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SUSTAINABLE FINGER LAKES INC
ITHACA, NY · EIN 352311338 · Form 990 · FY2024 · NTEE C30 · Environment · Small ($100K-$1M) · sustainablefingerlakes.org
revenue
$466K
expenses
$520K
net assets
$181K
employees
11
program ratio
88%
mission · from form 990

Sustainable Finger Lakes is a community-based organization whose mission is to promote the long-term well-being of our region by integrating social equity, economic vitality, ecological stewardship, and shared responsibi

profile · synthesized from sources

Sustainable Finger Lakes is a community-based nonprofit in Ithaca, NY, focused on advancing regional sustainability through the integration of social equity, economic vitality, and ecological stewardship. The organization operates primarily by convening stakeholders, promoting local initiatives, and supporting community-driven projects. It has been active since at least 2004, hosting programs and a weekly column to highlight sustainability efforts in the Finger Lakes region.

irs program accomplishments · form 990 part iii · fy2024

What they reported doing

  1. #1 primary $14K
    OUR OTHER WORK WITH THE NEIGHBORHOOD MINI-GRANTS PROGRAM AND SIGNS OF SUSTAINABILITY COLUMN CONTINUED AS USUAL.
named programs · 3 · from sources

What they call their work

Finger Lakes Climate Fund
Grants program supporting low-income households with projects that reduce carbon emissions, such as energy efficiency and renewable energy installations
Neighborhood Mini-Grants Program
Provides small grants to community-led projects that promote sustainability, equity, and resilience in the Finger Lakes region; has been active since at least 2008
Signs of Sustainability Column
Weekly newspaper column in Tompkins Weekly featuring essays by local sustainability leaders on environmental issues, events, and initiatives since 2007
activities · 7 groups

What they do

  • Community Environmental Monitoring and Research 1 activity
    • Conducting research on carbon offset projects and community resilience
      Investigates local carbon sequestration opportunities such as soil carbon farming and conducts community storytelling research on flooding and drought in Tompkins County to inform resilience planning. Also researching sustainable solutions to harmful algal blooms in the Finger Lakes region.
  • Lake Stewardship Education & Outreach 1 activity
    • Expanding community engagement through events and public education
      Hosts public webinars on topics including wildfire risk, land use impacts on water quality, and harmful algal blooms. Organizes cafe-style gatherings through the Resilience Committee and offers interview opportunities for community members to contribute ideas, supporting inclusive public participation in sustainability efforts.
  • Climate Change Research and Advocacy Funding 1 activity
    • Funding energy efficiency and renewable energy upgrades for low-income households
      Provides grants for insulation, air sealing, heat pumps, pellet stoves, and solar panel installations in low-to-moderate income homes to reduce emissions and energy costs. In 2023, awarded seven climate fund grants totaling $13,421, projected to prevent 671 tons of CO2 emissions.
  • Low-Income Home Energy Efficiency Upgrades 1 activity
    • Implementing clean energy pilot programs for rental and mobile homes
      Conducted a Clean Energy and Equity Pilot in Tompkins County to install energy-efficient heat pumps in rental and mobile homes, improving health, safety, and affordability. Funded retrofits for 50 mobile homes and provided gap funding for over 90 families through the Finger Lakes Climate Fund.
  • Local Clean Energy Adoption & Education 1 activity
    • Operating a community-based greenhouse gas offset program
      Provides a mechanism for individuals and organizations to offset emissions from buildings and travel through community-supported projects, channeling contributions into local climate action initiatives.
  • Environmental Policy Advocacy & Litigation 1 activity
    • Organizing advocacy campaigns on climate and energy policy
      Leads advocacy efforts including organizing rallies, lobby days, and phonebanking events to advance state-level climate legislation such as the NY HEAT Act, rooftop solar policies, and a moratorium on data centers. Organized a rally in Albany on May 13, 2026, and collected over 20,000 petition signatures opposing the Lansing AI data center.
  • Uncategorized 3 activities
    • Developing digital tools and platforms for regional sustainability engagement
      Created and maintains digital tools including the augmented reality app My Green FLX, the digital portal SustainFLX.caard.co, an updated regional sustainability map, and a Green Trips feature. Also ran targeted Facebook ad campaigns to promote heat pump adoption and thermal envelope improvements using NYSERDA tools.
    • Expanding grassroots grantmaking capacity across counties
      Expanded the Neighborhood Mini-Grant Program into Schuyler, Yates, and Seneca counties to support locally driven sustainability projects, building regional capacity for community-led environmental action.
    • Funding community sustainability projects through mini-grants
      Administers a biannual grant cycle that awards mini-grants to support grassroots sustainability initiatives in the Finger Lakes region, including projects in Seneca, Yates, Schuyler, and Tompkins counties. Since 2008, has awarded over 240 grants totaling more than $98,000 to local projects such as native plant gardens, bike repair stations, and lending libraries.
financials · form 990 · fy2024
revenue
Total revenue$466K
Contributions & grants$464K100%
Program service revenue$00%
Investment income$1240%
Other revenue$2K
expenses
Total expenses$520K
Program expenses88%
Admin / overhead12%
Fundraising0%
Salaries & benefits$179K
Grants paid out$4K
Largest expense lineCompensation
balance sheet
Total assets$181K
Cash$181K
Investments$0
Liabilities$7
Net assets$181K
Liquid reserves4.2 mo
3 years on record · 2020–2024 · YoY revenue -13.0%
leadership · form 990 part vii · fy2024

