2/11/2025
An Open Letter to National Foundations and Nonprofit Organizations,
From Dr. Kevin Dean, President & CEO, Tennessee Nonprofit Network
The ground has shifted. The already complex and challenging landscape of the nonprofit sector has been dramatically altered by recent events. Executive orders, federal grant pause litigation, ICE raids, erasure of LGBTQ rights, the DEI backlash, and the ripple effects throughout our communities have created a sense of urgency and, for many, a sense of crisis. These events, while impactful nationwide, have brought into sharp focus the pre-existing vulnerabilities and systemic challenges faced by nonprofits in the Southern states for years. For many organizations outside the South, these recent disruptions may feel like a sudden shock, a buckling beneath their feet. But for those of us working in the trenches in the South, these challenges are not new. They are, in fact, a continuation of a long-standing struggle, a reality we have been navigating for years. This reality is further compounded by the historical inequities the South has suffered regarding income, housing, education, and jobs, creating a context in which nonprofits operate under significantly greater strain. While the rest of the nation is now experiencing a taste of this reality, we in the South have been living it, breathing it, and working tirelessly to overcome it, often with limited resources and diminished visibility for years.
It’s crucial to understand that while 501(c)(3) organizations are inherently nonpartisan, the very nature of our work – serving our communities, advocating for the vulnerable, and striving to create a more just and equitable society – has become increasingly politicized. This politicization is not something we seek. We don’t engage in partisan politics. Our focus remains steadfastly on our mission: to provide essential services, empower individuals, and strengthen the fabric of our communities. Yet, in the current climate, even the most basic acts of service – providing food to the hungry, offering shelter to the homeless, ensuring access to healthcare – can become entangled in political debates. This politicization creates additional layers of complexity, making our work even more difficult and diverting valuable time and resources away from our core missions. We are not asking to be political; we are simply trying to serve. Furthermore, we implore foundations to seriously rethink their policies on funding advocacy work (distinct from lobbying). The ability to educate the public and our elected officials and lift the voices of those we serve is essential to creating lasting change. Often, the very systems that perpetuate inequities in income, housing, education, and jobs require systemic shifts achieved through advocacy. Restricting funding for these crucial efforts hinders our ability to address the root causes of the challenges facing our communities and perpetuates the very problems we are trying to solve.
And the elected officials in my state, at least, are ready to hear us out, even if not all of them understand or agree with every nonprofit in the state. Legislators need the voices of nonprofits, but we’re often forgotten, oftentimes because we never showed up to the table in the first place due to limited budgets, time constraints, being consistently understaffed, emergencies, etc. We need your help not only in funding advocacy work but funding the rest of our work, especially the work that is becoming more and more politicized. What is deeply unfortunate is that in an effort to vilify organizations that do not ideologically fit with current leaders’ views, the entire nonprofit sector is being vilified by a narrative that we are fleecing the government, etc. In fact, Elon Musk retweeted a call “TO ARMS!” against Texas-based nonprofits two weeks ago. What does that even mean (and do I even want to know!)?
We want to be heard and feel supported by national nonprofits and foundations. I saw a national panel discussion discussing poverty in low-income rural areas, and there was not a single Southern voice represented. In fact, there wasn’t even a rural voice! We want our voices to be amplified in national conversations about the nonprofit sector. We want the funding institutions that have historically prioritized the major metropolitan areas on the East and West Coasts to take a hard look at the unique challenges we face in under-resourced Southern communities. We want them to understand the systemic inequities that have perpetuated disparities in funding and access to resources for decades. We want them to recognize that a one-size-fits-all approach to philanthropy simply does not work. The needs of a rural community in Tennessee are vastly different from the needs of a major city in California, and our funding strategies must reflect those differences, and not all nonprofits can rely on government funding, especially with missions or communities that have been unfortunately caught up in the culture wars.
