DANA launches advocacy network to address state funding struggles

WILMINGTON — In the face of stagnant grant revenue from state contracts, the Delaware Alliance for Nonprofit Advancement (DANA) has announced it has formed an advocacy arm to amplify its voice in the General Assembly once session starts in January. 

The Delaware Nonprofit Action Network officially launched on Oct. 25, with a governor’s candidate forum where New Castle County Executive Matt Meyer and state Rep. Mike Ramone answered questions on how they would improve funding stability and reduce burdens on nonprofits, if they were elected.

The Delaware Nonprofit Action Network named  DANA President and CEO Sheila Bravo as its chair to ensure continuity among the two organizations in the event of turnover. Melissa Hopkins, the vice president of sector advancement for DANA, serves as the action network’s executive director.

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“Our state’s nonprofit sector plays a vital role in strengthening Delaware’s communities, and this forum is an important step in ensuring that our next governor understands the challenges we face,” Bravo, said in a prepared statement. “By bringing together nonprofit leaders and candidates, we are creating a powerful platform for meaningful dialogue that will help shape the future of our sector and the communities we serve.”

For Hopkins, the need for the action network came from listening for the past two years as the state government budgets have been set at record spending packages while contracts for nonprofits that offer services for Delawareans have remained unchanged.  Delaware includes cost escalators in agreements with for profit providers, but nonprofits do not have the same benefit, according to Hopkins.

In the past, Gov. John Carney has used a one-time supplemental bill to handle projects and services not included in the budget or the bond bill. In Fiscal Year 2025, that amount included $91.7 million and 44% of that went to service organizations. DANA told the Delaware Business Times earlier this year that service organizations received roughly 55% about a decade ago. 

“Year over year, for almost a decade, there’s been a request for an increase of pay on these contracts, and they cross every sub-sector. It’s paid out to 70 cents on the dollar, by average,” Hopkins said. “That has become unsustainable. This is really about creating a powerful voice around state policy and decision making.”

DANA estimates that its membership includes 3,000 nonprofits, ranging from social services, mental health aid, arts organizations, public health and more, generating $8 billion in spending across the state. But despite the broad range of services offered, nonprofits may not have the resources to cover costs for technology upgrades or other reporting requirements.

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For six months, the Delaware Nonprofit Action Network has been surveying voters and gathering data on the impact for wraparound community services that nonprofits offer to help build the case for lawmakers in Dover.  Hopkins said that the network has had conversations with all the gubernatorial candidates ahead of the primary and outlined its own public policy priorities.

Those policy proposals include: increasing the availability for state grants and simplifying its applications, streamlining reporting requirements, creating an ombudsman to address nonprofit compliance issues, and funding and facilitating training programs, among others.

“We want to be partners in solving the problem, but it’s been easy to ignore the needs of the nonprofits, because the leaders of nonprofits are problem solvers by their nature. But we’re now reached a breaking point where we just can’t figure it out anymore. It needs more direct intervention,” Hopkins said.

While the governor’s race is one the Delaware Nonprofit Action Network is watching closely, it plans to make its case to all lawmakers who walk through the statehouse doors on Jan. 14.

“This isn’t just about the governor. It’s about making sure all state legislatures understand how critical nonprofits are to the economy, and we will hold them accountable for their commitments. You show us your value and support by your budget, and you need to start adequately investing in the services you’re using,” Hopkins said.

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