Nonprofit Westchester Receives $80,000 Grant to Advance Crucial Contracting Reforms

Elmsford, NY — July 13, 2026 -Nonprofit Westchester (NPW) announced today that it has received a two-year, $80,000 grant from The New York Community Trust to continue its leadership in advancing reforms to Westchester County government's contracting system with nonprofit organizations.

The grant, announced by the Trust's Westchester Advisory Board, will provide NPW with $40,000 each year to lead a coalition of nonprofit, government, business, and community stakeholders in researching and developing a roadmap to reform Westchester County's nonprofit contracting system. The coalition will identify and address contracting processes that have weakened nonprofit capacity, reduced organizational effectiveness, and created barriers to the timely and efficient delivery of services to county residents.

The New York Community Trust’s Westchester Cumulus Fund and Frank E. Wigg Charitable Fund contributed to the grant.

"Nonprofits partner with Westchester County government to deliver essential services that benefit residents of all ages, backgrounds, and income levels. We are grateful to The New York Community Trust and its partners for recognizing that an efficient, accountable contracting system is essential to strong communities and a healthy economy," said Jan Fisher, Executive Director of Nonprofit Westchester. “For too long, outdated contracting practices, delayed procurement, and inconsistent payments have undermined the operational infrastructure nonprofits need to recruit and retain staff, invest in technology and critical systems, provide fair and competitive compensation, and deliver the highest-quality services possible. This grant will enable us to build on our strong partnership with Westchester County to replace piecemeal improvements with data-driven reforms that will create a consistent, predictable, and streamlined countywide contracting system.”

Ron Abad, Chairman of NPW’s Board of Directors, said, "In a strong partnership with government, the nonprofit sector is at the forefront of providing direct services, like childcare, after school and youth programming, housing, medical, arts and culture, and senior living, to all Westchester County residents. We thank the New York Community Trust for this $80,000 grant for a two-year period to support a joint coalition of government and nonprofit leaders working together to strengthen the contracting system, ensuring that nonprofits have registered contracts and receive on time payments."

Anahaita N. Kotval, CEO of Lifting Up Westchester, and co-chair of the coalition, said, “We thank New York Community Trust for providing these resources to help us refine the ongoing discussions with our partners in County government on how to improve the contracting process. I look forward to working with Jeremy Kohomban and the other initiative partners to make real change.’’

Jeremy Kohomban, Ph.D., President and CEO of The Children's Village, added,

“Thank you to New York Community Trust for recognizing that nonprofits are essential partners in meeting the needs of Westchester residents, and they deserve a contracting system that is clear, reliable, and efficient. This work is rooted in values that should unite all of us; accountability, sound management, and effective service to the public. I look forward to working alongside our co-chair Anahaita Kotval and NPW to help advance reforms that better support these amazing nonprofits and the communities they serve.’’

Targeted Initiatives and Grant Requirements

Over the two-year grant period, Nonprofit Westchester will execute the following mandated activities:

• Establish a Leadership Coalition: Form a dedicated coalition of Westchester nonprofit leaders tasked with guiding and overseeing countywide contract reform efforts.
• Data Collection and Analysis: Gather and analyze data regarding current contracting processes, the operational impact of payment delays, and the true costs absorbed by providers, culminating in comprehensive case studies and a formal findings report.
• Develop Reform Recommendations: Present a data-informed package of contracting reform recommendations to government officials designed to streamline workflows while ensuring strict accountability.
• Formalize a Joint Working Group: Establish a structured, joint working group uniting nonprofit and government representatives to maintain sustained, collaborative progress.
• Track Long-Term Progress: Build clear, measurable indicators to continually track the ongoing effectiveness and implementation of the enacted reforms.

Background on the Contracting Reform Movement

Nonprofit Westchester has consistently stood at the forefront of the movement to remedy delayed government funding systems both on the county and state levels. The systemic nature of these funding delays was heavily highlighted in a joint report co-authored by Nonprofit Westchester, the Human Services Council, the New York Council of Nonprofits, the New York Legal Services Coalition, and Nonprofit New York. The findings revealed that 1 in 3 nonprofits with public contracts wait months—and sometimes over a year—for payment, leading to an estimated statewide debt exceeding $650 million owed to nonprofit vendors.

While this new grant focuses on driving local county-level contracting overhauls, NPW continues to champion parallel state-level legislative corrections. NPW recently applauded the New York State Legislature for passing a landmark package of contracting reform bills sponsored by Westchester’s State Senator Shelley Mayer and Assemblymember Amy Paulin. Those bills aim to establish clear agency timelines, expand access to bridge financing, and mandate upfront advance payments to stabilize the sector statewide.

About Nonprofit Westchester (NPW)

Nonprofit Westchester is the county’s only membership organization solely dedicated to advancing the needs and interests of Westchester’s nonprofit sector, the people and populations served, and the nonprofit workforce. With a membership of more than 380 organizations. NPW provides a unified voice for the sector through advocacy, professional development, and the promotion of cross-sector collaboration to build a more equitable and resilient Westchester.

About The New York Community Trust

The New York Community Trust is a prominent community foundation dedicated to improving the quality of life for New Yorkers. Through the generosity of its donors and the oversight of regional bodies like the Westchester Advisory Board, The Trust fosters impactful charitable giving and funds critical solutions to pressing community needs.