Alberta nonprofits call for $30 million in emergency funds to keep sector afloat
“After nearly three years of doing more with less, the nonprofit sector is in crisis,” says CCVO
CALGARY, November 22, 2022 – Members of Alberta’s nonprofit community stood alongside business leaders at carya Village Commons on Tuesday to call for an urgent one-time cash injection of $30 million from the provincial government to keep the nonprofit sector afloat.
The ask for an urgent, one-time top-up of $30 million comes as nonprofits across Alberta juggle heightened demand for services with increasingly complex client needs while revenues decrease.
“Between the pandemic, rising inflation, and now a looming recession, this essential sector has been dealt blow after blow,” says Karen Ball, President & CEO of the Calgary Chamber of Voluntary Organizations (CCVO). “Staff are suffering. The people we serve are not getting the help they need. Drowning people can’t save drowning people. We need the provincial government to step up so Alberta nonprofits can continue to be there for Albertans when they need them most.”
There are 30,000 nonprofit organizations in Alberta and they employ nearly 300,000 Albertans, the majority of whom are women, and together contribute $5.5 billion to the economy every year. The $30 million in emergency funds would be used to provide short-term relief from inflation and ease recruitment and retention issues at nonprofit organizations across the province.
The call for immediate funding comes as CCVO released a new report (calgarycvo.org/too-essential-to-fail), more than two years in the making, that surveyed hundreds of Alberta nonprofits and offers the first look at how the pandemic has truly affected the sector. The report paints a picture of a neglected sector that was not adequately supported through the pandemic by the Government of Alberta and is now struggling to meet surging service demands while managing increasingly complex client needs at the same time that staff mental health and well-being are suffering.
“After nearly three years of doing more with less, the nonprofit sector is in crisis,” says Ball. “This sector is too important to fail. Charities that fill critical needs across the province, from healthcare to housing, will not be able to provide essential services Albertan’s rely on if this emergency funding doesn’t materialize.”
That would mean millions of dollars in downstream costs falling to Albertans and the provincial government, and longer waits and more difficult access to the many services Alberta’s nonprofit sector delivers spanning everything from food and mental health to childcare, seniors care, housing, immigrant settlement, recreation, environment, and the arts.
“In simple terms, if Alberta’s nonprofits fail, more Albertans will go to bed hungry, go to sleep without a roof over their head, and be put into situations where they have increased need for our healthcare and justice system,” says Ball.
Ball was joined on Tuesday by leaders from Alberta’s nonprofit and business community, who spoke about the struggles nonprofits are facing and how essential this sector is to our province.
ADDITIONAL QUOTES:
“People who live in poverty and vulnerable situations continue to experience unpresented stressors because of the impact of the pandemic and inflation. Organizations that serve these populations are doing so with extraordinary skill and compassion, but are doing so with flat or decreased budgets that are not aligned with the challenges of issues like a lack of affordable housing, higher acuity, and an inability for many Calgarians to meet their basic needs. Funding needs to be aligned to the magnitude of the challenge in the immediate and long term.”
-Meaghon Reid, Executive Director of Vibrant Communities Calgary
“The non-profit sector delivers many critical services that make life better for Albertans. The arts sector was one of the hardest hit during the pandemic and we are predicting it will take 3-5 years to recover from the distress and trauma caused by COVID. Like in other areas of the non-profit sector, future sustainability is a question for artists and arts organizations. Yet the arts contribute to solutions for many of the stresses Albertans are facing, such as heightened levels of anxiety, social isolation, inequities within systems and in society, and challenges to mental health and wellbeing. We need artists now more than ever as we collectively heal, make meaning out of these chaotic times, and imagine a better future together.”
-Patti Pon, President and CEO of Calgary Arts Development
“The pandemic exposed deep structural inequalities for many low-income newcomer families like food security, youth programs and mental wellness. COVID funding has dried up but the needs have not. As a grassroots organization, we have functioned on the generosity of mutual aid and support. To meet the increased demand for youth programs, food security and mental wellness, organizations need a firm commitment to funding much needed social safety networks to sustain services and programs.”
-Jean Claude Munyezamu, Executive Director of Umoja Community Mosaic (formerly Soccer Without Boundaries)
“It is difficult to see our own dedicated staff, who work so hard to help vulnerable people in our community, experience years without an increase in pay and at the same time, lose ground financially as the cost of living goes up. Our services are spread thinner and have less capacity to serve people at a time when the need had never been greater, and as the costs associated with service delivery rise while program budgets remain stagnant. Where is the valuing of the nonprofit sector and the essential safety net we provide to our community?”
-Danielle Ladouceur, CEO of Children’s Cottage Society
"Nonprofits across Alberta are vital to the social and economic health of our community. These organizations educate, keep us active, protect the environment, entertain through culture and the arts, and they help, house and feed our vulnerable neighbours. As a business leader who works closely with the nonprofit sector, it troubles me that we've offloaded so many essential elements of our society to charities who are forced to fight for funding and resources. These organizations do essential work and are too important to fail."
-Charles Buchanan, CEO of Technology Helps
ABOUT CCVO:
CCVO is an advocate and champion of the nonprofit sector, providing leadership on cross-cutting nonprofit policy issues, convening nonprofit leaders, and giving voice to critical issues affecting the sector. For more information, visit calgarycvo.org.
For more information or to arrange an interview, please contact:
Annalise Klingbeil 403-993-8775 Annalise@ChampionCommunications.ca
FAST FACTS:
There are 30,000 nonprofit organizations in Alberta
They contribute $5.5 billion to Alberta’s economy annually
Nonprofits in Alberta employ 285,000 people, which is equal to 1 in 20 Albertans
78% of nonprofit employees in Alberta are women • Albertans donate 227 million volunteer hours every year
The nonprofit sector is asking for an urgent, one-time top-up of $30 million to ensure short-term relief from inflation, ease recruitment and retention issues, and guarantee the viability of Alberta’s nonprofit sector following the COVID-19 pandemic
CCVO performed a survey of 331 Alberta nonprofits to better understand the impacts of the pandemic on the nonprofit sector
68 percent of respondents reported an increased demand for services
74 percent of respondents experienced increased need and complexity of the people/communities they serve
71 percent of respondents experienced negative impacts on staff mental health and well-being
88 percent of respondents experienced impacts of inflation
Less than 4 percent of the total funding for the Small Medium Enterprise Relaunch Grant (SMERG) went to nonprofit