Dear NPW Community:
The National Council of Nonprofits issued this comprehensive report: Strengthening State and Local Economies in Partnership with Nonprofits: Principles, Recommendations, and Models for Investing Coronavirus State and Local Fiscal Recovery Funds. We strongly recommend you read the report.
Congress expressly declared in the American Rescue Plan Act (“ARPA”) that state, local, Tribal, and territorial governments may use their allocations of the $350 billion in Coronavirus State and Local Fiscal Recovery Funds to provide “assistance to households, small businesses, and nonprofits, or to aid impacted industries."
Nationwide and in every community in America, charitable nonprofits provide vital services and are a key part of the economy, employing more people than the construction, finance, and manufacturing industries.
During the pandemic, tens of millions more Americans than usual turned to charitable organizations for help – and nonprofits delivered. Yet resources declined for tens of thousands of nonprofits, resulting in the loss of more than 700,000 nonprofit jobs. For communities and local economies to recover, governments need to invest in the work of nonprofits.
(Strengthening State and Local Economies in Partnership with Nonprofits, National Council of Nonprofits)
ARPA investments must include funding to support services delivered by Westchester’s nonprofits AND, like other businesses, operational and infrastructure needs resulting from the pandemic. Therefore, we have, and will continue to, advocate and work with our partners and colleagues in State and County government to ensure that nonprofits are recognized as necessary recipients of ARPA funding to meet business-related needs.
Please reach out to me with any feedback or information you would like to share.
Sincerely,
Jan Fisher
Executive Director
