This is not a crisis looming on the horizon. It’s already here.

In the past several weeks, the M&M Area Community Foundation has heard directly from nonprofit partners across Marinette and Menominee Counties who are concerned, some even overwhelmed, by what lies ahead. For organizations already operating on tight budgets and thin staffing, the news of sudden federal AmeriCorps cuts has landed with real weight.

Within the last week, both communities experienced the abrupt termination of AmeriCorps funding. These cuts mean local organizations have lost essential boots-on-the-ground capacity overnight, and for some, this loss is not just inconvenient—it’s destabilizing.

These aren’t national headlines to us—they’re local realities. The nonprofits impacted are the same ones helping our neighbors navigate food insecurity, supporting students and families, and offering critical mental health services. They are the fabric of daily life here, and they are being stretched beyond what’s sustainable.

At the Council of Michigan Foundations’ CEO Retreat this week, I sat with leaders from across the state to understand where policy is headed and what that means for rural communities like ours. The forecast? Continued uncertainty. Decreased support. And a widening gap between what’s needed and what’s available.

We’re doing everything we can to respond with urgency and care. We’re working with fundholders to be strategic. We’re coordinating with partners through the M&M Area Community Collaborative. But I won’t sugarcoat it: our foundation, like every foundation, is limited in what it can do alone.

That’s why we need you.

Now, more than ever, our nonprofit partners need us. They need funding. They need volunteers. They need people willing to show up, stay engaged, and stand with them. If you’ve been waiting for the right time to get involved, this is it.

If you’re able to give—or want to explore supporting an agency through one of our funds—please reach out. We are committed to deploying every dollar with care and impact. But even with careful stewardship, we cannot close this gap alone.

Now more than ever, we need each other.

Hang in there,

Ashley Berken

Executive Director