As the first year of the second Trump administration comes to a close, nonprofit organizations are taking stock after a chaotic twelve months.
Sheila Bravo is the President and CEO of DANA, the Delaware Alliance for Nonprofit Advancement. She says drastic and sometimes unpredictable funding cuts from the federal government are causing havoc for nonprofits and the people they serve.
“These are the things that we have traditionally relied on from our federal government," she says. "And when you see these pauses in funding or significant reduction in funding, that can be very disruptive. And most importantly, it impacts everyday people.”
Bravo says that state lawmakers are generally sympathetic.
“Our senators and representatives, many of them are super supportive of the nonprofits that serve in their districts," Bravo says. "And so they are always willing to listen.”
But as state lawmakers convene in Dover, they are also looking at financial uncertainty, limiting how much additional help they could provide. For example, some organizations provide important services on behalf of the state.
Bravo notes those organizations are getting squeezed by inflation.
“As costs continue to rise, the state's allocation of spending is not increasing at the same rate," she says. "And so nonprofits often are not getting paid for the full amount of what it actually costs to do the services," she says.
Bravo says she hopes lawmakers will take steps to make sure that those nonprofits are reimbursed for their costs as inflation skyrockets.
