After hearing anecdotes about financial struggles among New York City nonprofits due to federal funding cuts, Brooklyn Org — a platform for local philanthropy and advocate for Brooklyn’s nonprofit community — conducted a survey to better understand the impact on local organizations.

The “Brooklyn Backs Brooklyn – Nonprofit Survey” collected online responses from 86 nonprofits across New York City, including 62 from Brooklyn, between Sept. 22 and Oct. 10, 2025. The survey aimed to assess the current funding landscape, operational challenges and community needs.

The findings offer a stark picture: many organizations are grappling with rising costs, federal funding cuts, overextended staff, and increased demand. The survey underscores the critical need for more government and philanthropic support for community-based organizations that know their neighborhoods and residents best.

According to the survey, 86% of nonprofits reported higher costs for providing services over the past 12 months, with more than half noting increases of 10% or more.

Sixty percent experienced cuts in government funding, including 42% who reported reductions of 20% or more. Nearly 41% saw declines in individual donations. More than half said they are concerned about their organization’s financial stability in 2026 and their ability to meet their mission next year.

The cuts also affect day-to-day operations. Forty-seven percent of nonprofits reduced non-personnel expenses, 36% implemented hiring freezes, and two-thirds reported a decline in staff morale. Still, 58% said they maintained service quality, and 53% expanded services despite limited resources.

At the same time, demand for nonprofit services is rising. Ninety percent of surveyed organizations reported increased need for support, including housing and utility assistance, food pantries, and after-school programs, as New Yorkers face soaring grocery, utility and rent costs.

Dr. Jocelynne Rainey, president and CEO of Brooklyn Org, told Brooklyn Paper the survey was conducted to understand how nonprofits are coping in what she called a “very chaotic and turbulent time.”

“We found out that it’s clear that nonprofits are facing a major squeeze,” Rainey said. “Affordability is not only hitting individual people, it’s hitting nonprofits.”

Rainey referenced the “Our People’s Pulse” survey, commissioned by Brooklyn Org in early 2025, which found that 61% of New Yorkers said it is increasingly difficult to meet basic needs such as housing, food, healthcare and education.

“Middle-class New Yorkers are really struggling around affordability. They might be able to afford food still, and get gas, but because of the increased cost, it’s making them a little more hesitant about giving and philanthropy, because they have to take care of their own family,” she said.

In response to growing funding needs, Brooklyn Org has committed to 25% more grants this year.

“We know that the need is going to be really deep,” Rainey said.”But we also know that philanthropy like ours cannot close the gap that the federal government is creating.”

She warned the crisis could worsen on Nov. 1, when nearly 1.8 million New Yorkers are expected to lose access to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) due to the government shutdown, raising concerns about hunger. Rainey emphasized that both nonprofit financial struggles and frozen SNAP benefits affect everyone.

“We have been in a relentless moment in New York City, starting with COVID, then George Floyd, and after George Floyd, the immigrant crisis, which brought more New Yorkers to the doors of the nonprofit,” Rainey said. “And now we have this. It’s going to be even worse, now that we have government employees who are unemployed, and we have SNAP benefits being cut as well.”

Robin Redmond, executive director of Flatbush Development Corporation (FDC), which provides housing support and eviction prevention, told Brooklyn Paper the survey helped her organization understand the challenges facing other nonprofits and prepare for increased service demand.

“Sometimes it’s nice to see that you’re not going through this alone, and to see other organizations are facing the same struggles and see what some of the other issues organizations have,” Redmond said.

She said higher unemployment, inflation, looming changes to medical coverage, and predatory landlord activity have increased demand for services that were already difficult to meet “on a good day.”

Redmond reported that the number of families seeking housing assistance has grown 25%, with 350–400 families living in Flatbush Gardens, one of Brooklyn’s largest housing developments, currently in housing court fighting eviction.

“What used to be 70 calls a month has now gone to 100 to 125,” she said. “Food insecurity and housing insecurity are so high right now with the families that we serve; it’s frightening.”

One survey participant, Mixteca, is a community-based organization in Sunset Park serving the Mexican and Latin American immigrant community through health, education and social and legal services.

