resources to TURN TO during challenging times.

Good communication with your funders is always important. Today, it is imperative.

While foundations are analyzing current conditions and determining their responses, you may wish to reach out to your funders (on a case-by-case basis) to provide a candid view of what's happening at your level. Be honest about the pressures you’re experiencing, what you're hearing from your constituency, and how your work on the ground may have shifted. Let them know about the actions you are taking to support your clients and community members. Your funders are your allies. Take this moment to strengthen your relationships with them and ask for what you need to sustain and adapt your work.

To stay informed and to ensure your voices are heard, the National Council of Nonprofits recommends the following actions nonprofits can take today:

• Join your state council of nonprofits (in California, it is CalNonProfits)
• Sign up for National Council of Nonprofits’ communications / follow on social media
• Share stories about the impact of federal funding cuts on your nonprofit and constituency with the National Council of Nonprofits, your state council of nonprofits, and members of Congress 

In addition, the resources below provide background and guidance to navigate the ever-changing landscape. Staying connected to these efforts keeps all of us stronger.

National Council of Nonprofits – Executive Orders Affecting Charitable Nonprofits (Monitoring Actions & Impacts) – Stay informed! 
This detailed chart, organized by topic area, tracks the impacts of Executive Orders on the nonprofit sector. The chart is frequently updated.
https://www.councilofnonprofits.org/files/media/documents/2025/chart-executive-orders.pdf

Minnesota Council of Nonprofits – Resources to Navigate Uncertainty 
This comprehensive list includes resources to support legal and HR compliance, scenario planning, financial modeling, nonprofit advocacy, and more.
https://minnesotanonprofits.org/resources-to-navigate-uncertainty

Democracy Forward – Democracy 2024 Response Center (Actions & Legal Responses) 
This tracker, updated daily, provides real-time analysis of the administration's actions and legal responses.
https://www.democracy2025.org/response-center

Courtwatch – Lawsuits Related to Trump Admin Executive Orders
https://www.courtwatch.news/p/lawsuits-related-to-trump-admin-executive-orders

Center for Effective Philanthropy Blog
Calling on Funders to Step Up!
https://cep.org/blog/now-is-the-time-to-lay-the-foundation-for-long-term-civic-resilience/
https://cep.org/blog/standing-strong-for-dei/
https://cep.org/blog/funders-i-want-to-tell-you-about-my-donkeys/

Statement by the CEO of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation
https://www.rwjf.org/en/about-rwjf/newsroom/2025/01/rwjf-statement-condemning-executive-order-backsliding-on-dei-and-health.html

Alliance for Justice – Recommendations for Nonprofit Response & Advocacy
https://afj.org/article/how-nonprofits-can-fight-back-against-trumps-harmful-executive-orders/

Creating Healthier Communities (CHC): Navigating DEI Changes
https://chcimpact.org/navigating-dei-changes-under-the-new-administration-what-nonprofits-need-to-know/

Common Good Data
https://www.commongooddata.com/blog/how-new-executive-orders-may-impact-nonprofits-what-you-need-to-know

​Train Your Board – Three Survival Strategies for 2025
Advocacy, mutual aid (informal & formal networks; cross-support among peer organizations), and self-care (individual, organizational, & movement-wide) as essential for social change 
https://trainyourboard.com/three-survival-strategies-for-2025/

Resources for Immigrant Communities (Know Your Rights)
https://www.asianlawcaucus.org/news-resources/guides-reports/know-your-rights-guide-for-immigrant-communities-in-2025
https://caasf.org/2025/01/community-resources-for-immigrants-in-2025/
​

Foundations are Listening. ​
​Here Are Six Ways for nonprofits to Get Heard.

​In the philanthropic sector, one silver lining to the COVID-19 crisis was that foundations began listening more to what grantees need. Hundreds of foundations have signed the ​Council on Foundations Pledge of Action​ to adopt emergency practices that are responsive to grantees’ needs. You have likely heard about these practices, which include removing many restrictions on current and future grants and reducing reporting requirements. But did you know that these 800+ foundations also pledged to be better communicators? The pledge includes these two commitments: 
​

• Communicate proactively and regularly about our decision-making and response to provide helpful information while not asking more of grantee partners. 

• Commit to listening to our partners and especially to those communities least heard, lifting up their voices and experiences to inform public discourse and our own decision-making so we can act on their feedback. 

Yes, that’s right. Foundations are looking to you for solutions. They want to know how crises like the pandemic are affecting your organization and your community. Funders want to know how they can help sustain the nonprofit ecosystem through a crisis, and how they can best support the most vulnerable individuals and communities. They can only learn this from you, who are on the front lines every day.

Even if you’re not providing crisis-focused direct services, funders want to know how you’ve adapted and what your plans are for the future. Now is the time to reach out to your program officers and donors to share what you are learning and what your organization needs.

Six ways to connect with your funders right now
We know you may not have time to build a deeper relationship with your program officer right now. You may be delivering food to hungry people. You may be struggling with technology challenges or stark budget realities.

Wherever your organization is right now, financially or programmatically, you can reach out to your funders. We have helped clients take these steps: 

• Create a one-page status report
• Produce an email newsletter
• Conduct one-on-one video meetings with major or long-term funders.

If you have more bandwidth, you can make special efforts to engage your funders as thought partners during this time. Consider these actions:

• Invite funders to listening sessions to hear directly from community members
• Ask funders to join you in a phone call or video chat to share how what they’ve learned in responding to the crisis. Share your learnings as well
• Host a virtual funder convening to share strategies across a larger network. The convening could focus on what your organization is doing right now or on your long-term vision to carry out your mission in a changing world.

We have seen positive results with all of these approaches and, in some cases, they have led to new funding. 

Inspiring trust in your leadership and work is most critical when funders are determining where their support will have the greatest impact—and when innovative support strategies and flexibility in funding are most helpful to your nonprofit.

Ask for what you need
In a true partnership, you need to be able to ask for what you really need. The power imbalance in the grantor-grantee relationship can make this hard, but we are seeing encouraging signs of change.

Here is one example: 
Emboldened by some of her funders’ recent flexibility with grantees, a client of ours recently reached out to her program officer. She asked that her nonprofit's grant be recategorized from program support to general support, and the answer was yes! The client can now use the funds where they're most needed during the crisis.

We can help
We would love to help you design strategies to keep your communication with funders flowing. 

Contact us at info [@] skwallis.com to learn more about our services.​