Shutdown hits nonprofits

The ongoing federal government shutdown is affecting Utah charitable organizations on two separate fronts, according to a recent survey by the Utah Nonprofits Association. 

Foremost among the concerns expressed by UNA members is the stoppage in the flow of federal funds that keep the organizations afloat. More than half of the organizations receive government funding, with 38 percent relying on federal dollars.{mprestriction ids="1,3"} Much of that money is not being received during the shutdown.

Secondly, nonprofits are seeing an increase in the demand for their services as furloughed and unpaid government workers, contractors and others affected by the shutdown seek aid. 

“Some of (our) organizations are forced to take out lines of credit or lay off staff and reduce or eliminate certain services — costs in economic and human terms that will never be recovered even when government operations return to normal,” said a spokesperson for the National Council of Nonprofits. 

One local employee of a nonprofit that deals with domestic abuse survivors who preferred to remain anonymous said, “Our staff members already work for very little to accomplish important social services for domestic and sexual violence survivors and we are at the point where we will have to tell survivors we can’t help them and tell our staff to go home and that we can’t pay them until the government approves a budget. This is completely unacceptable.”

The survey included 67 Utah nonprofits and was conducted in mid-January.{/mprestriction}