Effects of Executive Actions on Nonprofits: share the effects on your missions and the people you serve

Posted by PA Association of Nonprofit Organizations (PANO) on February 4, 2025

As you may have heard by now, the Trump administration issued a “temporary” pause on federal grants and loans and then rescinded the executive order.

There is significant uncertainty about how such a broad order could have affected nonprofit organizations. Regardless of its reach, we are certain this action could have effectively halted many billions of dollars in federal grants and loans to organizations across the country and could have left many other federal payments in jeopardy — including grants and loans issued to charitable nonprofits, research bodies, community projects, and more in Pennsylvania. There is also a constitutional question, as it is Congress, not the Executive Branch that holds the power of the purse and has authorized these expenditures.

To help get a better sense of the real-world effects of the earlier-announced Executive Orders and the freeze in federal funding, The National Council of Nonprofits (NCN) has set up a form on their website for nonprofits to share possible effects on their missions and the people they serve. If your nonprofit is affected by either, please fill out the brief form and share the form with other nonprofits you know.

Sharing our collective story about the ripple effect a pause in federal funding will have on Pennsylvania communities is one way to take action – during a time when everything is so uncertain. Keep the stories coming and stay connected to each other.