AYESHA RASCOE, HOST:
Nonprofits across the country that rely on federal grants are seeing that support evaporate as the Trump administration aggressively cuts government spending. And now even groups that don't take federal money are facing growing uncertainty. Natalie Skowlund reports from Denver.
ARMANDO GUARDIOLA: (Non-English language spoken).
NATALIE SKOWLUND, BYLINE: On a sunny spring day, 71-year-old Armando Guardiola sits by an open window in his ranch-style home in metro Denver. Guardiola loves to take walks outside or help with chores around the house, but that's become a lot harder lately. For the last three years, he's had to spend hours each week at a kidney dialysis clinic, and severe joint pain makes it hard to walk.
GUARDIOLA: (Non-English language spoken).
SKOWLUND: "This pain saddens me," he says, "but I don't want to give up hope just because it's gotten worse."
(SOUNDBITE OF CAR ENGINE STARTING)
SKOWLUND: A few times a month, Guardiola drives over to the local community center to see some friends.
UNIDENTIFIED PERSON #1: (Non-English language spoken).
GUARDIOLA: (Non-English language spoken).
SKOWLUND: A local nonprofit called Conectoras de Montbello connects Spanish-speaking older people to each other for companionship and connects them to resources like mental health services and boxes of fresh produce. It started with about 100 participants. Nearly a decade later, that's grown to almost 500.
UNIDENTIFIED PERSON #2: (Non-English language spoken).
SKOWLUND: But now with uncertainty around funding for diversity initiatives both locally and nationally, and recent sweeping cuts to health programs under President Donald Trump, Conectoras leaders wonder about their future. Conectoras doesn't receive any federal funding. Its money comes from local and national philanthropic foundations, and those foundations are being asked for a lot more help since President Trump was elected.
LOREZ MEINHOLD: A lot of people, I think, are figuring out how to make up holes in their budget or are needing money sooner or quicker than they may otherwise.
SKOWLUND: That's Lorez Meinhold with the Caring for Denver Foundation, which helps fund Conectoras. The program relies on multiple nongovernment funders, and leaders say some grants come and go from year to year, and strings attached often require lean budgets.
Sydney Byer is with the national aging foundation Next50, which gave Conectoras a grant that expired last year.
SYDNEY BYER: There's not enough funders to support the needs of older adults. Definitely, more folks are reaching out, saying the type of funding that they may need may need to fill a hole that could be, you know, lack of government funding.
SKOWLUND: Conectoras leaders are currently in conversation with Next50 about future funding, but no promises have been made.
UNIDENTIFIED PERSON #3: (Non-English language spoken).
SKOWLUND: For now, the nonprofit is continuing activities to boost local seniors' mental and physical health, like playing the Mexican game Loteria.
UNIDENTIFIED PERSON #3: (Non-English language spoken).
GUARDIOLA: (Non-English language spoken).
SKOWLUND: Guardiola's got a knack for Loteria. But he says, win or lose, all of this, being together and having some fun, gives him reason enough to get out of bed each day.
GUARDIOLA: (Non-English language spoken).
SKOWLUND: "We all see each other as family," Guardiola says.
For now, staff here have taken salary cuts rather than scaling back their work, hopeful that more funding will come through in the future. The need will continue to grow as Colorado has one of the fastest growing populations age 65 and older.
UNIDENTIFIED PERSON #4: (Non-English language spoken).
UNIDENTIFIED PERSON #5: (Non-English language spoken).
(CROSSTALK)
SKOWLUND: For NPR News, I'm Natalie Skowlund in Denver. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
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