News & Stories
Collective Action for Community Resilience
Photo credit: SEEDS
Image description: A group of five SEEDS EcoCorps members standing on a forest trail holding tools, surrounded by tall trees and dense green foliage.
Since last year, our region has experienced unprecedented pauses and reductions in federal funding, threatening the viability of critical community programs as social and economic pressures have increased demand for services. Early in 2025, we began meeting with other local funding partners, including Rotary Charities of Traverse City and the Oleson Foundation, to assess the regional scope of federal funding disruptions and identify how we could align to support nonprofits throughout this period of upheaval and uncertainty.
“As we’ve met, we’ve thought strategically about what we can all do together to support our partners and our region,” said Stephanie Rustem, Executive Director of the Oleson Foundation. “By keeping an open line of communication, we can get aligned, share resources, leverage opportunities, and tackle challenges together and in our own unique ways.”
Together, we’ve explored how we can shape coordinated strategies for regional resilience. In 2025, we conducted regular surveys of our nonprofit partners to understand how federal funding cuts and uncertainty impact them over time. We also held nonprofit convenings to learn about their needs provide a space where nonprofit partners could connect, share resources, and discover opportunities for collaboration.
As a result of these efforts, we’ve learned that 55% of nonprofit organizations who responded to our surveys receive federal funding, with 85% of federal grant recipients reporting potential impacts ranging from service reductions to program termination. Additionally, nonprofits have witnessed rising housing and food insecurity across our region, resulting in increased demand for basic needs.
“The proposed federal funding cuts have the potential to dismantle the homeless response system as we know it.,” shared Ashley Halladay-Schmandt, Director of the Northwest Michigan Coalition to End Homelessness. “If the cuts go through, up to 70 people in our region who are currently in permanent housing will be at great risk of losing their housing and returning to the streets or shelters.”
The threat of additional funding reductions alongside already implemented cuts are impacting the ways organizations are serving our communities. Unsurprisingly, organizations have been tapping into emergency funds and nonprofit staff are experiencing burnout.
“A lot of unnecessary concern, fear, and confusion has been created, affecting both our staff and service recipients. It’s a lot to manage and it’s a lot of energy being redirected away from what we love to do,” said Sarna Salzman, Executive Director of SEEDS Ecology and Education Centers.
We are committed to listening to nonprofit partners and stewarding collaborative resources to offer support that responds to real-time needs, as evidenced by Rotary Charities leadership in dedicating their fall 2025 workshop series to skill-building for uncertain times. Joined with funding support from the us, the Oleson Foundation, and the Huckle Family Foundation, the learning series focused on scenario planning, internal change management, and adapting funding and communication strategies was made possible.
“While we know that philanthropy and funders can’t match or replace the scale of federal funding that has benefited our region, we can implement unique, proactive, and responsive ways to be supportive,” said Alison Metiva, our President and CEO. “The fall workshops were one way we could collaborate to provide practical tools quickly to address the needs of our local nonprofit sector.”
The funder’s collaborative has regularly invited feedback and information-sharing from nonprofit partners, allowing us to create a more well-rounded and thoughtful approach to this challenging landscape. Sarna from SEEDS noted she’s seen local funding partners “triple down” on listening alongside a willingness to reconsider norms. Even with our efforts so far, we will need to continue to listen and show up for our nonprofit partners as the future remains uncertain.
“We know that more challenges are ahead for nonprofits and the communities they serve,” said Sakura Takano, CEO of Rotary Charities. “As funders, that means working together and stewarding our collective resources into support that is timely, practical, and responsive to what organizations are experiencing now.”
As we recognize the difficulties that lie ahead, we remain committed to navigating them together. We know our region will continue to feel the effects of federal funding disruptions. But through collaboration, shared learning, and consistent communication, we can strengthen the networks that support our communities.
Writer: Kristina Pepelko