Nation's Charitable Nonprofits Urge Congress to Move Frontline Responders to the Front of the Line for COVID-19 Relief

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Apr 20, 2020, 13:48 ET

WASHINGTON, April 20, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Listening to debate and deliberations from Capitol Hill this past week, we are concerned that the urgent needs of nonprofit organizations are not being addressed. Will charities be largely left out of the current relief package, too?

Since the beginning of the novel coronavirus pandemic, the nation's nonprofits have stepped up to serve their communities in countless ways — serving meals to those who lack food, providing childcare for health care and other essential workers, overseeing children in foster care, providing training and career fairs virtually, and checking in on vulnerable individuals, just to name a few. Many other nonprofits will play critical roles in the economic recovery following the pandemic.

With a workforce of 12.3 million, including hundreds of thousands of essential frontline responders, the nation's nonprofits are mission-focused on making communities stronger. In the toughest times, we do the toughest work, and we are in dire need of support. However, many nonprofits have not been able to access the relief provided in the previous stimulus packages. This is especially true of charitable nonprofits with more than 500 employees who have the scale to serve a greater number of people. At the same time, large numbers of charities with fewer than 500 employees have been effectively shut out of the Paycheck Protection Program.

Many charitable organizations are struggling to make ends meet due to declines in giving and the forced closures of other entities that contribute to their revenue streams. With so many nonprofits dependent on individual giving, the economic impact of the pandemic is driving donations down when demand is at an all-time high. If these essential organizations close their doors, many people in communities across the country will have nowhere else to turn for vital services.

It's time for these essential frontline responders to be put at the front of the line to access stimulus relief. As Congress is on the verge of acting to infuse the Paycheck Protection Program with additional funds and implement additional vehicles for economic relief, the nation's charitable nonprofits strongly urge congressional leaders to ensure that nonprofits, including those with more than 500 employees, have dedicated access to additional dollars so they can continue to see their communities through this pandemic and beyond.

The nation's leading nonprofits advocating for nonprofit provisions in Congress relief packages, include:

Alliance for Strong Families and Communities
American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network
Americans for the Arts
American Heart Association
Covenant House International
Ducks Unlimited
Girls Inc.
Goodwill Industries International
Habitat for Humanity International
The Jewish Federations of North America
Lutheran Services in America
Mental Health America
National Council of Nonprofits
Union of Orthodox Jewish Congregations of America
United Way Worldwide
Welcoming America
YMCA of the USA
YWCA USA