Eighty years ago, as World War II came to a close and veterans settled back into civilian life, Manhasset residents bound together to create the Manhasset Community Fund to support their reintegration.
Its motto was “neighbor helping neighbor.”
“That was the crux of the initiative,” former Manhasset Community Fund President Tom O’Malley said. “To raise money in the community, for the community.”
Some of the first organizations it supported were the Community Service Center, Manhasset Girl Scouts, Manhasset Health Center, Nassau County Boy Scouts, Police Boys Club, and the St. Francis Cardiac Guild.
The Manhasset Community Fund has two main pools of money that it distributes to non-profits in the area.
One pool consists of contributions collected through its annual fundraising from Manhasset community members, and the proceeds from this pool are strictly dedicated to Manhasset-specific non-profits.
In 2003, its mission expanded beyond Manhasset when it added a second pool that supports organizations throughout the Town of North Hempstead.
O’Malley oversaw this expansion of coverage as president when he sent a letter to the Greentree Foundation asking for a contribution.
The Greentree Foundation, named after Manhasset businessman Payne Whitney’s Greentree estate, is a non-profit formed by the managers of the Whitney estate after the owner of the property, Betsy Whitney, died
“Betsy Whitney was a loyal contributor to the Manhasset Community Fund,” O’Malley said, so he thought the non-profit would be interested in continuing her donations.
Greentree agreed, on the condition that Manhasset Community Fund create a second pool of money, funded exclusively by the Greentree Foundation, whose proceeds would go to non-profits across the town, not just the village.
Current President John Morse said under the agreement, Greentree contributes a minimum of $5,000 to the Manhasset Community Fund each year, but it usually contributes hundreds of thousands of dollars.
Morse moved to Manhasset in 1987 and said he was drawn to the “small-town vibe” of the area.
“After a couple years, you kind of know all the shopkeepers, the dry cleaners, the waiters,” Morse said. “You develop connections.”
Volunteering was part of his upbringing, he said. “I’ve always been a volunteer,” Morse said. “I grew up in a family of people that did volunteer work as part of their connection to the community.”
So he said it was a natural fit when former president TJ Costello got him involved with the fund 20 years ago.
Morse said the fund usually receives around 60 grant proposals each year, and a little under half of those are fulfilled.
The fund first requires the organization to provide documentation proving it is a non-profit.
Members of the Manhasset Community Fund then review the organization’s finances, ask what the non-profit would do with additional funds, and visit the site in person.
Lastly, the board of directors discusses the different proposals and makes a final decision on which organizations to support.
Some of the current non-profits it supports are Adventures in Learning, which provides after-school care and instruction for Manhasset and Great Neck kids; Nassau Literacy, which provides English instruction to disadvantaged communities; Nassau County SAFE Center, which helps victims of domestic and child abuse; and others.
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O’Malley said he is grateful for the contributions from the Greentree Foundation. Still, he said he is worried that residents have been holding back on sending money because they see the fund has the backing of a philanthropist.
O’Malley, a lifelong Manhasset resident, became president in 2001 and said he joined because the money was “going to work right here in Manhasset.”
“Some things have gone my way in life, and there are many people in the community where that isn’t the case.”
Morse also noted that several prominent members of the Manhasset community who used to contribute have since left the community and are no longer donating.
He said as a result of this, the fund has seen a decrease in donations over the past 10 years.
O’Malley said that with so much going on in the world, non-profits are being hit hard.
“As time goes on, there’s more and more competition for donation dollars,” he said. “It’s bewildering, I’m sure, for donors out there to determine who to support.”
Manhasset Community Fund plans on doing something for its 80th anniversary, but the details are not finalized.
In the meantime, O’Malley said he hopes Manhasset residents support the organization which has been there for the community for so many years.
