Fair Chance's Newsletter brings the latest thinking on nonprofit issues and updates on Fair Chance and our network. If you are interested in adding your organization's news, events, or insights, please Email us.
Dear Fair Chance Community,
There's no way to sugar coat this – with federal funding reductions and declining revenue in DC and Maryland – things are looking tough for the nonprofit sector and the communities we serve. Luckily, Fair Chance faced hard budget realities last year when a large contract with Prince George's County/Youth Invest Partners ended. Since then, we have taken difficult but prudent measures to “right size” our staff and reduce monthly expenses and are now in a position of financial sustainability (assuming our loyal friends continue to support us, thank you!). However, many nonprofits in our network are just beginning to address the impact of reduced government funding and policy changes on operations.
Key findings from our network survey (50% response rate):
43% of organizations rely on government funding, totaling $71.6 million.
63% of that funding comes from state and local sources; 27% from federal sources.
Nationally, government funding represents nearly one-third of nonprofit revenue—second only to service fees.
Several nonprofits in our network have already been notified of canceled or terminated government contracts and grants for essential services to the neighborhoods we target.
Fair Chance’s Commitment
As our network faces these financial strains, Fair Chance remains dedicated to supporting nonprofits through advocacy, resource connections, and capacity-building initiatives. With 23 years of investment in this sector, we are stepping up by:
Facilitating critical conversations between funders and nonprofits to explore collaborative solutions. There’s one more in this series on April 10 noon-1:30 if you would like to register here.
Offering on-demand coaching and facilitating to guide organizations through financial scenario planning, operational restructuring, and exploring strategic collaborations and mergers.
Convening nonprofits, sharing our stories and amplifying the impact of budget reductions to essential services for huge numbers of children and families.
This tailored support has been made possible by an initial commitment from the Cafritz Foundation, with additional funding proposals under consideration.
How You Can Help
The need is urgent. Nonprofits navigating these unprecedented challenges require immediate resources to sustain their services. Your support for Fair Chance will help local nonprofits reduce dependance on government support and expand emergency interventions .
Take Action Today
Contact Taylor Cobb at tcobb@fairchance.org or donate here. Together, we can ensure the survival of essential services in our community.
Yours in partnership, Gretchen Van der Veer, PhD Executive Director
Fair Chance & Prince George's County Department of Family Services Children, Youth and Families Division Partner on Governor Wes Moore's ENOUGH Initiative
At Fair Chance, we believe strong nonprofits build strong communities. That's why we're proud to serve as a capacity builder and convenor for local nonprofit organizations in Prince George's County’s ENOUGH Initiative—Engaging Neighborhoods, Organizations, Unions, Governments, and Households ENOUGH Initiative - a groundbreaking, first-of-its-kind effort led by the State of Maryland.
The ENOUGH Initiative envisions a Maryland where lived experience guides investment, ensuring all children access quality education, families receive comprehensive healthcare, and communities thrive with safe housing, dignified work, nutritious food, and economic opportunity. It fosters cross-sector collaboration to drive equitable change and support generational wealth in historically under-resourced neighborhoods.
By equipping these organizations with the tools, resources, and connections they need, we're laying the groundwork for long-term, community-driven change. We're honored to support local leaders who are rewriting the narrative of what's possible for their neighborhoods—and we're just getting started.
Highlighting Our 2025 Nonprofit Partners
We are in the middle of our Pathways Partnership program with four dynamic organizations.
To learn more about these organizations and their transformative work and impact on the community, please click on the links below:
Boston Consulting Group Fellows Program Concludes for 2024 and is Accepting Applications for 2025
This month we are concluding our 2024-25 Boston Consulting Group Fellows Program and announcing applications for our 2025-26 cohort. Nonprofit leaders interested in being matched with professional consultants for a year to tackle a critical organizational issue should submit an application to Val Ashley vashley@fairchance.org by Friday, April 4, 2025.
Congratulations to the 2024-2025 Fellows and thank you to Boston Consulting Group for their ongoing support!
We invite your voice in every newsletter—sharing updates from the communities Fair Chance serves, highlighting nonprofit issues and trends, and letting us know your preferred ways to engage with and learn about this work.
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