A recent Boston Foundation-Mass Inc. survey of more than 500 Massachusetts nonprofit leaders painted a sobering picture. Federal funding cuts and policy changes are already hitting our local communities hard.Earlier this year, Mass Humanities lost $1.3 million from the National Endowment for the Humanities — more than a third of its annual funding. The Museum of African American History lost $500,000. The Greater Boston Food Bank lost nearly $2.3 million in emergency food resources due to reductions in federal funding.These aren’t mere numbers. They represent programs that feed families, shelter the vulnerable and preserve our shared history. Nonprofits today face painful choices, like whether to lay off staff, freeze wages or cut back on services, all while trying to find new sources of funding.On leading of this, the recently enacted One Big Beautiful Bill Act has ushered in the largest federal cuts to food assistance and Medicaid in history. Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program cuts alone could affect more than 150,000 Massachusetts households. Medicaid changes could strip health coverage from more than 300,000 people.In the coming months, thousands of our neighbors will face heartbreaking choices: eat or heat; meals or medicine.But we CAN do something about it. Support grantmaking for nonprofits at The Boston Foundation. Donate to the United Way’s Response Fund. Give to the Greater Boston Food Bank as so many of you did so generously during WCVB’s Day of Giving last week.As the safety net unravels, we must become the threads that hold our community together.Finally, we want to say a very special word about a very special member of our own WCVB community.Karen Holmes Ward is set to retire after an incredible four-decade career, which included host and executive producer of CityLine, longtime director of public affairs and community services, and a member of our editorial board.Few have more embodied WCVB’s historic commitment to local programming and community engagement. A committed journalist and tireless advocate for stronger, safer and more inclusive communities, Ward’s contributions have made life richer and better for countless people. We will miss her, and we — along with so many — are forever grateful for her service.
A recent Boston Foundation-Mass Inc. survey of more than 500 Massachusetts nonprofit leaders painted a sobering picture. Federal funding cuts and policy changes are already hitting our local communities hard.
Earlier this year, Mass Humanities lost $1.3 million from the National Endowment for the Humanities — more than a third of its annual funding. The Museum of African American History lost $500,000. The Greater Boston Food Bank lost nearly $2.3 million in emergency food resources due to reductions in federal funding.
These aren’t mere numbers. They represent programs that feed families, shelter the vulnerable and preserve our shared history. Nonprofits today face painful choices, like whether to lay off staff, freeze wages or cut back on services, all while trying to find new sources of funding.
On leading of this, the recently enacted One Big Beautiful Bill Act has ushered in the largest federal cuts to food assistance and Medicaid in history. Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program cuts alone could affect more than 150,000 Massachusetts households. Medicaid changes could strip health coverage from more than 300,000 people.
In the coming months, thousands of our neighbors will face heartbreaking choices: eat or heat; meals or medicine.
But we CAN do something about it. Support grantmaking for nonprofits at The Boston Foundation. Donate to the United Way’s Response Fund. Give to the Greater Boston Food Bank as so many of you did so generously during WCVB’s Day of Giving last week.
As the safety net unravels, we must become the threads that hold our community together.
Finally, we want to say a very special word about a very special member of our own WCVB community.
Karen Holmes Ward is set to retire after an incredible four-decade career, which included host and executive producer of CityLine, longtime director of public affairs and community services, and a member of our editorial board.
Few have more embodied WCVB’s historic commitment to local programming and community engagement. A committed journalist and tireless advocate for stronger, safer and more inclusive communities, Ward’s contributions have made life richer and better for countless people. We will miss her, and we — along with so many — are forever grateful for her service.
About the Author
