Delaware nonprofits play a vital role in filling the gaps in services that government does not provide, often to our state’s most in-need citizens. Nonprofits are on the front lines daily, providing services such as food assistance, housing, mental health counseling, healthcare, addiction treatment, education, the arts, and support for young children, seniors, and those who live in poverty.
When the federal government recently informed the Food Bank of Delaware they were halting shipments of vital food aid – canceling nearly 1 million meals to food-insecure residents with no advance warning – it was a clear example of how government actions and the uncertainty they create can have a damaging effect at the local level in the First State.
Unfortunately, this is not a unique situation. At DANA, the Delaware Alliance for Nonprofit Advancement, we have heard from several other nonprofit members that have experienced similar abrupt and devastating cancellations of their federal contracts or grants. These cuts directly affect our neighbors, people who rely on nonprofits’ services for food, care and other support.
Nationally, millions of federal contracts that directly fund critical services were designated for cancellation but were stopped through court injunctions. Currently, Congress is debating how they will significantly cut services in their latest budget deliberations. These federal actions create great uncertainty for Delaware nonprofits: Will they be able to continue their missions to serve Delawareans?
Delaware nonprofits are facing an inflection point in history, and more than ever we need our partners in state government to protect essential services and ensure that no Delawarean is left without the support they need to live safely and with dignity.
Rising costs, stagnant funding, and growing community needs – combined with federal funding threats – have created a precarious moment for Delaware’s nonprofit sector. This is a very real concern for organizations with deep roots in communities throughout the state.
Should these organizations close their doors or be forced to shutter certain programs, seniors would go hungry, people facing mental health crises would not have critical assistance, at-risk children would be more vulnerable to abuse, and sexual assault survivors would be forced to deal with their trauma alone.
As they enter these final weeks of legislative session, the Delaware General Assembly will be drafting and voting on its Grant-in-Aid bill. Historically, Grant-in-Aid funding has been a vital source of revenue to support critical programs, especially for smaller, community-based organizations that may not receive any other state funding. Given the concerns at the national level and the difficulty in replacing lost federal funds, Delaware’s investment is more important than ever.
The nonprofit sector has long enjoyed a strong relationship with our friends in the General Assembly, with nonprofits providing direct services to residents the state cannot replicate. We are calling on them to continue that partnership by meeting this moment in history by increasing its critical Grant-in-Aid funding, which would align with Governor Meyer’s call earlier this year to increase Grant-in-Aid by 3 percent.
It’s essential that the General Assembly keep nonprofits whole and address the growing fiscal challenges they face. Further cuts on top of the existing challenges nonprofits face will only lead to hardships for the countless residents we all serve. They will feel the brunt of the loss of services.
DANA, our partners United Way of Delaware, Philanthropy Delaware and Delaware Community Foundation, and nonprofits across the state stand ready to work collaboratively with state and local governments to weather these uncertain times and continue serving Delawareans.
NOTE: This opinion piece previously appeared in the Daily State News and The News Journal.