Lorena Kourousias, Mixteca’s executive director, said the organization remains committed to its community.

“With public benefits shrinking and the political climate turning against immigrants, standing strong together is more important than ever. When we back Brooklyn, we back the immigrant families who keep this borough thriving,” Kourousias said.

Odyssey Head, 27, was arrested Monday in connection to the string of attacks – all targeting men – that began Saturday morning and ended more than 24 hours later, police said. 

Hundreds of Brooklynites and their four-legged friends gathered in Fort Greene Park this weekend for the annual “Great Pupkin” costume contest — one of the borough’s most beloved events.

Hosted by Fort Greene PUPS, the event drew imaginative canine costumes, from pop culture tributes to DIY masterpieces, proving once again that creativity and community thrive even on four paws.

Judges at this year’s installment included Council Member Crystal Hudson, podcaster Ashley Hamilton and Pamela Soberman of the Fort Greene Park Conservancy.

The contest has grown into one of Brooklyn’s most joyful fall traditions. Organizer Alana Davis of Fort Greene PUPS told Brooklyn Paper that the group once relied on posters and physical marketing to “get the word out,” but now mostly depends on word of mouth thanks to the event’s growing popularity.

Davis said the contest has become a staple on the neighborhood calendar, drawing both seasoned competitors and newcomers.

“It’s such a moment of joy and light in what is about to be the dark months of winter,” she said. “You don’t have to think about anything — you can just go watch cute dogs in costumes. It’s really creative, and it brings out super creative people in the area.”

This year’s first-place honor went to Rosie, a 15-year-old white Chihuahua whose costume transformed her into the viral “blueberry muffin dog” meme. Owner Natalie Ledbetter and her husband, Jonathan, created the illusion by turning Rosie into a tray of muffins with fake foam batter and blueberries.

Ledbetter told Brooklyn Paper this was their first time entering — and that winning was “bonkers and bizarre.”

“I’m just really happy to know that everyone has dumb humor like us,” she said.

Ledbetter and her husband have made it a tradition to adopt senior dogs.

“We typically adopt senior dogs and give them the best life until we have to say goodbye,” she explained.

The costume came together on a whim after the couple’s annual “fall foliage trip.” 

“We were driving back from the Berkshires and were like, ‘Let’s enter this year,’” she said. “We might as well do the meme that everyone sends us every five minutes.”

What started as a joke turned into a runaway win. Ledbetter recalled the judges telling her, “When we saw your costume, we knew you’d be the winners.” “And my husband and I are like, ‘Why though? This is dumb!’” she said.

Even after the big reveal, the couple couldn’t believe it.

“We were totally taken aback,” Ledbetter said. “It’s such a good story to tell, though.” 

Second place went to Dottie, a tiny dog dressed as a jewel thief pulling off a miniature Louvre heist. Owner Alexandra Olarnyk said the costume came together the night before.

“We wanted something funny and unique,” she explained. “We were thinking, ‘What if a tiny dog tried to rob the Louvre and reenact it?’”

The result was a hand-painted replica of the Paris museum’s pyramid and façade, built from foam board and acrylic paint. “I ran to the store after work, got all the materials — it was made within four to five hours,” she said.

The Judges’ Choice Award went to Beast, a black pug whose owners, Jessica Marx and her husband, turned their family into a movie theater concession stand.

“My husband was a bag of popcorn, I was a cup of spilling soda and Beast was the little popcorn that fell out of the bag,” Marx told Brooklyn Paper.

The couple — both art school graduates — take Halloween “very seriously.” Marx said planning began in August and described it as “like a sport.”

For Marx, the Pupkin is more than just costumes.

“It’s just a time to be silly and let your guard down,” she said. “There’s nothing more positive than seeing dogs dressed in silly costumes and their owners enjoying it.” 

From crocheted ramen bowls to “Dumb and Dumber” duos, this year’s Pupkin contest once again illustrated the heartbeat of Fort Greene.

“You can feel the joy in the air — and even people who just stumble upon it end up staying,” Davis said. “Everyone gets excited the morning of.”

Additional reporting by Erica Price