About Us
Our Belief
That all who reside on Long Island’s North Fork should benefit from its natural beauty, abundant resources, and diverse cultures.
Our Goal
To enrich life for all on the North Fork by helping redress social inequities, support those whose prospects are limited by poverty, and protect our shared environment.
Our Strategy
Strengthen the local nonprofit community working towards these ends by funding projects that bring a fresh perspective and collaborative approach.
How We Work
Side by Side is an active community investor that will underwrite specific projects, up to $15,000, for nonprofits operating on Long Island’s North Fork.
It will learn and build upon successes. Toward that end, it will support innovative projects that are clearly scoped with pre-defined, measurable outcomes. Side by Side grants are not meant for on-going operations, but rather, they sow the seeds for new ways of enriching the community.
Visit How to Apply to download an application or email us to consult with a Side by Side director.
Who We Are
North Fork Side by Side is co-founded by three friends who treasure living in the North Fork environment—the land, the sea, the sky, and the diverse community of interesting people doing good things. We are Joe McKay, who lives in Greenport and New Suffolk; Jan Nicholson, Peconic; and Kathy Perretta, Cutchogue.
With over 50 hardworking nonprofit advocates and service providers headquartered or working in Riverhead and Southold Townships, we recognized a need for a committed community foundation to support and help raise awareness of their efforts.
“You do it,” one of us said. “If we do it together,” was the answer.
We found our way to the Long Island Community Foundation, under whose wing we established North Fork Side by Side as an advised fund with a specific field of interest.