After two and a half years filling a historic chapel on John Street with live music from across the globe and around the corner, The Local in Saugerties has officially become a nonprofit.

Isabel Soffer and Danny Melnick, who run the venue, said recognition as a charitable organization by the IRS will make it easier for individual donors and institutional funders to provide the support needed to sustain The Local’s arts programming and realize their long-term vision of revitalizing the space as a community hub.

“Nonprofit status will help us be the type of organization we aspire to be,” Soffer said, noting that proceeds from each concert rarely cover critical costs such as paying artists fairly, and that restoring an 1870s chapel requires significant investment.

The Local plans to use the new designation to raise funds for artist compensation, rental-fee subsidies, and continued upgrades and repairs.

“While we cultivate a cutting-edge arts scene, we also positively impact Saugerties businesses and expand programming possibilities for community organizations,” Soffer said. “It’s a powerful model and we know there is great interest in supporting it—but raising funds without 501(c)(3) status has been a challenge here in Saugerties.”

Soffer and Melnick, who have long histories running grant-funded arts programs, are familiar with using a fiscal sponsor to receive charitable donations. But in Saugerties, Soffer said, the workaround was less effective. “We learned that it just doesn’t work as smoothly in Saugerties as it does in New York City. It’s not a process many are familiar with here. Using a fiscal sponsor also means we don’t get to keep the full amount of each contribution,” she said.

After deliberation, they applied for nonprofit status, and—with the help of a certified public accountant—the approval came faster than they expected.

Creating a community hub

Newly installed mini-splits, funded by the Saugerties Kiwanis Club, will allow the venue to offer year-round programming, even during the hottest days of Catskills summers. “We know renting the space is currently financially out of reach for many great organizations and projects here in Saugerties,” Soffer said. “We want the space to be open all the time. Increased funding will enable it to be used more regularly by the community.”

While most of The Local’s shows take place in the evening, the chapel is often available during daytime hours—when some of the building’s historic features are most striking. Removing a white plywood board from the center of the venue’s star-shaped window was another recent improvement, also made possible through Kiwanis support.

Believed to have been built in 1876, the chapel will soon mark 150 years of serving the community. “When we pay to rent the space and put time, money, and energy into what some might call the small details, like finishing repairs of the star window and repairing all of the other windows currently held together with duct tape, it is part of our commitment to keep local history alive in the building,” Soffer said. “This is the heart of the Village,” she added, referring both to its central location and the performance space’s energy.

Arts organizations across the country are navigating funding challenges amid reductions in public support. “We know these are complicated times and that people are rethinking how they give money,” Soffer said. “The Local is here to serve the Saugerties community in all the ways we can.”

Chana Widawski is a contributing reporter for The Overlook. Send correspondence to reporting@theoverlooknews.com.