Donate to an East End Not-for-Profit at Tax Time
Still haven’t done your taxes? These local not-for-profits help our community while also helping your wallet with tax deductible donations. All of these organizations have 501(c)(3) status, and focus on various causes and needs on the East End. This is the time to consider putting your money back into the community and helping your neighbors in need.
This list is not comprehensive, but rather a selection of quality organizations with 501(c)(3) status. There are many more worthy orgs on the East End, so find the right one for you and keep our community going in good times and bad.
Animal Advocacy
North Shore Horse Rescue
Dedicated to helping the horse population of Long Island, this organization rescues and cares for unwanted horses that have been neglected, abused, abandoned or are at risk of going to slaughter. They also help find each horse an adoptive family, and are willing to care for horses permanently if they can’t find a proper home. Visit northshorehorserescue.com for more info.
Southampton Animal Shelter Foundation
One of the leading animal shelters on Long Island, the Southampton Animal Shelter helps reduce the number of homeless pets in the community, as well as offering a lot of supportive programs, such as their Veterinary Mobile Clinic, which offers inexpensive spaying and neutering to low-income pet-owners, as well as puppy mill rescues in partnership with No More Tears Rescue. They’re in need of more modern equipment and a larger facility—so if you have a soft spot for animals, visit southamptonanimalshelter.com.
Arts
Bay Street Theater
This theater and cultural hub in Sag Harbor offers some of the East End’s finest live theater during their Mainstage Season, but Bay Street also holds numerous educational and community services, such as kids’ theater programs and camps, master classes, Literature Live! and more. Bay Street Theater & Sag Harbor Center for the Arts serves as a year-round community center for many other non-profit organizations, including some listed here. Visit baystreet.org.
East End Arts
Enriching the community through art and education, this organization offers a wide variety of public events and programs, many free of charge, that not only help the diverse art communities of the East End come together, but also help keep the community in touch with art. Helping thousands of artists each year with career development and hundreds of aspiring artists with educational and private programs, East End Arts accepts donations at eastendarts.org.
Guild Hall
One of the East End’s finest art and theater venues, Guild Hall in East Hampton provides cultural arts and educational programming to the community in a long list of ways. Members shows, school arts festivals, top-tier theater and major art exhibitions have made this an essential part of the local cultural fabric. Visit guildhall.org to donate.
Parrish Art Museum
With a sizable roster of exhibitions, collections and programs, this organization offers a substantial service to museum-goers, especially with its community-centered Platform project, which aims at finding innovative ways for patrons to experience art in an attempt to make art more engaging. The Parrish Art Museum relies heavily on donations and support from members. Visit parrishart.org for more info.
Westhampton Beach Performing Arts Center
A premier venue for music and theater on the South Fork, WHBPAC continually brings in some of the biggest and most interesting names in show biz. But that’s not all. This organization is more than a venue—it’s a place for children’s education, workshops, gatherings and the proliferation of culture on the East End. They are also a driving force behind Westhampton’s revitalized, family-oriented Main Street, increased area property values and a strong local economy, but donations keep the lights on. Visit whbpac.org.
Community
Riverhead “Making Towns a Success” Inc.
A small not-for-profit with an impressive track record, RMTAS is an organization whose purpose is to serve the town of Riverhead through advocacy of various projects that help both people and animals in need. They rely entirely on volunteers and donations, ensuring that all funds go to their respective cause. For more info, visit rmtas.org.
Project MOST
This unique organization focuses on after school programming, providing the children of East Hampton with the opportunity to access educational services when the school day ends. Project MOST serves more than 400 children every day after school, along with their Spring Seedlings program, which uses a greenhouse to teach gardening and sustainability. With current donations, parents pay half of what each program costs when enrolling their child. Visit projectmost.com for donations and info.
WPPB 88.3 FM
Long Island’s only NPR station, WPPB radio has become an invaluable source of news and entertainment for many East End locals and visitors. A pledge to this station helps them continue to provide local and NPR programming, such as NPR’s Morning Edition and the localized Long Island Morning Edition, Bonnie Grice in the Morning—and her Media Mavens local news talk show, jazz music, PBS News Hour, Marketplace and more. Visit peconicpublicbroadcasting.org.
Environment
Concerned Citizens of Montauk
A major supporter of the eastern Long Island environment since 1970, CCOM has preserved thousands of acres of park land, protected Montauk from off-shore oil drilling, saved the water quality of Lake Montauk and Fort Pond, as well as boasting a multitude of other achievements that have helped the East End retain much of its natural beauty. Visit preservemontauk.org.
Group for the East End
With a broader focus, this organization promotes advocacy, education and conservation regarding environmental endeavors all over the East End. After protecting land, preserving clean drinking water and stopping overdevelopment in the past, GEE’s dedication to the Island makes for a safe choice when looking for a donation-worthy not-for-profit. Visit groupfortheeastend.org for more info.
Health
East End Hospice
An organization that provides short-term hospital stays and compassionate care for terminally ill people and their families in the Hamptons and surrounding towns, East End Hospice provides a crucial service to the community, especially in times of personal crisis. This organization does not deny care to those who are unable to pay, and uses the help of volunteers to keep funds focused on the patients. For more information, visit eeh.org.
Lucia’s Angels
For East End women with late-stage cancers, such as breast, ovarian, cervical and uterine cancer, this organization helps patients and their families in their time of need. Funds pay for a range of family and patient needs, including rent, bills, childcare and other services that help ease the burden of the tough times cancer inevitably brings. Lucia’s Angels accepts donations at luciasangels.org.
Poverty Relief
Community Action Southold Town (CAST)
This not-for-profit helps Southold families meet their basic needs by offering a safety net—providing support in areas of nutrition, employment, energy and education. CAST also created The North Fork Parent-Child Home Program in 2013 to serve local children living in poverty. CAST relies on donations as well as grants from private and public organizations, which helps keep their food pantry stocked and their programs going. Visit castsoutholdtown.org for more info.
Maureen’s Haven
A shelter that supports homeless adults on the East End, Maureen’s Haven focuses on ensuring housing for them during the coldest months of the year. This organization also provides supportive services to help people gain self-sufficiency. It has aided thousands of homeless since 2002. Their extensive volunteer program has had more than 1,500 generous participants over the years. Visit maureenshaven.org for more info.