For years, I have been a vocal advocate for greater representation of the South in national nonprofit discussions. I have consistently raised concerns about the lack of attention given to the unique challenges facing our region. We face distinct hurdles that are often overlooked or misunderstood by those outside the South. Consider the issue of DEI initiatives. While these initiatives are essential for creating a more inclusive and equitable sector, they often encounter greater resistance in the South, where historical and cultural factors play a significant role. Instead of a conversation that could lead to consensus, the two sides on this issue have dug in their heels. The backlash against DEI efforts, which has become a national phenomenon, has been a reality for many Southern nonprofits for years. We have been navigating these complex conversations and facing this resistance long before it became a widespread trend. We’re trendsetters, but not necessarily in the way we want to be.
Perhaps the most significant challenge we face is fundraising. The disparity in funding between Southern nonprofits and those in other regions is staggering. As a study by Fidelity Charitable Catalyst Fund highlighted, Northeast and Pacific-area nonprofits receive significantly more funding per capita than their Southern counterparts. This inequity is not just a matter of numbers; it has real-world consequences. It means that Southern nonprofits are often forced to operate with severely limited budgets, making it difficult to provide essential services, attract and retain qualified staff, and invest in infrastructure. It means that we are constantly scrambling for resources, spending valuable time and energy on fundraising rather than focusing on our core missions. It means that the communities we serve are often left behind, lacking the resources they need to thrive. This is how it has been in the South for years. Fidelity Charitable Catalyst Fund is now one of the leaders in prioritizing Southern states. We have 100 nonprofits participating in fundraising and volunteer management cohorts throughout the state of Tennessee because of their investment in us.
While recent challenges may be felt in cities and states across the nation, the impact on the South is disproportionately severe. We are already operating on the margins, with limited resources and a history of systemic underfunding, further exacerbated by the historical inequities in income, housing, education, and jobs. These added pressures threaten to push many Southern nonprofits over the edge, jeopardizing their ability to serve their communities and exacerbating existing inequalities.
My urgent plea to national organizations and foundations is this: please do not forget the nonprofits of the South. Do not let us be an afterthought in your strategic planning. Do not overlook our unique challenges and our critical role in serving some of the most vulnerable populations in the country. To ignore the needs of Southern nonprofits would be to turn a blind eye to the region where the need is greatest and the resources are most scarce.
We need you to:
- Actively engage Southern nonprofits: This means more than just sending out a survey or hosting a conference call. It means building genuine relationships with Southern nonprofit leaders, listening to their concerns, and understanding the nuances of their work. It means visiting our communities, seeing firsthand the challenges we face, and learning from our experiences. It means creating opportunities for Southern nonprofits to share their perspectives and inform national conversations.
- Increase funding to Southern nonprofits: This is not just about giving more money; it’s about addressing a historical inequity. It’s about recognizing that Southern nonprofits are often doing more with less, and that they deserve a fair share of philanthropic resources. It’s about investing in the potential of Southern communities and empowering them to build a brighter future.
- Provide equitable resources: This means not only financial resources, but also technical assistance, capacity building support, and access to networks and opportunities. Southern nonprofits often lack the same level of access to these resources as their counterparts in other regions. We need you to level the playing field and provide us with the tools and support we need to thrive.
We are not asking for special treatment. We are simply asking for fairness. We are asking for recognition of the unique challenges we face and a commitment to addressing the systemic inequities that have long plagued our region for years. We are asking for a partnership, a collaboration, a shared commitment to building a stronger, more equitable nonprofit sector for all.
We stand with you in our shared mission to serve our communities and create a better world. But for years we have been struggling the way many nonprofits have found themselves recently struggling. Limited funding, the added burdens of policy and culture wars, and a sense of being forgotten in national dialogues are taking a toll. Please don’t forget us. Our work is urgent, and the challenges we face, though perhaps less visible, are relentless and immense. We are the front lines in the fight against poverty, inequality, and injustice in the South. We need your support. We need your partnership. We need you to remember that the strength of our sector depends on the strength of all its parts, including the often-overlooked and under-resourced nonprofits of the South.
Sincerely,
Dr. Kevin Dean President & CEO Tennessee Nonprofit Network