OMAHA, Neb. (KMTV) — Nonprofit organizations had to adapt in a big way to carry on with their mission during this global pandemic.
"They are really busy,” says Anne Hindery, chief executive of Nonprofit Association of the Midlands. “I think some of their funding is coming in and some is not. We have seen the local foundation community really step up."
Hindery says the COVID-19 crisis is hurting nonprofits in Nebraska and Southwest Iowa.
"I think that's part of the challenge is the uncertainty of it all. We don't know what we don't know and we don't know when we'll know it,” she says.
A recent survey with 231 area non-profits participating shows 63 percent experiencing "significant impact" from the coronavirus with a total of $42 million in lost revenue.
Gene Klein with Omaha's Project Harmony says they've had to get creative with strategies to continue to serve children that have been abused or neglected.
"We thought we could kind of hold our breath for a couple weeks or a month and squeeze through this and now, we are in the middle of July and seeing no end in sight,” he said.
Many of the nonprofits have had to cancel major fundraisers, forcing many to apply for funding from the Payment Protection Program (PPP).
Mary Fraser Meints, executive director with Youth Emergency Services, says the silver lining in the unknowns of this pandemic is the constant giving of the Omaha community.
"We've been very lucky to receive support from many philanthropists, and we got the PPP. That helps a lot because we serve about 3,000 youth a year and they are not going to go away,” she says. “In fact, the need is probably going to increase."