How will the federal grant and loan freeze affect non-profits around the country and Southwest Michigan? United Way of Southwest Michigan President Anna Murphy tells us the non-profit community is certainly talking about that.
For the most part, the United Way of Southwest Michigan doesn’t get much in the way of federal funding, but it serves many groups that do.
“Since we saw that come in, the executive order come in, we are just basically asking the organizations that we see that get federal or pass-through funding if they think that this will impact them,” Murphy said.
Murphy says the United Way is in the middle of making decisions for the funding cycle that starts on July 1. How different organizations could be affected by the federal move could affect what the United Way is able to do for them.
“The question is if it shuts the program down or it limits the service, yes, that will ultimately impact the ALICE families that we’re trying to meet the needs of.”
Murphy says at the United Way, the only programs that could be affected are the VITA tax preparation service, which she doesn’t believe will be impacted, and the Emergency Food and Shelter program, which hasn’t received information on its next funding phase yet.
Since the move by the White House is still new, she says many organizations are still trying to find out what it will mean for them.
A federal judge late Tuesday issued a stay of Trump’s funding freeze through Monday.