Who runs it

paid leadership · 1
NameTitleHours/wkCompensation
GAY NICHOLSON PRESIDENT 40 $73K
board members · 10
  • ALEX ANDRASIK — BOARD MEMBER
  • CATHLEEN BANFORD — BOARD MEMBER
  • DAN ANTONIOLI — BOARD MEMBER
  • DENISE ROSPLOCK — SECRETARY
  • JOEL RABINOWITZ — BOARD MEMBER
  • MAGGIE MOWRER — BOARD MEMBER
  • NEIL SCHILL — TREASURER
  • OSAMU TSUDA — BOARD MEMBER
  • PETER MCDONALD — CHAIR
  • ROGER BECK — BOARD MEMBER
relationships · 28

Who they work with

  • Bike Walk Tompkins Partner — Collaborates with Bike Walk Tompkins on community cycling infrastructure and education projects.
  • Bike Walk Tompkins Partner — Hosted the Bike Seat Lending Library supported by a Sustainable Finger Lakes mini-grant.
  • Cayuga Lake Watershed Network Network — Featured content from a former Sustainable Finger Lakes staff member in its newsletter.
  • Cornell Botanic Gardens Partner — Partnered on a medicinal garden project with the Onondaga Nation School, which was featured in Sustainable Finger Lakes' regional news coverage.
  • DSA Tech Action Partner — Collaborates with Sustainable Finger Lakes on organizing phonebanking events for the NY State Data Center Moratorium.
  • Danielle Eiseman Partner — Leads the Hard Rain research project on flooding and drought in partnership with Sustainable Finger Lakes.
  • Facebook Partner — Social media platform used for outreach and communication
  • Finger Lakes Climate Fund Partner — Finger Lakes Climate Fund is a project of Sustainable Finger Lakes.
  • Food & Water Watch Partner — Partners with Sustainable Finger Lakes to organize advocacy actions including phonebanking for the NY State Data Center Moratorium.
  • Freshwater Future Funder — Provided a grant to support research on sustainable solutions to harmful algal blooms.
  • Groundswell Center for Local Food & Farming Partner — Partners with Groundswell Center for Local Food & Farming to support agroforestry and sustainable farming initiatives.
  • Instagram Partner — Social media platform used for outreach and communication
  • Loaves & Fishes of Tompkins County Partner — Supports Loaves & Fishes of Tompkins County with grants for community gardens and food access projects.
  • Lodi Food 4 All Partner — Recipient of a mini-grant through Sustainable Finger Lakes' Neighborhood Mini-Grant Program pilot.
  • NYSERDA Funder — Funded the Clean Energy and Equity Pilot program.
  • NYSERDA Funder — Provided a substantial grant through the Innovative Market Strategies program to support heat pump installations in low-income rental units.
  • NYSERDA Government — Used NYSERDA tools to run a Facebook ad campaign promoting energy efficiency improvements for low-income residents.
  • NYSERDA Partner — Provides Assisted Home Performance and Empower incentives; contractors are NYSERDA-certified and help participants access available incentives.
  • New Roots Charter School Partner — Highlighted as a local organization advancing sustainability education; potential collaboration on community-based sustainability initiatives.
  • Seneca Lake Guardian Partner — Collaborates on environmental protection efforts in the Finger Lakes region; staff member quoted in coverage of regional environmental issues.
  • Seneca Lake Guardian Partner — Shares content and collaborates on advocacy related to the Greenidge plant and Seneca Meadows Landfill.
  • Tompkins Community Recovery Fund Funder — Funded the Mobile Home Energy Upgrades pilot project through a grant awarded in December 2022.
  • Tompkins County Community Recovery Fund Funder — Provided $522,000 to fund the mobile home heat pump pilot program.
  • Tompkins Weekly Partner — Collaborates on the "Signs of Sustainability" weekly column to share local sustainability stories and leadership.
  • Tompkins Weekly Partner — Collaborates with Tompkins Weekly to publish the Signs of Sustainability column.
  • WE ACT Partner — Partnered with Sustainable Finger Lakes as a Community Voices representative for the NY Southern Tier under an EPA-funded initiative.
  • WRFI Community Radio Partner — Funds WRFI Community Radio to produce and air announcements about regional sustainability initiatives.
  • YouTube Partner — Platform used for sharing video content and program recordings
strategies · 4

How they approach the work

Named approaches extracted from this org’s sources. Where others share an approach, follow it to see the full set of orgs running it.

  • Clean Energy Equity through Targeted Pilots
    methodology: clean_energy_equity
    By deploying clean energy pilot programs focused on low-income households, the organization reduces both carbon emissions and energy cost burdens because equitable access to electrification simultaneously addresses climate and inequality.
  • Grassroots Movement Building via Community Engagement
    methodology: community-driven-movement-building
    By supporting resident-led initiatives and amplifying local leadership through media and discourse, the organization strengthens regional sustainability movements because community ownership generates greater resilience, participation, and long-term commitment.
  • Integrated Sustainability Framework
    methodology: integrated_sustainability
    By addressing environmental, economic, and social challenges through a unified approach, the organization produces more resilient and equitable outcomes because these systems are inherently interconnected and mutually reinforcing.
  • Preventive Environmental Protection through Policy Advocacy
    methodology: preventive-protection
    By opposing industrial projects lacking proper environmental review and promoting preventive land-use planning, the organization protects ecosystem health because stopping pollution at the source is more effective and less costly than remediation after damage occurs.