Council Engaging National Effort to Save Thousands of Nonprofits Excluded from CARES Act
Thousands of civic and community benefit organizations across the country employing almost 1.4 million people were wrongly excluded from the first round of federal COVID-19 assistance under the CARES Act. Many now face financial ruin and the prospect of layoffs, furloughs and other severe cutbacks. To fix the problem, the Bay Area Council is now engaging a national effort to win changes to eligibility rules in any next round of assistance legislation. The Council has been working closely with Leader Nancy Pelosi, our Bay Area Delegation, Sen. Dianne Feinstein and other Congressional leaders to provide language that would enable these nonprofits to access low-interest loans and allow employees to get assistance under the Paycheck Protection Program.
Read our letter to Congressional leaders>>
Read our proposed amendments to the CARES Act>>
In addition to public policy groups like the Council, the exclusion is hurting a wide range of other nonprofits including chambers of commerce, the YMCA and boys and girls clubs, and other local benefit and service groups. These are the organizations that organize the Fourth of July parade in small towns across America, or put on the film festival to try to revive a downtown. They help unemployed workers connect with employers, or change a region’s economic development strategy to support its families. They introduce transportation programs that better serve their communities. They protect wilderness preserves and the San Francisco Bay. They help seniors and needy or disabled veterans. They sponsor volunteer fire departments and police and firefighters’ relief organizations. These organizations will be at the forefront of our efforts to rebuild our economy and restore our civic fabric when this emergency has passed — if they are still around. To join our effort, please contact Chief Operating Officer John Grubb.
