State Attorney General Letitia James is responding to the Trump administration’s chain of nonprofit funding cuts while her office launches support services for mission-driven organizations, amNewYork learned on Sunday.
James touted an array of resources now available for New York nonprofit leaders whose budgets have been slashed or are facing potential cuts from the federal government. Many of the charities that have been impacted include food pantries and services for migrants and New Yorkers throughout the Empire State.
The attorney general’s Charities Bureau will go into detail about the services available for statewide nonprofit organizations during a webinar on April 28.
The online event will focus on the legal challenges presented by recent changes in the federal government and provide guidance to help charitable organizations continue to offer their services to clients.
“The Trump administration’s threats against nonprofit organizations have had a chilling effect throughout New York and nationwide,” James said. “We are already seeing the real impact of these harmful policies. Even local food pantries are struggling to provide families with food and aid as they scramble to find ways to fill the gaps left by the administration’s funding cuts.”
Funding freeze will affect ‘thousands of lives’
A particular Brooklyn food pantry knows all too well how funding cuts could impact its services.
Workers at the Campaign Against Hunger said the organization was left in a bind after the Trump Administration on April 1 cancelled $1.3 million in federal emergency grants to the Bedford-Stuyvesant nonprofit, which helps over 1.5 million New Yorkers—many of them migrants—struggling with food insecurity each year.
“This funding was designated to feed families fleeing unimaginable hardship,” the organization’s website states. “Without an immediate resolution, thousands will face hunger, instability, and deepened vulnerability. This abrupt and unjustified funding freeze places our mission in jeopardy, affecting thousands of lives who depend on us for daily nourishment.”
In addition to food pantries, other kinds of nonprofits might soon face an uphill battle in terms of funding, too, according to the attorney general. Multiple media reports say the Trump administration is preparing executive orders that could take away tax-exempt status for environmental nonprofits.
According to Bloomberg, the move comes after scrutiny from Republicans in Congress who have accused some green groups and other organizations of having ties to foreign governments and taking funding from China.
Meanwhile, a congressional oversight hearing on “examining the influence of extreme environmental activist groups in the Department of Interior” will be held in Washington on April 30.
Back in New York, the attorney general encourages nonprofit organizations statewide to register for her online event at ag.ny.gov/ag-nonprofit-webinar.
“My office is fighting back against these reckless cuts in court, and we are committed to ensuring nonprofits receive the funding necessary to protect the New Yorkers they serve,” James said.
