How Funders Can Respond to the Crises in Our Communities

MANP is pleased to share this guest post from the team at Maine Philanthropy Center outlining pathways to action for Giving Tuesday.

We are currently experiencing a polycrisis: multiple crises that intersect and amplify each other.

Families across all 16 counties continue to face rising costs of living, and as household budgets tighten, people are forced to choose between food, heat, housing, medical care, child care, and transportation. Recent federal shutdown threats created uncertainty around heating assistance programs like LIHEAP just as winter approaches, compounding the strain on already stretched households.

At the same time, the expiration of federal tax subsidies is driving up health insurance costs, leaving nonprofits and the communities they serve facing difficult decisions about care. Immigrants and refugees are experiencing heightened pressure and fear, with many limiting daily activities due to concerns about ICE. Together, these crises create a cascading set of harms, disproportionately affecting communities that have long navigated systemic inequities.

These crises are interconnected and they necessitate a philanthropic response grounded in urgency, flexibility, and equity. The good news: as a sector, we’ve built muscles for this—especially through the early years of the COVID-19 pandemic, when many funders shifted practices to move more resources, more quickly, to those closest to the work.

Mobilize Your Grantmaking

• Reach Out: Provide support now to trusted grantees based on what you are seeing, without requiring additional information or updated proposals.
• Loosen Restrictions: Convert restricted grants to unrestricted funding where possible, so nonprofits can respond to immediate needs.
• Give Collectively: Contribute to pooled or rapid-response funds that deploy resources equitably and quickly.
• Plan Ahead: Even if you cannot give now, commit to giving earlier and more flexibly in 2026.
• Increase Your Payout: If you haven’t already, temporarily raise your payout rate to move more funding now, when communities need it most.

Leverage More Than Grant Dollars

Funders have tools beyond traditional grantmaking and in moments like this, they matter.

• Use Recoverable Grants or PRIs: Provide low- or no-interest recoverable grants or program-related investments to help nonprofits stabilize cash flow or pursue time-sensitive opportunities.
• Activate Your Influence: Use your networks and relationships to elevate nonprofit needs, connect partners, and advocate for responsive public policy.
• Tell the Story: Share what you’re seeing and hearing with policymakers, especially the human impact of delayed benefits, rising costs, and system failures.
• Champion Grantees Publicly: Introduce their work to other funders, convene partners, and help broaden support for organizations on the front lines.

Funders are already responding to these crises and momentum is building.

• John T. Gorman Foundation committed $250,000 with the Governor’s Office to get food to those in need.
• Maine Community Foundation announced a $250,000 grant and is mobilizing its donor network to spotlight the best ways to support organizations addressing food insecurity.
• And, many have contributed to collective efforts like MPC’s Readiness & Response Fund, Maine Initiatives’ Immigrant-Led Organizations Rapid Response Fund, the Maine Solidarity Fund, and other pooled efforts.

As you respond to this moment, we urge you to ground yourself in equity-focused practices, keeping in mind the ripple of impacts created by the many crises facing our communities in conjunction with the systemic oppression that already exists. Support those who have been historically excluded from philanthropy, lean on your networks to expand your reach and impact, and act boldly in this time that requires courage and responsiveness.

If you are responding to the current crises in responsive or innovative ways, we at the Maine Philanthropy Center invite you to share your story with us so others can be inspired, learn, and take action. Connect with Emilie Eames at emilie@mainephilanthropy.org.