EDITORIAL: Transformation damages charitable giving network
May 12-As a recent Columbian article details, nonprofits throughout Southwest Washington are feeling the impact of cuts in federal funding.
"YWCA Clark County, for example, relies on both local and federal funding," reporter Kimberly Cortez explains. "The organization was recently denied grants it had previously received, often without clear explanation, while other funding opportunities disappeared under the Trump administration, CEO Brittini Lasseigne said."
That is just one example of the impact created by the Trump administration, which has transformed federal support for charities throughout the nation. The strategy is damaging to America's network of charitable giving; most importantly, it is fueled by tropes claiming widespread waste in federal spending.
As a White House spokesperson told the Associated Press last year, "Instead of government largesse that's often riddled with corruption, waste, fraud, and abuse, the Trump administration is focused on unleashing America's economic resurgence to fuel Americans' individual generosity."
Undoubtedly, many Americans agree with that assessment. Trump was elected after promising to "drain the swamp," and there are many examples of fraud in organizations that profess to be charitable. "Self-dealing, nepotism and conflicts of interest are widespread at dozens of the nonprofit groups that run New York City's $4 billion network of homeless shelters," the New York Times wrote in the wake of a 2024 report.
But there are numerous problems inherent in such thinking.
One is the assertion that private giving will make up for the loss of federal funding. Industry experts say that is a Pollyannaish viewpoint that is not close to reality.
Another is that the cuts were part of Trump's promise to reduce and refocus spending with the goal of bringing the federal deficit under control. Instead, the deficit has ballooned since he returned to office. The national debt has climbed to nearly $39 trillion - approximately $3 trillion more than in January 2025. That debt has been fueled by broad tax cuts that experts say primarily benefit wealthy Americans.
Another is that claims of fraud in some nonprofits call for targeted cuts and, when warranted, prosecutions. They do not warrant across-the-board cuts that impact millions of Americans who receive necessary assistance from worthy charities.
And another is that cuts to local nonprofits simply shift the burden to local and state governments. They do not eliminate the need for help with housing, rent, food, daycare, healthcare or other daily requirements.
In that regard, the issue touches upon philosophical issues that permeate our nation's politics. There is, indeed, some value in the belief that self-sufficiency is what built the United States. But there also is some cruelty behind the notion.
As President Ronald Reagan reputedly said: "How can we love our country and not love our countrymen; and loving them, reach out a hand when they fall, heal them when they're sick, and provide opportunity to make them self-sufficient so they will be equal in fact and not just in theory?"
According to a survey of nonprofits by the Community Foundation for Southwest Washington, 53 percent of respondents in our area benefited from federal grants or contracts. On average, these sources accounted for 37 percent of their organizational budgets.
That demonstrates the impact of cuts by the current administration. Our community is poorer for it.
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