They support issues that address housing, job training, mental health and performing arts programs. Maryland’s nonprofits are asking their congressional representatives for help as they face federal cuts and changes to government operations that either fund or facilitate their work.
During Monday’s tele-town hall hosted by Maryland senators Chris Van Hollen and Angela Alsobrooks, Lynn Selby with the Caroline Center in Baltimore explained her organization provides women with workplace training for jobs in the health care and construction fields.
She asked, “what is it that you would have us do immediately?” to protect the work of nonprofits.
Van Hollen first thanked Selby for the work that her organization does, and urged her — and other nonprofit organizations — to connect with national affiliates and to share the stories of people they assist with his office.
President Donald Trump’s administration has issued a number of executive orders that directly affect the operations of nonprofits, including terminating grants.
Malcolm Furgol is the executive director for the Coalition for a Healthier Frederick County. His group works with businesses, the county’s health department, local government, other nonprofits and the local hospital to identify health priorities in the county, and then form work groups to address those issues over a three-year period.
Furgol, who was among the nonprofit leaders on the Zoom call with Van Hollen and Alsobrooks, told WTOP there are a number of issues that concern groups like his.
“Some of that includes cuts or delays in funding — a lot of times that is a key issue,” he said. “Funding that has been approved but that has not been disbursed yet.”
He also said that there are worries that the Trump administration is “retreating (from) addressing the importance” of issues surrounding things like trauma-informed care and social determinants of health.
Furgol added that “all of these issues are ones that federal health agencies have been communicating to their grantees and contractors that are no longer able to be discussed and supported in the work that they do.”
Van Hollen told the leaders of the nonprofits during Monday’s town hall that, “you all fill very important gaps” in providing badly needed services in their communities.
Sen. Alsobrooks told the nonprofit leaders on the Zoom call, “we’re going to keep fighting to make sure that you have the resources you need.”
“This is a very trying time, but I want you to not feel discouraged or defeated,” she added.
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