Some organizations, like the John Barry Boys & Girls Club, don’t get federal funding but could see some impact with the state budget.

“We have some state funding that will likely to be at risk because the state will need to adjust,” David Sellers said.

But if community block development grants—which come from the federal government to the state and then to the city—are cut, that will affect the Boys & Girls Club scholarships, Sellers noted.

And since the Boys & Girls Club provides daycare, it receives Commonwealth Cares for Children grants, which could see interruption if the federal spicket shuts off.

And Boys & Girls Club locations across Massachusetts receive a grant called ASOFT—which stands for After-School and Out of School Time—which helps strengthen programs for kids.

“And that one has been naturally winding down, but obviously its demise would be swift if there was an interruption to the state’s funding sources,” Sellers said.

Even organizations that don’t rely on grants are bracing for the ripple effect of austerity.

“We’re always stressed out,” Emily O’Neil, director of the New Art Center, said, pointing out  that the New Arts Center gets rejected from every NEA grant available because Newton is perceived as not being a community in need.

“Arts and culture is underfunded anyway. Annually, arts and culture get 5 percent of philanthropic giving, on a national level,” O’Neil said. “Arts and culture, they’re not elevated as a valuable necessity in the community, so we get overlooked for most funding.”

And the Massachusetts Cultural Council grants have taken a hit, O’Neil said, so “there’s less money to around everywhere, and arts and culture is already at the bottom of the list of giving.”

For organizations that run on mostly donations, widespread nonprofit funding cuts, combined with inflation and fear about tariffs, can lead to less giving for everyone.

“We’ve seen a reduction in donations from corporate supporters, from private foundation grants and from donors,” O’Neil said.

Mayoral candidate Marc Laredo met Thursday night with leaders of Newton nonprofits on Thursday night to discuss how the city can make things easier for them.

“I want you to believe and understand that you have a partner and a proponent in City Hall,” Laredo said to the room. “In many ways, these organizations are the lifeblood of our city,” Laredo said.

And when things get tough, nonprofits often step in to help—nonprofits like Newton Neighbors Helping Neighbors, which started as a Facebook group during the COVID-19 pandemic and is now a 501-c3.

“We’ve got a huge diaper drive happening, we’re going to be handing out over 30,000 diapers… so they don’t have to choose between food for their kids and diapers,” Susan
Paley, retired VP of Village Bank and board member of Newton Neighbors Helping Neighbors, said.

State Rep. Amy Sangiolo, D-Newton, was also at Laredo’s event and said there are definitely programs that won’t get funding next year they’ve gotten in years past, which will hit nonprofits.

“It’s very sad, and it hurts us, because these are organizations that we care about,” Sangiolo said.