Long Island Cares Inc. brings together all available resources for the benefit of the hungry and food insecure on Long Island and, to the best of our ability, provides for the humanitarian needs of our community. Our goals are to improve food security for families, sponsor programs that help families achieve self-sufficiency, and educate the general public about the causes and consequences of hunger on Long Island. Vision: “A Hunger Free Long Island.”
Long Island Cares Inc. uses grantmaking as one part of a broader anti-hunger system on Long Island, combining direct food distribution, partner-agency support, and nutrition assistance for organizations serving hungry and food-insecure residents. One recent grant stands out for its scale: $75,000 to Wakefern Shoprite in Edison, NJ for Grants to Agencies. The rest of the recent awards cluster at smaller amounts, including support for Jcc of the Greater Five Towns in Cedarhurst, Loaves and Fishes in Agaponack, and Resurrection House Fp in Wheatley Heights. Those awards sit alongside the organization’s network model, which connects nonprofit agencies with donated food, ordering access, delivery scheduling, and partner support. The foundation also funds mobile food services, emergency food assistance, and child nutrition work through program structures such as the Mobile Food Assistance Unit and the Hunger Prevention Nutrition Assistance Program grants. Its public charity status and focus on grants to organizations point to an operating style centered on community food access rather than individual aid.
A central theme is agency support for food distribution. Through Grants to Agencies, Long Island Cares Inc. funded Jcc of the Greater Five Towns in Cedarhurst for partner-agency support, and it also supports member agencies through its Join the Network program. Nutrition assistance is another major thread: the Hunger Prevention Nutrition Assistance Program grants are aimed at community-based meal and food distribution programs, with application guidance and workshops for agencies. Mobile service delivery is also built into the grantmaking model. The Mobile Food Assistance Unit serves communities and partner sites across Long Island, including mobile pantry and children’s breakfast truck operations. Retail food recovery appears in the Retail Donation Program, which connects stores with the network so surplus food, produce, household items, and pet food can be redistributed.
Typical awards are small and tightly grouped: p25 is $5,610, median is $6,629, and p75 is $7,286. That makes the $75,000 award an outlier rather than the norm. The recent record shows recurring support for organizations under the general Grants to Agencies purpose, alongside program-based funding tied to Long Island Cares Inc.’s network and mobile distribution systems. The foundation is a public charity, funds organizations rather than individuals, and makes no program-related investments. It also accepts unsolicited applications in its active grant programs, including agency support and HPNAP-related funding.
$106K
$22.8M
$27.3M
$28.1M
Most grants fall between $6K and $7K, with a median of $7K.
25th Percentile
$6K
Median
$7K
75th Percentile
$7K
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The giving is local and heavily concentrated in New York, with 83% of grants going to recipients in the HQ state. Recent recipients include Cedarhurst, Wheatley Heights, Wyandanch, and Lawrence in New York, plus Edison, New Jersey. The recipient-country distribution is entirely U.S.-based, with 6 grants in the United States. Grant activity is centered on Long Island communities, especially Nassau County and Suffolk County.
It funds organizations, not individuals, and its beneficiary types include nonprofit agencies, government agencies, and community-based organizations. The recent grants list also shows awards made under Grants to Agencies, which fits its operating model of supporting food-distribution partners and related community programs.
Typical awards are in the mid-thousands. The distribution provided shows p25 at $5,610, median at $6,629, and p75 at $7,286. The recent grants also include one much larger $75,000 award, which sits far above the usual range.
Yes. Several active programs accept unsolicited applications or participation, including Agency Support / Join the Network, Retail Donation Program, Hunger Prevention Nutrition Assistance Program Grants, and Mobile Food Assistance Unit / Mobile Services. The organization also provides application guidance and workshops for HPNAP funding.
The foundation’s focus areas center on hunger relief and food access: food distribution, mobile food pantries, child nutrition programs such as Kids Cafe and Pack It Up For Kids, senior support through S.O.S., veterans services, emergency response and disaster recovery, nutrition education, and retail donation or food rescue.
Its giving is local and concentrated in New York. The data show 83% of grants going to recipients in NY, with recent recipient cities including Cedarhurst, Wheatley Heights, Wyandanch, and Lawrence. The recipient-country distribution is entirely U.S.-based.
2023
Source: IRS Form 990-PF, fiscal year 2023.
Current and upcoming funding from Long Island Cares that your nonprofit may be able to apply for.
Who can apply: Community sites, agencies, schools or programs serving people in need that require mobile distribution services; scheduling coordinated through Long Island Cares.
Who can apply: Community food programs and nonprofit agencies serving Long Island; agencies must join the Long Island Cares network (details on Agency Support pages).
Who can apply: Retailers interested in donating surplus items; recipient agencies are partner network members that receive donated goods via Long Island Cares distribution.
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Most recent grants reported to the IRS.
| Recipient | Location | Amount | Year | Purpose |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wakefern Shoprite | Edison, NJ | $75,000 | 2023 | Grants to Agencies |
| JCC OF THE GREATER FIVE TOWNS | CEDARHURST, NY | $7,300 | 2023 | GRANTS TO AGENCIES |
| LOAVES AND FISHES | AGAPONACK, NY | $7,243 | 2023 | GRANTS TO AGENCIES |
| RESURRECTION HOUSE FP | WHEATLEY HEIGHT, NY | $6,015 | 2023 | Grants to Agencies |
| MERCY SOUP KITCHEN OF WYANDAN | WYANDANCH, NY | $5,475 | 2023 | Grants to Agencies |
| GAMMYS PANTRY | LAWRENCE, NY | $5,210 | 2023 | GRANTS TO agencies |
Wakefern Shoprite
$75,000Grants to Agencies
JCC OF THE GREATER FIVE TOWNS
$7,300GRANTS TO AGENCIES
LOAVES AND FISHES
$7,243GRANTS TO AGENCIES
RESURRECTION HOUSE FP
$6,015Grants to Agencies
MERCY SOUP KITCHEN OF WYANDAN
$5,475Grants to Agencies
GAMMYS PANTRY
$5,210GRANTS TO agencies
