The BDN Opinion section operates independently and does not set news policies or contribute to reporting or editing articles elsewhere in the newspaper or on bangordailynews.com
Jennifer Hutchins is the executive director of the Maine Association of Nonprofits. Justin Strasburger is the executive director of Full Plates Full Potential and board president of the Maine Association of Nonprofits.
From executive orders and funding claw-backs to the government shutdown and suspension of SNAP benefits, the last nine months have been exceptionally difficult for Maine’s nonprofits, putting the health, safety and well-being of Maine people at extraordinary risk.
Political and economic shifts are not new for nonprofit leaders who are well accustomed to uncertainty and adapting to funders changing priorities. We have no choice. Our core purpose places community above all else — to be there when a job is lost, a family home destroyed, or an older person needs help with groceries or keeping their house warm.
This year, it’s the rapidity, volume and lack of transparent, evidence-based strategy that leaves nonprofits facing the unprecedented challenge of replacing a sudden loss of millions of dollars in public support. These cuts are not only impossible to predict and plan for, they cannot be replaced dollar for dollar by local government and philanthropy.
The negative impact of sudden, capricious funding cuts is far-reaching.
In an Urban Institute survey earlier this year, about one-third of nonprofits reported experiencing a disruption in their government funding in the first half of 2025, including cuts, delays, or freezes. And 73% of them anticipate demand for services to increase over the next 12 months. In a recent Maine Association of Nonprofits’ survey, 67% of respondents reported delays, reductions or cancellations in funding.
According to Good Shepherd Food Bank, hunger in Maine is at its highest rate in almost 10 years, with more than 190,000 Mainers living with food insecurity. The suspension of SNAP benefits during the six-week government shutdown added extraordinary stress onto people already struggling to access healthy food. In northern and Down East Maine, Community Action in Aroostook, Washington and Hancock counties is receiving up to 900 calls per day for heating assistance as temperatures drop and federal funds are slow to return. Meals on Wheels programs are seeing longer wait lists for nutritious meals for isolated Maine seniors.
Maine’s nonprofits are not huge, out-of-state conglomerates. The vast majority are small, local organizations, often run by our friends and neighbors, who are volunteering their time. They are food pantries, community centers, domestic violence shelters, libraries, literacy programs, youth mentoring services and houses of worship — all doing more and more with less and less.
At the same time, nonprofits are a critical part of the state’s economy, employing one in six Maine workers, with annual spending of $16 billion in goods and services. Each year, they leverage over $1 billion in private funding and mobilize 400,000 volunteers, who donate nearly $800 million worth of time and talent to strengthen our communities.
By haphazardly cutting federal funding, we risk weakening the foundation of civil society in Maine. Our nonprofits, already stretched to their limits, are a crucial part of an engaged, inclusive community. Recent funding practices abandon the principle of “neighbors helping neighbors,” creating division and leaving behind those who most need support, especially in rural and underserved areas.
Supporting nonprofits is a good investment. They are often the most efficient and effective way to meet local needs. If we truly value economic resilience, community well-being, and opportunity for all, we must recommit to — and strengthen — our support.
Maine’s nonprofits are stepping up, but they can’t do it alone. Solving the needs of our communities requires nonprofit-government partnerships, and it requires dependable funding. In the season of giving, please consider standing with these critical organizations by giving your time, your generous donation, and by calling your legislators to express support for the nonprofits in your community.
