Emergency Funding Shifts From Crisis Response to Long‑Term Resilience

Over the past year nonprofits and the grant makers and donors that fund them have often been in emergency mode — responding on the fly to radical federal cuts to grants and contracts and needs for services spiking overnight due to the government shutdown and other policy swings. 

But now groups are better understanding their longer-term needs, and some funders are responding, said Kendall Webb, founder of Charity Bridge Fund, an online platform launched last year to help connect nonprofits affected by federal cuts with funders. 

For many groups, even with more stability, the future will still present steep challenges. A report released by the Center for Effective Philanthropy last week found that 81 percent of 408 nonprofits surveyed nationwide reported or anticipated increased demand for their services. At the same time, the majority of groups said they’d lost funding from at least one source — including government, foundations, or individual donors. That is causing disruptions to the people and communities these groups serve — 30 percent of nonprofits surveyed said they reduced the services they provided as a result of cuts. 

Funders must recognize that the current financial crisis facing nonprofits is “going to have a long tail,” said Webb, a global finance expert that has worked at Goldman Sachs and the World Bank. Webb launched Charity Bridge Fund last May following the news about the dismantling of the U.S. Agency for International Development and the defunding of nonprofits. Charity Bridge is a free platform for nonprofits that allows them to share stories about the impact of funding cuts on their operations and helps them connect with family foundations, individual donors, wealth advisers, donor-advised funds, and banks registered on the website. She hopes to raise awareness of the plight of nonprofits among these donors.

“I think we have to go back to those basics of storytelling with all of the sectors and really get donors more involved and understanding of what’s happening,” she said. “I think there will be more long-term donors that way.”  

Charity Bridge Fund also offers coaching, webinars, office hours, and outreach support for nonprofits. The platform is an outgrowth of JustGive, a now defunct online philanthropy organization that Webb launched during the tech boom of the early 2000s to help raise charitable funds for nonprofits. Now she wants to focus specifically on helping nonprofits gain financial stability amid ongoing uncertainty about the future of funding so they can retain the staff they need to better prepare for the future. 

“A lot of these organizations had to fire their office staff and their administrative staff, and those are exactly the people that need to strategize and collaborate and come up with ways to mitigate financial issues in the future,” she said. 

Planning for Uncertainty

Nationally, foundations continue to offer supplemental financial support to nonprofits. About 64 percent of 227 foundations surveyed for the Center for Effective Philanthropy’s report said they provided emergency or rapid response funding to nonprofits, and 30 percent said they increased their annual payout. 

Community foundations have been on the front lines of this emergency assistance movement, with many setting up funds to respond to temporary challenges such as last year’s government shutdown or the anticipated long-term impacts of policy changes included in last year’s tax law. The legislation mandates cuts of nearly $1 trillion from Medicaid, which provides health-care coverage for low-income individuals and others, as well as roughly $186 billion from the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP, over the next decade. 

It’s appropriate that community foundations take the lead because they are often better positioned to be aware of local needs than a national foundation, said Mendi Blue Paca, CEO of Connecticut’s Fairfield County’s Community Foundation. 

The foundation recently created the Fairfield County Food Security Fund to address rising food costs and cuts to federal food assistance that are expected to impact more than 11,000 families in Fairfield. The fund will provide support to families, veterans, children, seniors, and formerly incarcerated people in need by delivering grants to a range of nonprofit organizations.

“We are here. We are on the ground. And our relationships span a spectrum,” Paca said. “We will be funding everything from large state-run food banks to faith-based organizations to schools and pantries. The foundation also will advocate for the adoption of statewide policies such as free school breakfast for all students. 

“Now with the permanent changes happening to SNAP that will be implemented this year, the need for a fund that both addresses the urgent needs, which are growing, and also can address the systemic challenges around our food systems in light of the structural changes we’re experiencing, felt really important,” Paca said.

Below is a list of rapid response funds compiled by the Chronicle of Philanthropy. Let us know about more funds.

National Funds

New

Public Media Bridge Fund With over $60 million in pooled funding, this initiative provides grants, low-interest loans, and advisory services to local public media organizations affected by federal funding cuts and the closure of the Corporation for Public Broadcasting. Funding has been provided by the Ford, Knight, MacArthur, Robert Wood Johnson, and Schmidt Family foundations and Pivotal Ventures. 

The fund recently announced two new grant programs. The Disaster Recovery Program will provide one-time, rapid response funding of up to $100,000 to organizations that have had their delivery of essential services disrupted by severe weather or other incidents. The Emergency Restructuring Program will support stations that have experienced a sudden, external loss of financial resources or revenue. 

Solidaire Network’s Movement Protection Fund

The network is providing rapid response grants to organizers facing immediate security threats as well as funding for groups to create long-term safety infrastructure.  

Existing 

Defending Our Neighbors Fund

This month, the American Civil Liberties Union, the Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors Abundant Futures Fund, and United We Dream announced this $10 million fund to support nonprofits providing legal assistance to immigrant families affected by the Trump administration’s immigration crackdown. The goal is to raise $30 million for the fund, the group said.

Emergent Fund grants

The Emergent Fund provides rolling, no-strings-attached rapid response grants to organizations for urgent and unanticipated crises, particularly for grassroots groups led by Black, Indigenous, and people of color. 

