The current landscape for nonprofits is marked by funding uncertainty and growing demand for services, which in 2025 raised concerns for some about demand exceeding capacity. 

In our first Power Breakfast of 2026, we are checking in on the state of nonprofits, including how they’re thinking about funding, how challenges and demands have changed over time and what strategies can best position them for success in the future.

The panelists are: 

• Maria Corona, executive director, Iowa Coalition Against Domestic Violence
• Erin Davison-Rippey, senior community impact officer, United Way of Central Iowa
• Sally Dix, president, Bravo Greater Des Moines
• Annette Hacker, chief communications and strategy officer, Food Bank of Iowa
• Nikki Syverson, principal, Isaacson-Syverson Consulting

Ahead of the event, we asked the panelists, What is one effect of the increased pressures from the last year that has significantly changed the day-to-day operations or overall strategy of your nonprofit or nonprofits you work with?

Here is what they shared.

Corona: As federal funding priorities evolve and public-sector resources become less predictable, ICADV has had to operate with greater urgency and intentionality to ensure that survivor/victim services are not the ones confused or panicking about those shifts. Day to day, that has meant strengthening our internal infrastructure — governance, legal capacity, fiscal oversight and systems of information dissemination — so that frontline programs across Iowa can continue to focus on safety, healing and advocacy rather than instability or uncertainty from shifting funding structures.

Strategically, these pressures have reinforced our commitment to survivor-centered and equity-driven approaches. We are being more deliberate about whose voices are shaping policy, funding decisions and systems reform, recognizing that survivors who face the greatest barriers — particularly survivors of color, immigrants, rural survivors and those with disabilities — are often the first to be excluded when priorities narrow or resources tighten. Ensuring their access to services requires us to challenge inequitable systems, diversify funding and deepen partnerships with culturally specific and community-based organizations.

Ultimately, the last year has clarified that our role as a statewide coalition is not simply to respond to crises or coordinate responses to survivors’ needs, but to hold steady to our values in moments of disruption. That means making difficult decisions with transparency, advocating unapologetically for victim services funding and ensuring that survivor safety and dignity remain non-negotiable — even as the external landscape continues to shift.

Davison-Rippey: One of the biggest shifts we’ve seen at United Way of Central Iowa and across our nonprofit community has been a growing emphasis on organizational resilience. Our human services partners are facing rising demand every day, often with fewer resources and more uncertainty, and that reality has changed how they operate and how we think about support. In our 2024 Central Iowa Nonprofit Sector Survey, nonprofits were very honest about the challenges they’re navigating, from staffing to funding instability, but what stood out just as clearly was their commitment to meeting growing needs and their optimism about the future. But the pressure only intensified in 2025. When we checked in with our nonprofit partners through a survey in August, 80% told us demand had increased. At the same time, 68% of those who responded rely on state or federal funding, and together they had already lost at least $7.9 million from those sources. Knowing this, our strategy has been to lean into flexibility, capacity building and cross-sector collaboration, making sure our partners have not just the resources to respond today, but the resilience to remain strong for the long term.

Dix: As the region’s arts council, Bravo Greater Des Moines works in partnership with 17 local governments and more than 80 nonprofit arts and culture organizations across the metro. In the last year, a variety of pressures have required significant pivots in storytelling about why a robust and vibrant creative ecosystem is essential to achieving all of the region’s priorities. 

Historically, arts and culture have relied on a gentle, behind-the-scenes presence and casemaking that led from the heart, touting inspiration, creativity and resilience. While those are real, unique and critical outcomes, this narrative is weaker in today’s intensely competitive environment that demands metrics, data and clear, clean lines between investments and results. 

In response, Bravo and many of our cultural partners have had to quickly pivot narratives to elevate our longstanding role in driving impact far beyond the creative sector. Arts and culture contribute more than $309 million to the region’s economy each year; it is a significant reason people come to our region and stay in our region and is crucial to preparing students for Iowa’s jobs of today and tomorrow. From housing and transportation, to water quality and food insecurity, arts and culture elevate awareness, amplify critical dialogue and advance every single regional priority. 

The last year has shown that it is no longer enough to quietly rely on art for art’s sake as a case for support. We have all had to communicate more clearly about the many ways Bravo and the creative sector are the heart and soul of our region and essential to Greater Des Moines’ vibrant future.

Hacker: Out of sheer necessity, we’re getting better and stronger at navigating the unknown. Every time the Food Bank of Iowa team is faced with what seems impossible, somehow we rise to the occasion because the community is right there beside us. We’re heading into our fourth year of record and rising need for food assistance, and the need right now is the highest we’ve seen. Some of the economic uncertainty of 2025 has followed us right into 2026. We are interested to see what USDA commodity food will look like this year – whether it will return to more familiar levels (25-30% of our inventory instead of the current 10%), and whether the new federal dietary guidelines will affect the types of products we receive through USDA. (More meat would be welcome because protein is our greatest expense.) It also remains to be seen whether the folks who found us for the first time when SNAP benefits were interrupted will continue to seek food access through our partner pantries and meal sites. In the meantime, we continue to purchase and rescue more food to meet the need.

Syverson: Over the past year, many nonprofits have faced unsettling financial uncertainty. Whether that has been due to public funding cuts, economic instability or political winds – or all of the above – it’s made it difficult for nonprofits to plan boldly or think long term. For many organizations, the focus has shifted to short-term survival and day-to-day responsiveness rather than proactive strategy. That said, organizations that view this moment as an opportunity to critically assess their work and rethink their operating models are better positioned not only to endure these challenges, but to emerge stronger and achieve meaningful growth.

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