BALTIMORE — Maryland non-profits remain concerned over a freeze in federal funding they claim could have major impacts on their operations.
The funding freeze in question stems from a January 27 memo issued by President Donald Trump's Office of Budget and Management (OMB) which aimed to temporarily halt some federal grants.
Despite specifically stating "OMB may grant exceptions allowing Federal agencies to issue new awards or take other actions on a case-by-case basis," and assuring that welfare programs such as SNAP, Social Security and Medicaid would not be impacted, the memo faced intense backlash from Maryland leaders including Governor Wes Moore and Baltimore Mayor Brandon Scott.
Although the memo's been rescinded and rejected by a federal judge, non-profits still gathered Thursday expressing worry and confusion about what grants or loans may be affected.
"All of my directors and vice president's gathered in an office on Tuesday to discuss what it would look like to lay off 80 Head Start employees," says Chris Mullett from Garrett County Community Action. "There were a lot of tears, a lot of fear."
The Maryland Comptrollers Office said the state received $23 billion in 2023 from the federal government.
Philanthropists have discussed making up for some of the funds if they become frozen.
Amid all the scrutiny, Baltimore City on Thursday announced a $33 million awardfrom the U.S. Department of Housing & Urban Development (HUD), for non-profits.
HUD also awarded tens-of-millions to other non-profits throughout the state, totaling $78,754,682.
