Advocacy

The County Executive’s budget forums are still going on and we encourage all of our members and the community to join the forums and speak up for our sector. Check out this post for suggested talking points.

Upcoming Forums:

• Wednesday, Dec. 7: East County Region
• Monday, Dec.12: Upcounty Region
• Wednesday, Dec.14: Bethesda Region

Nonprofit Montgomery supports nearly 200-member nonprofit organizations with technical assistance, training and resources, and advocacy on issues of importance to the nonprofit sector. Our cross sector initiative, Montgomery Moving Forward, addresses social and economic challenges through a collective impact process that leads to long term solutions.

We appreciate the very strong partnership between the Montgomery County Government and the nonprofit sector and the efforts your administration has made to continue to strengthen that relationship so we can most effectively support communities across the County. In particular, I would like to highlight two recent developments: The 8% increase the County gave us last year, in acknowledgement of how far behind nonprofits had fallen due to the demands from the pandemic. And the new Office of Grants Management which we anticipate will play a significant role in facilitating a more efficient funding process and helping us bring more funding to the County.

As we look forward to FY 2024 and a continued high demand for our services, we ask for your continued support. We have two specific questions. First, can you tell us what the timeline for announcing the new community grants process is? In the past that process has started in January and we are getting questions about what the community grants application and criteria for FY 2024 will be.

Second, we request a standing commitment to nonprofits that matches the one made to county employees. Can you include a commitment to a rate of increase in funding to nonprofits that is equivalent to what is being offered to county employees in the FY 2024 budget?

Earlier this week Nonprofit Montgomery’s Executive Director Lavontte Chatmon testified in support of nonprofits at the Montgomery County State Delegation Priorities Meeting. Click here to read her testimony and here to watch the recording (testimony begins at 1:13:20)

Leaders in the House and Senate across both parties got together on a deal and it includes another one year for tier 2 to be paid as tier 1, AND it includes a 10-cent rate increase on meals and snacks in CACFP. It is called the Keep Kids Fed Act and the House and Senate could move fast. They’ll need our help to do so.

Here’s what’s happening:

The bill does 5 main things:

1. Extends USDA’s authority to issue Summer Nutrition waivers through September 30, 2022; meal pattern waivers through June 30, 2022, and non-cost nationwide waivers through school year 2022-2023.
2. Increases the school breakfast reimbursement by 10 cents and the school lunch reimbursement by 40 cents.
3. Allows children eligible for reduced-price school meals to receive free school meals.
4. Extends the Area Eligibility waiver allowing family child care homes to receive the higher Tier 1 reimbursements through the Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP).
5. Increases CACFP Reimbursements by 10 cents for each meal and snack for child care providers and afterschool programs.

Here’s a statement from our friends at the Food Research and Action Center (FRAC): https://frac.org/news/keepkidsfedact

A little urgent background on the process, too: The Senate is aiming to use a special process, Unanimous Consent, which literally requires all 100 Senators to allow a bill to move forward; one “no” vote could derail the entire process. It is imperative that every Senator be urged to allow this bill to move forward due to the looming deadline of the child nutrition waivers (June 30, 2022).  Once the Senate passes the bill, it will quickly move to the House of Representatives where the bill could also move by an expedited process known as “Suspension.”

Call your Members of Congress Today!

Please call your 2 U.S. Senators, then call your one U.S. House Member say to the staff people who answer the phone: “I am a constituent and I need you to vote yes on The Keep Kids Fed Act, a bill that will begin to provide much-needed relief to providers and families across the country.”

To easily connect with your Congressional delegation, call the Capitol Switchboard: 202-224-3121 and the operator will connect you. OR  go to  https://www.senate.gov/states/MD/intro.htm and contact our State Senators both

Senator Chris Van Hollen and Senator Ben Cardin and tell them to support the Keep Kids Fed Act bill.