Northampton Survival Center joins coalition of local nonprofits, hosts virtual event about Donor-Advised Funds
A coalition of local nonprofits working in farming, conservation, food security, health, and environmental justice has come together under the name Resilient Valley to respond to devastating federal funding cuts that have slashed organizational budgets by 25–40% or more. The group will host a virtual community discussion on Wednesday, October 15, at 12 p.m. to explore how donor-advised funds (DAFs) could be mobilized to protect the region’s communities, landscapes, and shared future.
The coalition began taking shape earlier this year when a handful of nonprofit leaders gathered informally over a potluck meal. “We realized we were all telling the same story,” said Billy Spitzer, Executive Director of the Hitchcock Center for the Environment. “Our budgets had been gutted overnight, and the ripple effects were only beginning. That day, we decided we couldn’t face this crisis in isolation. We needed to find strength in each other.”
Since then, the group has grown to include more than a dozen organizations, from land trusts to food banks to community health advocates. Together, they are working to document the scale of funding losses, speak out about the resulting harm, and explore innovative ways to sustain their missions.
One such possibility, slated as the topic of the webinar, is to advocate for the distribution of donor-advised funds or DAFs, which are charitable investment accounts that allow donors to make tax-deductible contributions of cash, stocks, and other assets to sponsoring public entities like foundations or banks.
“Across the U.S., more than $251 billion is currently sitting in DAFs. Essentially, these dollars are already committed to serving the community, but they haven’t been distributed,” said Lora Wondolowski, Director of Advancement and Communications at the Peace Development Fund. “During coalition conversations, we were inspired by the national Half My DAF movement, which incentivizes donors to spend down their DAFs through funding matches. Could we do something like that in the Valley?”
Representatives from the Half My DAF initiative will speak during the webinar to share insights on how local communities can leverage the model.
The Resilient Valley Coalition is organized and sponsored by: Amherst Survival Center, Cancer Connection, Center for EcoTechnology (CET), Community Involved in Sustaining Agriculture (CISA), Food Bank of Western Massachusetts, Grow Food Northampton, Hilltown Land Trust, Hitchcock Center for the Environment, Kestrel Land Trust, Northampton Survival Center, Nuestras Raíces, Peace Development Fund, and Stone Soup Café.
The October 15 Zoom webinar on unlocking donor-advised funds will begin at noon and is open to the public. Community members, donors, and funders are invited to register online.