Proposed Budget in Maryland County Would Cut Nonprofit Funding

Rushern Baker, County Executive of Prince George's County, MD, has released his proposed budget for Fiscal Year 2012.  And this budget contains news that is very relevant to Maryland non profits; Baker plans to cut funding to nonprofits by one-third.  Specifically, non-profits will receive $4 million in county grants, down from $6 million in Fiscal Year 2011. 

According to Thomas Himler, the county's budget director, this proposal was made in response to the fact that certain nonprofit organizations in the county received "some rather large grants" in the last few years.  He says that the county will work with nonprofits to find federal and state grants that will help redue the impact of the cuts. 

Not surprisingly, Prince George's County nonprofits are up in arms about the grant reductions.  Jerry Adams, director of the Prince George's Human Services Coalition, said that the planned cuts will severely effect his organization.  Specifically, he says that because of the cuts:

"...we're going to have more kids in gangs, we're going to have more people showing up at food banks who go away hungry and more homeless people because the foreclosure rate is not slowing down in this county."

Adams says that he and the 100 nonprofits in his coalition will appeal the county to restore the money to its previous levels.  If there is any update to this story, we will be sure to post it here.  In the mean time, read the full story at The Washington Examiner.