Dafny J. Irizarry, president of Long Island Latino Teachers Association,...

Dafny J. Irizarry, president of Long Island Latino Teachers Association, is pushing the Suffolk County Legislature to restore funds needed for youth programming. Credit: Newsday/Steve Pfost

Leaders of six nonprofits that provide youth services across Suffolk County say they will be forced to cancel critical programming unless legislators restore funding cut from the 2025 budget.

Legislation to restore the funding — totaling $107,734 — failed to get out of a committee last week, leaving the fate of the grant money unclear to nonprofit leaders.

The defunded services centered on career training and mentorship programs largely focused in minority communities. Some of those programs may be offered to fewer students or be canceled, the nonprofit leaders say.

They also say they received no notice of the funding cut or guidance of how their programming could be modified to qualify for the grants.

    “It has bad optics,” said Marc Soto, executive director of Liga De Justicia Foundation, the Brentwood-based nonprofit that lost $15,240 in funding. “Number one, because it’s the families in our county that are most in need that we’re serving. Number two, because it’s the agencies that are the most proficient, efficient and effective.”

    Soto said in an interview with Newsday the funding cut represents around 10% of its annual budget. He said the funding typically goes toward three programs: a summer program, an after-school program and a youth conference. He said the summer program could have fewer students this year or be canceled.

    Last fall, when nonprofit leaders first raised concerns, county officials said the grant funding from the Youth Bureau Department, which doles out the money, had been redirected.

    Sylvia Diaz, the deputy county executive for Health, Human Services and Education, told legislators at a budget meeting last fall at the time the department under the new administration of Edward P. Romaine was focusing “on high impact programming that will impact our young people in meaningful ways.”

    Diaz had cited services that address the mental health crisis as one area of growing need.

    "The youth mental health crisis is enormous and impacting those same children who would participate in these conferences are going to these conferences and to their schools hungry," she said at the time.

    County officials declined to comment this week on the pending bill sponsored by Legis. Jason Richberg (D-West Babylon), the minority leader, and cosponsored by Legis. Catherine Stark (R-Riverhead).

    “It seems to me arbitrary and capricious,” said Dafny Irizarry, president of the Long Island Latino Teachers Association, which lost $22,385.

    Irizarry said in an interview the grant funding supports college career conferences the organization hosts called Women Leaders Paving Paths for Young Women and Men Leaders Paving Paths for Young Men.

    The grants are provided via reimbursement, so the nonprofits must front the cost. Irizarry said her organization hosted its first conference last month and the next is scheduled March 13. Without the county funding, she said she’ll likely cancel two conferences scheduled at the end of the year on the East End.

    “It doesn’t make sense to me that you will deprive 800 students in your county of an opportunity to help them, inspire them to graduate from high school,” she said.

    Legis. Steven Flotteron (R-Brightwaters), the deputy presiding officer who chairs the budget committee, said in an interview the county had to evaluate whether each organization had been meeting the obligations of its contract.

    “We have hundreds of organizations,” he said. “It was just a handful [impacted]."

    Agencies contracting with the Youth Bureau can provide a wide range of services, from preventing youth violence, antibias programs, athletic activities, leadership development and support for LGBTQ, physically and emotionally challenged kids, among other programming. Last year, the agency oversaw more than 158 community-based youth programs reaching more than 450,000 kids, according to the department's 2025 budget summary.

    Tijuana Fulford founded the Butterfly Effect Project in Riverhead with a goal of empowering young girls. Fulford, the executive director, said the funding cuts will impact the nonprofit's six-week job readiness program, where students learn about resume writing, workplace expectations and how to interview. 

    "The reduction of resources for programs that directly uplift our youth and community is both discouraging and harmful," she told legislators.

    Richberg said in an interview with Newsday the groups “do good work in our communities.”

    He said in an interview some legislators had questions on the resolution, but he had not heard what those questions were.

    “I think it’s important that we fund these agencies, especially since they’re doing valuable youth mentorship and engagement work that’s needed to be done in all of our communities,” he said.

    Richberg said he hopes any outstanding questions from fellow legislators can be answered before the next committee meeting in April and "we get these agencies funded."

    Funding cuts

    The Suffolk County Legislature pulled back funding on the following nonprofits this year: 

    • The Butterfly Effect Project: 2024: $15,571 | 2025: $5,462
    • Long Island Latino Teachers Association: 2024: $27,385 | 2025: $5,000
    • Liga De Justicia Foundation: 2024: $15,240 | 2025: $0
    • Sepa Mujer, Inc. — youth program: 2024: $10,000 | 2025: $0
    • Minority Millennials, Inc. — youth program: 2024: $20,000 | 2025: $0
    • Long Island Breakthrough Center Community Development Corp.: 2024: $30,000 | 2025: $0
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