Page 7 - BusinessWest May 26, 2025

to give us,” she said, acknowledging that, in most campaigns of this
nature, funding is sought for capital projects such as a new build-
ing, but in this case, it’s to continue programming for which the
agency can no longer secure grant funding.
“There’s still domestic violence going on, there’s still child abuse
going on, there’s still sex trafficking going on, there’s still human
trafficking going on, and there’s still stalking going on,” she said.
“And that means that the nonprofits in that arena that do that work
are being stripped of the funding, and the survivors aren’t able to
get the services they need.”
What Dineen is experiencing — and her response, in terms of
both action to keep programs running and strong words about what
will happen if they are curtailed or eliminated — is being repeated
across the region, at dozens of nonprofits.
Including Revitalize Community Development Corp. (CDC),
where President and CEO Colleen Shanley-Loveless is respond-
ing to the termination of that $1 million grant to combat asthma as
well as a $1.5 million stake in the EPA grant to Springfield that was
terminated.
The former went to the state Department of Public Health, she
said, adding that roughly $900,000 was left to be spent on the
Healthy Homes program and initiatives that have been successful in
bringing the rates of asthma down in this region.
“Indoor air quality in housing is impacted by gas stoves, older
housing stock with leaky roofs, poor ventilation, etc.,” she said. “We
piloted healthy homes work with Revitalize CDC and the city of
Springfield. The work to address housing needs is critical to keep
people healthy; these are proven interventions to help folks control
asthma.”
Elaborating, she said funds have been terminated, or are in
limbo, for several air-quality-related initiatives, including an EPA
grant to the Hitchcock Center in Amherst and Springfield’s $20
million EPA Community Challenge grant, and the impact from
these cuts could be devastating, with area health officials projecting
increases in asthma hospitalizations and the cost of that care, as
well as higher morbidity and mortality rates.
Shanley-Loveless said her agency has diverse funding streams
and some public support, but nothing that can make up for the loss
of millions of dollars in federal grants.
“Private funding is not going to have the impact of some of
these larger grants, and the state can’t make up for all of it,” she
explained. “And that’s the challenging part; $1.5 million is a large
amount — if we apply to a foundation for $50,000, that’s a good
amount, but it doesn’t come close to the amount and the impact of
those federal grants.”
Clearing the Air — or Not
Jessica Collins, executive director of the Public Health Institute
of Western Massachusetts, agreed, adding that, while nonprofits of
all kinds are under duress, the Trump administration seems to be
“piling on” when it comes to those involved with public health.
She has some theories about why, including lingering resent-
ment over how the COVID crisis was handled. But the ‘why’ isn’t as
important as the ‘what,’ she noted.
“The attack on climate change is really devastating,” said Collins,
adding that her agency was to be a major subcontractor to Spring-
field to help the city carry out strategies related to that $20 million
EPA grant, just one initiative in the broad realm of climate change
her agency was slated to be involved in.
“We were being set up for a decade’s work to engage, educate,
and inform people of how climate impacts health, but also to work
with partners like the city of Springfield to literally change policy
and infrastructure,” she said. “And now, all of that will be paused.”
There will be appeals to lawmakers to restore the funds and, in
many cases, lawsuits to accomplish that same end, said Collins and
others we spoke with, but nonprofits are bracing for the possibil-
ity, if not the probability, that they will have to move on without that
funding.
And that has implications for individual nonprofits as they look
to maintain staff and carry out missions, as well as their various
partners in various
initiatives.
“Last year, our budget
was $4 million, but more
Nonprofits
Continued on page 33 >>
“We were being set
up for a decade’s
work to engage,
educate, and
inform people
of how climate
impacts health,
but also to work
with partners
like the city of
Springfield to
literally change
policy and
infrastructure. And
now, all of that
will be paused.”
JESSICA COLLINS
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