Actions to Meet the Moment

As Barr President Jim Canales reflected recently in his post, our Barr team remains keenly attuned to the rapidly evolving context and the challenges facing our grantees as well as the nonprofit sector as a whole. We wanted to provide an update on some of the actions we’re taking based on what we’ve been hearing and learning from our grantees and partners.

We’re focused on program actions at three levels at this time:

1. Supports for all Barr grantees

We’ve heard consistent concerns from grantees across our program areas in a number of areas such as physical safety, digital security, legal protections, and wellness. We have sought to quickly identify and roll out a set of resources available to all of our grantees on those topics starting this month, and will be adding a workshop series on contingency planning and scenario planning to provide additional tools for grantees to assess and explore how best to adapt and evolve to sustain their work and impact. We will be determining additional steps based on feedback on those resources and further conversations with grantees.

At a more individualized level, each of Barr’s team members is continuing their ongoing conversations with grantees to explore ways to be helpful wherever we can. In many cases, we can consider flexibility on the terms of a current grant, for example on grant purpose, length, or payment schedule.

2. Resources focused on the fields in which we work

Beyond the challenges to individual organizations, each of the fields in which we work faces major funding cutbacks and threats. Alongside the overall grantee resources we are developing, Barr teams are organizing supports for grantees targeted to the particular needs in their fields. One team has organized crisis communications workshops to help them both anticipate and prepare for urgent communications needs as well as plan longer-term communications strategies in a changed environment. Another team’s grantee newsletter is curating resources specific to their field and elevating inspiring bright spots of continued progress; and they are making space in grantee convenings to help grantees connect and learn from each other about their respective thinking and approaches. The teams are sharing information with their grantees as they develop and offer these supports.

In addition, each of our programs has been working in collaboration with other funders and partners to track developments, share information and resources, and coordinate action across the fields they’re focused on, beyond Barr’s grantees. For example, one of our teams is supporting a hub established by a grantee to share timely information with state-based advocates and support organizations in their field across the region as they navigate the evolving federal funding landscape.

3. Efforts to defend and protect the nonprofit and philanthropic sector

Serious threats face our sector as a whole. We are providing additional unrestricted funds to a number of national organizations focused on supporting or protecting the sector through analyzing and disseminating information on developments in Washington, and taking rapid action on behalf of the sector overall.

As one example, we are providing additional support to our current grantee, the National Council of Nonprofits, whose webpage on the impact of recent Executive Orders on nonprofits is a tremendous resource, not to mention the swift legal actions they have taken to defend the sector. We also supported the Urban Institute’s analysis behind the financial risk of nonprofits losing government grants, which has been a key source of data to understand the potential impacts of federal funding cuts. We are working in collaboration with other funders on these efforts and encouraging others to join us.

We are deeply aware of the scale of potential federal funding cuts and the impacts on our grantees and communities. In Massachusetts alone, charities reported receiving over $10 billion in government grants in 2021 (according to the Urban Institute report noted above). Philanthropy doesn’t have the level of resources to fill the gaps left by federal funding rollbacks. So we aim to be strategic and targeted about how to apply our resources for greatest impact and progress in our priority areas, keeping our grantees and partners at the center.

The context is sure to continue evolving in the coming weeks and months. The Barr Foundation remains steadfast in its values and goals and determination to be responsive and creative. We appreciate the partnership and commitment of all of our partners as we navigate these challenging times together.