No matter how you’re feeling about the new president, one thing can be certain: changes in government – local, state and federal –  have a huge impact on the nonprofit field.  Whether those impacts are positive or negative, our sectors are intertwined and changes in legislation, leadership and government funding can and will have a trickle-down effect on nonprofit operations, philanthropy, volunteerism, services for vulnerable populations and so much more.

In January, The Community Foundation Serving Richmond and Central Virginia gathered alumni of its Emerging Nonprofit Leaders Program (ENLP) to discuss anticipated impacts and implications of the federal election on their work as nonprofit leaders.

Led by Susan Wilkes (the ENLP Lead Faculty), the robust conversation covered topics from “leading through political uncertainty” to “what nonprofits are doing and could do as they prepare for government changes”.   Broken down by nonprofit issue area (ie Health and Wellness and Family/Housing), here’s what the nonprofit leaders in the room had to say about implications of the election on the nonprofit sector:

Family/Housing

Probable implications of the election

• Reduction in federal grant money for housing
• De-funding of Planned Parenthood (it could be eliminated) means reduced access to programs and services
• Elimination of social safety net programs that benefit the lowest income populations

Possible implications of the election

• Families could buckle under stress and division
• Cuts to Child Care and Development Block Grant Funding will affect childcare subsidies to families affecting parents’ abilities to work
• There will be less homeownership and foreclosures will increase
• There will be a higher demand for services from schools and families because of interrogations, questionings and harassment

Positive implications of the election

• Families could come closer together and rebuild whole communities

Philanthropy

Probable implications of the election

• New policies (that the nonprofit sector has not anticipated) will create new and emerging needs for the populations we serve

Possible implications of the election

• There may be a decrease in charitable deductions
• There may be an uncertainty in funding and philanthropy, especially in individual giving
• People may hoard their money ie put it under their mattress!

Positive implications of the election

• There might be an increase in charitable gifts and individuals wanting to engage and support causes important to them
• People may channel their reactions to the election into financial support (ie individuals giving to Planned Parenthood in honor of Mike Pence)
• There may be an increased or renewed interest in organizations, people may volunteer more and give more money

Environment and Nature

Probable implications of the election

• There will be a denial of climate change impacts and a loss of time will result in worsened effects to the environment

Possible implications of the election

• We could end up with no clean air or water in 20 years

Health and Wellness

Probable implications of the election

• Cuts to SNAP will mean a loss of access to food and increased food insecurity
• Decrease in healthcare coverage benefits that impact a person’s ability to work and ability to maintain housing and affect their family
• Repeal of the ACA without immediate placement programs or actions
• Loss of funding that supports women’s reproductive health
• Less money to serve uninsured individuals

Possible implications of the election

• Health reform may impact insurance laws for autism service coverage
• Funding loss for breast feeding support that is currently in place and has just found its footing
• Reduction to Older American Act funding which will lead to cuts in Senior programming, including food programs
• Reduced charitable funding from hospitals as they struggle to cover costs for uncompensated care

Positive implications of the election

• More robust collaboration and cross-sector communication
• There are more people getting involved in advocacy training and community programs (ie “Richmond Days”)

Education and Youth Development

Possible implications of the election

• Cuts to subsidy and quality initiatives will force families to choose sub-par child care options, putting kids at risk or just not giving them the right developmental opportunities
• Decreased education and public education funding will have a trickle-down effect making youth vulnerable
• Cuts to education will impact special education

Arts and Culture

Probable implications of the election

• There will be a reduction in arts funding
• There will be a more vulnerable immigrant population

Possible implications of the election

• There will be less support for the arts when people are concerned about basic human rights
• Donations and funding will decrease for anything that’s not considered a safety net

Positive implications of the election

• Repression = great art

General or Sector-Wide

Probable implications of the election

• Litigation prospects change with differences in SCOTUS and Department of Justice appointments
• Uncertainty is causing people/nonprofits to do nothing (ie tax codes, ACA, labor laws)
• More anti-bills at state level (ie LGBTQ and reproductive rights)
• Increased conflict between law enforcement and citizens, decreased public safety
• Locally, people will want to start more nonprofits, causing more saturation, overlap and competition for resources among our sector; this will most likely lead to the start-up nonprofit failing

Possible implications of the election

• Repeals of Fair Housing laws
• Small nonprofit organizations will struggle to survive if they depend on government funding, don’t have relationships built with funders and/or individual donors
• People may volunteer less because they are stressed, have to work more or feel defeated
• Housing Funding (Section 8, Rapid Re-housing), Medicaid and local elections will have a huge impact on the whole sector
• Supreme Court will initiate court reversals

Positive implications of the election

• More people want to do something to help
• Volunteers could help meet demand for services
• Many local people are yearning to volunteer, advocate, mobilize/organize and give donations to nonprofits
• May create an opportunity to work more with for-profit businesses
• This will lead to more cross-organization collaboration and synergy
• There will be increased awareness of diversity and inclusion issues, provoking more allies and advocates
• There may be a resurgence in community building

A recent article by The Council of Nonprofits outlined the policy ecosystem, its effect on 501(c)(3)’s and two incredibly important facets that will play a big part in the charitable sector’s ability to advance their missions in the face of political uncertainty/change –1)  organized efforts in advocacy at all levels of government to ensure elected officials understand the implications of their decision-making on nonprofits and 2) the response of Foundations and Grant-Making entities to funding advocacy-related activities, particularly at the state-level.

We will be sharing more perspectives from the local nonprofit sector in the near future, so stay tuned!

Please feel free to sign in and comment on how you anticipate the election of the Trump Administration on the work you do as it relates to the nonprofit sector!