Late last year, the group joined with the Transgender Law Center to launch a separate Action for Transformation Fund with the goal of providing $1 million in rapid response grants to trans-led organizations amid a growing backlash against efforts to advance transgender rights. The Action for Transformation Fund is a pilot that is providing one-time grants of $5,000 to $20,000.

Four Freedoms Fund’s Immigration Frontlines Fund

Four Freedoms is a funder collaborative launched more than 20 years ago by NEO Philanthropy, which aims to raise $10 million this year to advocate for and protect immigrant communities.

Impact Fund rapid response grants

These grants of up to $10,000 are for “sudden out-of-pocket” litigation expenses related to lawsuits in the areas of economic, environmental, racial, and social justice.

Regional Funds

New

Community Foundation of Greater Memphis emergency grants 

The foundation awarded $982,000 in grants to 46 nonprofit organizations to help them respond to “unprecedented pressures,” including funding cuts and policy changes. Recipients included Advocates for Immigrant Rights, Catholic Charities of West Tennessee and Indomitable Women of Incarcerated Men, among others. 

Fairfield County Community Foundation’s food security fund

The foundation provides immediate and sustained funding to help food banks, schools, colleges, faith-based, and grassroots organizations distribute food to residents of Fairfield County, Conn. 

Women’s Foundation of Minnesota’s Immigrant Rapid Response Fund 

Backed by a coalition of philanthropy leaders, this fund supports efforts to provide basic needs such as food and housing and legal services to communities affected by immigration enforcement actions. It also helps fund know-your-rights education and other organizing and advocacy work. 

Existing 

Cambridge Community Foundation’s Urgent Needs Fund

The foundation is providing emergency grants in response to federal budget cuts, which it said are “dismantling our social safety net and threatening to push many Cambridge families, elders, and children into crisis.”

Colorado Health Foundation advocacy grants

Colorado-based nonprofits seeking funds for short-term health-care advocacy initiatives can apply for these grants, which range from $15,000 to $75,000. Submissions are reviewed on a rolling basis.

Foundations Community Partnership Target Funding — Rapid Response grants

This fund offers grants of up to $15,000 to the foundation’s existing grantees in Bucks County, Pa., to help them manage the impact of federal funding losses. The grants will be available until June 30, 2026. Applications are accepted on a rolling basis.

Greater Rochester Health Foundation grants

This rapid response fund aims to help existing grantees continue their work by providing bridge funding and money for costs related to ending services or layoffs, strategic litigation, transitioning clients to new providers, and services and costs associated with nonprofit mergers and collaborations.

Greater Worcester Community Foundation grants

The foundation had opened up its longstanding nonprofit effectiveness grants program for nonprofits serving central Massachusetts, to include needs associated with unforeseen federal funding losses and legal costs associated with changes in federal law, legislation, or compliance requirements. The program also has shifted to a rolling deadline with grant decisions made twice a month.

Haven Fund grants to immigrant communities

This “pop-up” foundation will support small, neighborhood- and faith-based groups throughout New York City that are providing services to immigrant communities, including food relief, accompaniment to court hearings, and educational assistance. 

HealthSpark Foundation grants

Based in Colmar, Pa., this foundation provides one-time, flexible funding ranging from $500 to $5,000 to nonprofits based in or that serve residents of Montgomery County and are responding to unexpected and urgent challenges. The money can be used to support community organizing, leadership training, and legal defense needs, among other things. Applications are accepted on a rolling basis.

King County nonprofit relief funds 

King County, which includes Seattle, Washington, recently announced that it would provide $25 million to nonprofits to help blunt the impacts of federal funding costs, rising living costs, declining donations and a drop in volunteerism. Part of the funding comes from a six-year property tax levy to support veterans, seniors, and housing services.  

The Meyer Foundation’s rapid response grants

The Washington, D.C.-based foundation provides funding to nonprofits in the district and the surrounding area. It is offering one-time, rapid response grants of $10,000 to $20,000 to current grantees focused on racial justice and systems change.

North Star Fund grants

This fund is offering grants of $2,500 or $5,000 to help grassroots groups in New York City and Hudson Valley that focus on community organizing and social-justice issues. Applications are accepted on an ongoing basis.

San Francisco Foundation’s rapid response grants

The Rapid Response Fund for Movement Building provides one-time grants of $3,000 to $20,000 for small nonprofits focused on racial and economic equity. The nonprofits must serve residents in one or more of the following Bay Area counties: Alameda, Contra Costa, Marin, San Francisco, and San Mateo.

Silicon Valley Community Foundation rapid response grants

The Community Lifeline Fund will support local organizations providing food, housing, health care, and legal aid, among other services. The community foundation’s funders have pledged an initial $1 million to the fund with the expectation that additional funds will be raised in the coming years. Priority will be given to organizations serving low-income families, immigrants, seniors, and children. 

United for San Diego fund grants

Prebys Foundation, Price Philanthropies, and San Diego Foundation have joined together to pledge $70 million to support San Diegans at risk of losing access to food, housing and healthcare in the wake of federal funding cuts. 

San Diego Foundation also launched the San Diego Unity Fund to encourage other San Diegans to contribute to the emergency response effort.

Yellow Springs Community Foundation awards

These rapid response grants of up to $3,000 will be provided to nonprofits in Ohio’s Yellow Springs and Miami Township areas.