Since taking office in January, President Donald Trump has signed numerous executive orders cutting federal funding, putting nonprofits across the nation at risk. Nonprofits with federal grants and contracts rely on the government to aid expenses related to funding, staffing and general operations of the services they provide.

The Urban Institute created a tool that summarizes data from electronic filers of Internal Revenue Service Form 990 with government grants in 2021 to provide a sense of financial risk for nonprofits if they were to lose their grants. According to the tool, about 70% of the 44 filers in Clarke County are at financial risk without these grants.

The Red & Black spoke to three nonprofit leaders in the Athens-Clarke County area to uncover a sense of how these organizations are pivoting in response to these executive orders, and their considerations of what the future looks like.

How local nonprofits are responding to recent federal defunding

The Food Bank of Northeast Georgia connects community neighbors with food by partnering with nonprofit organizations to distribute food. Kelly Klein, chief philanthropy officer, said the food bank is “particularly concerned” about food insecurity in Athens. Out of the over 225 nonprofit organizations the food bank is partnered with to distribute food in northeast Georgia, 90 of those are in Athens-Clarke County.

Every federal administration has the opportunity to designate additional funds throughout the budgeting process. In 2024, the Food Bank of Northeast Georgia sourced 28% of food from The Emergency Food Assistance Program and 17% from Commodity Credit Corporation, which is locally-sourced and benefits Georgia farmers and growers. The food bank has received some food from the CCC Program this year, but it has been cancelled for the future.

“We’re concerned about that. We know that the need is increasing, and we were really relying on this food,” Klein said. “But I think that we see an opportunity to really partner with the current administration, [with our] Congressmen, to find a solution that works for everyone.”

Chanda Santana, founder and chief freedom officer at DIVAS Who Win Freedom Center, said it’s a “vulnerable time,” especially at a young organization. DIVAS Who Win serves and supports women in Athens who have faced substance abuse or trafficking.

“Being right at eight years old, we’re still trying to really get the foundation of our funding diversified and secured,” Santana said. “The thing that’s most unnerving to me is it makes it difficult to project for programming.”

Santana said the Athens Area Community Foundation has provided a solid partnership with DIVAS Who Win, and that their position in the community is “vital,” as they have connected DIVAS Who Win with other individual donors for additional funds. DIVAS also is a recipient of the Georgia Opioid Trust Fund, and that money cannot be touched.

Santana said these funding threats have put a “heavier administrative weight” on her staff and have made forecasting for the future difficult.

Madison Sanders, executive director of Family Promise of Athens, said she and other nonprofit leaders try to not turn their heads every time news comes out, and try to go about business as usual. Family Promise is a national organization that serves families who are experiencing homelessness, with nearly 200 affiliates located in over 40 states.

Sanders said Family Promise of Athens’ funding is diverse — they take government grants, individual donations, and also have money allocated through the county government that is not in jeopardy. The place where they have the most risk, Sanders said, is with future opportunities.

Implications of lack of federal funding for these organizations

Though Family Promise relies partially on individual donors, Sanders said it is “really hard” to supplement large federal grants with these private donations.

“Our services are…almost like an accordion,” Sanders said. “The more funding we have, the more families we can serve, the less funding we have, the less families we can serve.”

These concerns about the scope to which Family Promise can serve its community were echoed by Santana, who said the implications of reduced funding would likely eliminate DIVAS’ youth programming.

They have also stopped conversations around the creation of a small home village for survivors, and are questioning if they will be able to continue their internship program in the fall.

Klein said the food bank has flexibility regarding private philanthropy, which has allowed them to pivot and make the “best choice possible” in the last few months.

Every $2 donated helps the food bank provide five meals to the community, and Klein hopes community members may want to be part of the solution moving forward.

How to support nonprofits and their missions during this time

Klein said there is “a place for everyone to get involved” at the Food Bank of Northeast Georgia. The food bank hosts volunteer sessions Monday through Friday, and has the Grow and Give program, which invites those with home gardens to plant an extra row or plant and donate that produce to the food bank.

Santana said food donations would be a “big help” from the community, and DIVAS is also always looking for community members and leaders to visit and share expertise from their certain professional interests for workforce development.

Sanders said there is often a misconception about too many nonprofits doing the same thing, but said each nonprofit meets different, unique purposes. She said it is important for the community to work to understand the responsibility each member of the community has to each other.

“Nobody wants homelessness in their community, and so the only way to fix it is if everyone gets on board and is willing to advocate for the things that are actually going to fix the issue…more affordable housing, more development, more services,” Sanders said.