Iowa Nonprofit Recovery Coalition Receives 388 Signatures on Letter of Support to the State Legislature

As the Iowa State Legislature reconvened last week, the Iowa Nonprofit Recovery Coalition received 388 signatures of support from funders, business partners, nonprofits, and individual donors and volunteers throughout the state for its letter to the general assembly requesting Federal and State support for the nonprofit sector. The coalition is comprised of United Ways of Iowa, Iowa Council of Foundations, Delta Dental of Iowa Foundation, Mid-Iowa Health Foundation, Community Foundation of Greater Des Moines, Bravo of Greater Des Moines, and United Way of Central Iowa.

The COVID-19 pandemic swiftly impacted our entire world, but our local communities and our state are where we feel the disruption most. As nonprofits continue to provide essential community services, the sector has and will continue to experience challenges in mission-delivery and leading our communities to recovery.

According to the open letter: “Iowa nonprofits will face a perfect storm of significantly increased service demands and expenses, combined with limited opportunity to generate resources required to best serve their constituents in the coming months. These unique challenges have not been fully addressed by federal or state relief. We are asking the Iowa State Legislators to consider the nonprofit sector when working toward our state’s economic recovery.”

According to research from the Iowa Economic Development Authority conducted by the University of Northern Iowa, nonprofit revenue projections anticipate a 49 percent decline in revenues over the next 90 days. Due to these resource constraints, a coordinating 35 percent reduction in employment is expected. Iowa nonprofits represent 11 percent of our state’s total workforce – over 170,000 workers – many of whom have continued to serve during this crisis.

The Iowa nonprofit community stands ready to partner with policymakers and businesses to create a path to recovery for our state by stabilizing Iowan’s basic needs and providing job training, education, and supportive services to help speed economic growth.

In addition to sending the Iowa Nonprofit Support Letter via email and post, the Iowa Nonprofit Recovery Coalition is asking the public to call, email, or connect with their Legislators through social media to share support for the state’s nonprofits and for the increasing number of Iowans who rely on nonprofit services. Visit The Iowa Legislature website to find your legislator: https://www.legis.iowa.gov/legislators/find

Read the letter and find the list of 388 signers of support: Iowa Nonprofit Recovery Coalition Letter of Support