Montana’s nonprofits under threat

by Adam Jespersen, Executive Director, Montana Nonprofit Association

 As the federal government shutdown continues, concern across Montana is building. This shutdown means many government offices and services are closed, and more than 20,000 federal and military employees in Montana will soon be missing a paycheck. It also means a threat to the essential services that form the backbone of our communities – services provided by Montana’s dedicated nonprofit sector.  

In Montana, charitable nonprofits are not merely “nice-to-have” organizations. We are fundamental infrastructure. We operate in every county, reservation, and community in the state – urban and rural.  We are the food banks, the shelters, the mental health centers, the arts programs, the veteran service organizations, and the affordable housing providers. We employ tens of thousands of Montanans, contributing billions to our state’s economy and serving on the frontlines of creating and ensuring community well-being. 

Crucially, nonprofits often act as trusted partners to government at all levels, delivering vital services efficiently and effectively on its behalf.  We are contracted by the government to provide rural healthcare, childcare, and food security, to maintain trails and outdoor spaces, to boost local economic development, and to lead on affordable housing initiatives. 

This is where a shutdown can become so deeply damaging. 

A government shutdown threatens hundreds of Montana’s nonprofits and the critical services we provide across our state. Many of organizations rely on federal grants and contracts for a significant portion of their operating revenue.  These funds ensure the services you rely on: the food on a pantry shelf, the staff who respond to a mental health crisis, the support for seniors and people with disabilities. 

As most nonprofits operate on razor-thin margins, even a short-term lapse in funding can force devastating choices: lay off staff, cut services, or close the doors entirely. For an essential service organization in a frontier community, there is no private philanthropic well deep enough to backfill the hole left by missing federal dollars.  

A shutdown doesn’t just halt a federal program; it creates a community crisis that Montana nonprofits are then expected – without resources – to solve. 

The people of Montana deserve a functioning government that honors its commitments and provides the stability needed for its critical nonprofit partners to do our work. 

Nonprofits will continue to meet the needs of our neighbors as we always have. But we cannot sustain this role as the emergency shock absorber for repeated political failure and callous political directives.  We urge Senator Daines, Senator Sheehy, Congressman Zinke, and Congressman Downing to rise above rancor and dysfunction and prioritize the needs of Montana communities—affordable healthcare access, food security, and economic stability.  Our communities depend on it.