State Budget and Spending
Budget and spending decisions by governments affect all inhabitants and these decisions can have immediate and significant consequences for the people nonprofits serve and the communities in which they operate.
Why It Matters
Nonprofits work in every community, whether caring for returning soldiers, educating children, rebuilding cities, training the workforce, nursing the sick, supporting our elders, elevating the arts, mentoring our youth, protecting natural resources, nurturing our souls, and much more.
As front-line providers of services and as organizations grounded in their communities, charitable nonprofits have a stake in the strength and well-being of the economy and of governments at all levels. Conversely, given the vital role nonprofits play in both the economic and social well-being of our nation, society has an equally strong stake in ensuring that our nonprofits are healthy and able to fulfill their missions in support of the public good.
Where We Stand
The Council of Nonprofits opposes arbitrary and across-the-board budget cuts at any level of government and will work to inform policymakers of the impact of budget proposals on communities. The Council of Nonprofits likewise opposes policies or gimmicks that institutionalize restrictions on lawmakers’ fiscal options.
The National Council of Nonprofits opposes the offloading of government services onto nonprofits without paying nonprofits the cost of providing these services. When federal, state, and local revenue is reduced, nonprofits providing public services through grants and contracts with government typically receive disproportionate cuts.
National Council of Nonprofits Public Policy Agenda
Status
States periodically reform their budget or taxing process. The network of the National Council of Nonprofits works to ensure that these decisions do not disproportionately hurt the work of nonprofits and the communities they serve. This includes funding and spending levels for government programs performed by nonprofit service providers and also tax reforms that decrease charitable giving incentives.
Key Issues
Additional Resources
- “State Budget Crises: Ripping the Safety Net Held by Nonprofits,” National Council of Nonprofits Special Report March 2010
- National Association of State Budget Officers
- Center on Budget and Policy Priorities
