Several Senate Democrats brought up a bill Friday to support nonprofits by giving them grants to boost hiring efforts as they work with reduced resources due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, CNBC informed.
Sens. Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota, Brian Schatz of Hawaii, Ron Wyden of Oregon, and Sherrod Brown of Ohio are behind this bill which is aimed at providing nonprofits with a strong workforce in order for them to continue giving essential services to vulnerable Americans.
According to a press release from Klobuchar’s office, the bill is called WORK NOW, or the Work Opportunities and Resources to Keep Nonprofit Organizations Well Act and the Treasury Department will be in charge for the grants of the Nonprofits. Grants are aimed at allowing nonprofits to keep their workforce or provide jobs for newly unemployed people.
Since government lockdowns began, nonprofits and institutions that are working with vulnerable people and areas such as domestic violence shelters, homeless shelters and food banks, have seen steep declines in volunteers and revenue. Nevertheless, these nonprofits are trying to adhere to social distancing guidelines as they grapple with ways to stay afloat.
In some cases, volunteer shortages have led to higher costs to maintain the same levels of service.
About 72.5% of nonprofits said they have seen decline in contributions since the pandemic started, according to a report released Thursday. The poll, conducted by the Charities Aid Foundation of America, asked about 880 nonprofits around the world to weigh in on how the coronavirus has affected them.
“Nonprofits are on the front lines of this crisis helping millions of Americans in need. From food banks, to shelters, to counseling centers, charitable organizations are doing incredible work to help families put food on their table, provide housing assistance, and serve people with disabilities,” Klobuchar said in the release. “But as demand for their services soars, many of these organizations are struggling financially. At the same time, over 36 million men and women have lost their jobs and are looking for work. We need to help charitable nonprofits keep their doors open, scale their invaluable services, and provide opportunities for unemployed men and women to return to work serving their communities.”
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