The DOGE Impact Tracker

After  DOGE cut $400 million in AmeriCorps grants, nonprofits in Indianapolis are feeling the squeeze, reports WRTV:

“When we lose that funding, we lose the support that provides that safe place for kids,” Maggie A. Lewis, CEO of the Boys and Girls Clubs of Indianapolis, stated.

With the funding cuts, the organization is feeling the effects.

“We’ve lost the funding, so we are making adjustments now. Our staff builds vital relationships with our youth every day,” Lewis added.

The repercussions of the cuts are stark. Staff members say they are now tasked with taking on the roles of multiple people to ensure that children receive the attention and support they need, as families share their concerns.

Due to DOGE cuts to AmeriCorps, Kansas will lose over $4.5 million in funding and 375 staff members employed by organizations such as the Kansas State Department of Education in Topeka and the Boys and Girls Clubs of Manhattan and Lawrence, according to the United Way of Kaw Valley.

Jessica Lehnherr, president and CEO of the United Way of Kaw Valley, tells KSNT News that she is wondering how they’ll be able to support numerous services without a new round of funding:

“So many rely on our nonprofit sector to help provide for them in times of need. And not only that, also helping with education and in our educational system. And if we want families to be able to continue to work, we need to help support them while they are working by having affordable childcare.” 

DOGE’s $400 million in cuts to AmeriCorps is hitting Partnership 4 Kids, an Omaha, Nebraska-based education mentoring program, hard since it relied on seven AmeriCorps volunteers to work with students and help them navigate college applications and financial aid, reports the Omaha World-Herald

“It couldn’t have happened at a more critical time,” said Deb Denbeck, president and CEO of the education mentoring program.

The organization’s seven AmeriCorps members are stationed on college campuses and in high schools and middle schools, she said. They work to form relationships with students, helping to keep them engaged in school, graduate on time and pursue careers. Depending on their roles, they help students navigate everything from college applications and financial aid to first exams and resume writing

But Denbeck learned last week that both of Partnership 4 Kids’ grants, totaling $240,000, were terminated immediately as part of the larger national grant cuts that ended support for more than 1,000 education-focused agencies across the country.