It’s Time to Meet the Moment

My senior year of high school I served as a senior class officer, because of course I did, and one of our jobs was to pick our senior class quote. Not really sure why we needed one. It was printed in our graduation announcements, but other than that, we never really talked about it again.

What did a small group of 17-18 year olds living in rural Illinois in 1996 go with?

“If not us, who? If not now, when?”

We attributed it to John F. Kennedy, but others claim it was Ronald Reagan. Most likely, the original was a rabbi known as Hillel the Elder. One thing I know for sure? It wasn’t Emma Watson, though I do adore the actress.

While getting your facts straight is important, it’s not the focus of my meanderings today. This quote came to mind this week because it’s so easy to sit around and wait for someone else to get up and do something already. But if not us, then who? And if not now, when?

As if 2025 wasn’t hard enough on nonprofits, grant professionals, and those we serve, 2026 has started out with a bang:

First, Trump stated that he will cut off federal funding to sanctuary cities, as well as the states where they are located, starting February 1. Doesn’t seem to matter that the courts said this wasn’t legal last year. You can read more HERE.

Second, an unknown number of SAMHSA (Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration) grant recipients received notice last week that their funding was terminated. Immediately. It didn’t seem to matter that your organization was doing vital work in the fields of homelessness, mental health, and substance abuse. Or that you were up to speed on all your spending and reporting. Or that you were in year 4 of a 5 year program. Poof. It’s all gone. Read more HERE.

Third, less than 24 hours later the SAMHSA terminations were reversed. Read about that HERE. And while this reversal is a good thing, it’s adding to the chaos and terror. Because we’re all left wondering if our grant program is going to be hit next.

And it’s still January. And I’m not even touching on all the other atrocities we’ve seen on the news because honestly, it’s just too much.

Instead, I’m focusing on what I can help with and/or change for the better.

Kimberly and I decided to kick off Season 9 of the Fundraising HayDay podcast with a two-part series about what went wrong in 2025. Part 2 dropped on January 22, and it includes a quick overview of what all occurred during the year (more details can be found in the part 1 episode HERE), the impact to our organizations and communities, and a discussion on the role grant professionals can play moving forward. You can listen to Season 9, Episode 2 HERE.

By no means am I implying that we have all the answers. Because we don’t. But we do have some ideas and suggestions for starting conversations. For opening important dialogue. For taking steps to prepare your organization for this year and the next two.

If 2025 taught us anything, it’s that anything can happen. We cannot wait around for someone else to do something. We need to do something. And that something looks like:

• Ensuring our funding stream is as diverse as possible, so we can continue to serve those in need.
• Making tough decisions about whether federal funding is worth it, because there are more strings and complications than ever before – plus, no guarantees grant awards will be honored through the life of the grant.
• Talking to elected officials – both local and federal – about the impact of the work in your community.
• Gearing up for the mid-term elections. It won’t solve all our problems, but man some new blood on both sides of the aisle could make a difference.
• Dealing with one problem at a time. We can’t fix everything all at once, so let’s focus on what’s most vital.

I saw in a recent LinkedIn post a statement attributed to the kind and oh so thoughtful grant professional Liyen Chong: Meeting the moment isn’t “being reactive.” It’s building toward the future we want.

Yes, let’s be reactive. There’s a lot being thrown our way. We all need to react. And we need to do so now.