When Funding Is Under Threat, Your Mission Is the Strategy

Nonprofits are facing a political environment where essential missions are under attack and public funding is disappearing. The Trump administration has made it far more difficult for many nonprofits to continue receiving government support.

Organizations whose missions or values run afoul of those of the White House and its allies in Congress, especially those connected to LGBTQ+ rights, immigration, racial equity, women’s rights, voting rights, international relief, and the ever-present boogeyman of DEI, are facing the greatest funding pressures.

This dynamic has led some nonprofits to self-censor, changing language they use to communicate their missions, sometimes omitting any mention of the communities they strive to serve, in an effort to avoid the wrath of the White House.

“It’s really about building a solid donor and support system where you have donors, long-time supporters, and allies who understand your work.”

But leaders warn self-censorship may offer short-term relief at the expense of long-term trust with communities and with donors.

According to nonprofit leaders I spoke with recently, staying true to your mission—in your language, your programs, and your public narrative—is not only an ethical imperative but often a crucial component to securing and maintaining long-term funding. It means holding firm to your purpose, telling the truth about the communities you serve, and seeking out funding from donors who want to support the work as it actually is.

“A major factor in changing administrations is always funding,” noted Elizabeth Frederick, executive director of Avenues for Justice, which provides alternatives to incarceration and support services for young people in New York City. “And criminal justice is one of those areas that really depends on the administration.”

Frederick says she’s confident that donors who support the work at Avenues for Justice won’t change their minds on a whim. They’re committed to funding criminal justice reform.

And she cautions that changing your language to chase a grant can undermine the relationships that make long-term stability possible.

“Policies and programs will always change, but our purpose doesn’t.”

“It’s really about building a solid donor and support system where you have donors, long-time supporters, and allies who understand your work,” Frederick said.

Mission Drift

While changing language or programming to avoid political persecution might seem like a reasonable or even necessary tactic to ensure the survival of an organization, leaders who spoke with NPQ say drifting from your mission can come at a significant cost.

“Policies and programs will always change, but our purpose doesn’t,” said Daren Strunk, COO of The Worker, a nonprofit that helps people overcome barriers to employment. “We believe that quality employment and stable housing are the foundation for dignity and stability. When rules shift or funding slows, we return to that core belief to guide our decisions.”

As Strunk put it, staying true to the mission helps his team stay “focused on what matters most, helping people build lives of independence and hope, no matter what’s happening around us.”

Strunk and Frederick both noted that donors who are aligned with your mission are the ones who stay through crises, policy swings, and funding cuts. Adjusting your language or reshaping programs to appeal to short-term opportunities may offer temporary relief, but it can erode trust with the community and the donors who support the work that’s most essential to the mission.

Resist the Urge to Pivot

A clear pressure nonprofits are facing right now is the expectation to change how they describe the people they serve to remain eligible for funding.

But as Frederick emphasized, the mission is your funding strategy, not a liability to be managed.

“Before, it was okay for us to say that the majority of our participants are Black and Brown. Now, we’re being asked to change that language, and we’ve had to push back,” Frederick told NPQ. “But we can’t just remove a whole demographic for funding, and we’re never going to apply for a grant if we have to describe our participants in a way that’s not the truth.”

Frederick said that the most reliable way to remain truthful in language and mission is to reduce dependence on funding that requires compromise: “Look at private funding, especially funding that’s focused on general operating support and that’s not program-specific because if that funding gets cut, that program gets cut.”