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Conn. Nonprofits Face 'Perfect Storm,' According To Head Of Statewide Association

Frankie Graziano
/
Radio

The head of a statewide association of nonprofits is calling on officials to increase payments to the organizations.

Gian-Carl Casa said right now nonprofits of all types are facing what he describes as “a perfect storm.”

“We have demand going up. We have contributions going down because of federal tax law changes. And because the state really has had economic troubles for the good part of the last decade, we have had cuts in assistance to the organizations that provide the services,” said Casa, president of the

He said smaller nonprofits, such as community-based organizations and arts and cultural institutions, rely heavily on individual donors. But larger nonprofits that are contracted by the state to provide services face different challenges.

“Those that provide services for substance abuse treatment, for behavioral health, for intellectual or developmental disabilities -- contributions may make up no more than 1% or 2% of their total budgets,” said Casa. “People will lose services unless the state government steps up and starts compensating them for more of the costs for the services they provide.”

With running surpluses, he’s calling on the state to make up for cutbacks in the past.

But Gov. Ned Lamont has said the state should not dip into its budget reserve and instead has urged wealthy donors to step up their giving.

Diane Orson is a special correspondent with . She is a reporter and contributor to National Public Radio. Her stories have been heard on Morning Edition, All Things Considered, Weekend Edition, Here and Now; and The World from PRX. She spent seven years as CT Public Radio's local host for Morning Edition.

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SOMOS CONNECTICUT es una iniciativa de , la emisora local de NPR y PBS del estado, que busca elevar nuestras historias latinas y expandir programación que alza y informa nuestras comunidades latinas locales. Visita CTPublic.org/latino para más reportajes y recursos. Para noticias, suscríbase a nuestro boletín informativo en ctpublic.org/newsletters.

Federal funding is gone.

Congress has eliminated all funding for public media.

That means $2.1 million per year that relied on to deliver you news, information, and entertainment programs you enjoyed is gone.

The future of public media is in your hands.

All donations are appreciated, but we ask in this moment you consider starting a monthly gift as a Sustainer to help replace what’s been lost.

’s journalism is made possible, in part by funding from Jeffrey Hoffman and Robert Jaeger.