logo
    • Magazine
    • Membership
    • Donate
  • Racial Justice
  • Economic Justice
    • Collections
  • Climate Justice
  • Health Justice
  • Leadership
  • CONTENT TYPES
  • Subscribe
  • Webinars
    • Upcoming Webinars
    • Complimentary Webinars
    • Premium On-Demand Webinars
  • Membership
  • Submissions

An Advocacy Model: Community Pressure Staves Off Cuts to Local Nonprofits

Larry Kaplan
April 26, 2017
Share
Tweet
Share
Email
Print
“Listen.” Credit: ky

April 24, 2017; Bethesda

When community-based nonprofits organize their stakeholders and clients, they can put pressure on government policymakers and protect their public funding. That’s what happened in a suburb of Washington, D.C.

Bethesda Magazine reports that over a hundred employees and supporters of local nonprofits descended upon the Rockville council office building in Montgomery County, Maryland to oppose a proposed $600,000 budget cut in health-related grants to nonprofits offering after-school programs to at-risk kids, community meals for the hungry, and workforce training—a cut of one percent of the grant program’s annual budget.

“So many people were trying to enter [the building] for a Monday morning rally that it was difficult to get through the main entrance,” the article lead says. Many of the rally participants were clients of the nonprofits facing cuts, all with compelling stories to tell.

Sign up for our free newsletters

Subscribe to NPQ's newsletters to have our top stories delivered directly to your inbox.

By signing up, you agree to our privacy policy and terms of use, and to receive messages from NPQ and our partners.

The county executive had proposed the cuts in his fiscal 2018 budget, but council members told the rally participants that they planned to reject the cuts and even slightly increase the program’s funding. Seven of the nine council members promised to restore the funding.

It’s not quite what the nonprofits’ supporters were asking for—a three percent increase in total grant funding. But two council members told Bethesda Magazine that they were looking for ways to keep the funding at a consistent level in future budget years, as well.—Larry Kaplan

Correction: This article has been changed from its initial form. Rockville, Maryland, is in Montgomery County, not Rockville County. This was an editorial goof, and NPQ regrets the error.

Share
Tweet
Share
Email
Print
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Larry Kaplan

Larry Kaplan is a consultant based in Los Angeles. He describes himself as passionate about urban communities and social justice. He helps non-profit organizations leverage governmental and community relations to advocate for their causes, advance their missions, reach their fundraising goals and achieve their program objectives. He has built and maintained elected officials’ offices, managed political campaigns, helped public agencies increase their effectiveness, and advised private companies and associations on their philanthropic and civic responsibilities.

More about: AdvocacyCommunity OrganizingNonprofit NewsPolicy

Become a member

Support independent journalism and knowledge creation for civil society. Become a member of Nonprofit Quarterly.

Members receive unlimited access to our archived and upcoming digital content. NPQ is the leading journal in the nonprofit sector written by social change experts. Gain access to our exclusive library of online courses led by thought leaders and educators providing contextualized information to help nonprofit practitioners make sense of changing conditions and improve infra-structure in their organizations.

Join Today
logo logo logo logo logo
See comments

NPQ_Winter_2022Subscribe Today
You might also like
Building Trust: How to Put Bottom-Up Organizing Principles to Work
Ramón Cruz
Fight and Build: Envisioning Solidarity Economies as Transformative Politics
Penn Loh and Boone W. Shear
How do water shutoffs impact low-income communities?
Iris Crawford
Cancelling Student Debt Is Necessary for Racial Justice
Kitana Ananda
To Save Legal Aid, Expand Public Service Loan Forgiveness
Zoë Polk
Funding for Radical Imagination and Liberation
Tanya Watkins

Popular Webinars

Remaking the Economy

Black Food Sovereignty, Community Stories

Register Now

Combating Disinformation and Misinformation in 21st-Century Social Movements

Register Now

Remaking the Economy

Closing the Racial Wealth Gap

Register Now
You might also like
Building Trust: How to Put Bottom-Up Organizing Principles...
Ramón Cruz
Fight and Build: Envisioning Solidarity Economies as...
Penn Loh and Boone W. Shear
How do water shutoffs impact low-income communities?
Iris Crawford

Like what you see?

Subscribe to the NPQ newsletter to have our top stories delivered directly to your inbox.

See our newsletters

By signing up, you agree to our privacy policy and terms of use, and to receive messages from NPQ and our partners.

Independent & in your mailbox.

Subscribe today and get a full year of NPQ for just $59.

subscribe
  • About
  • Contact
  • Advertise
  • Copyright
  • Careers

We are using cookies to give you the best experience on our website.

 

Non Profit News | Nonprofit Quarterly
Powered by  GDPR Cookie Compliance
Privacy Overview

This website uses cookies so that we can provide you with the best user experience possible. Cookie information is stored in your browser and performs functions such as recognising you when you return to our website and helping our team to understand which sections of the website you find most interesting and useful.

Strictly Necessary Cookies

Strictly Necessary Cookie should be enabled at all times so that we can save your preferences for cookie settings.

If you disable this cookie, we will not be able to save your preferences. This means that every time you visit this website you will need to enable or disable cookies again.