find some way to share back office and infrastructure, and much of that will be solved by the for-profit sector offering solutions.”
“I do think we’ll look different on the other side,” Giantris adds. “We’ll see some consolidation. We’ll see organizations redefine their programmatic objectives and organization structures, but the sector is not going anywhere.”
But Dr. Elizabeth Boris, director of the Urban Institute’s Center on Nonprofits and Philanthropy in Washington, sees the crisis itself—not the prospect of recovery—as the true opportunity.
“If the services nonprofits are providing are vital, then they have to be treated as vital and prioritized,” she says. “I don’t think the case has been made as to the cost of this hand-to-mouth approach, but this recession might do it. Maybe we can come to a more rational system…to make sure these services are on a more robust and sustainable economic platform.”
“Is this,” Dr. Boris asks, “the way we want to provide the safety net and essential community services?”
