Emergency Appeal
Urgent Need - over $12M in funding at risk
You read that right. In the past week, we’ve had over $12 million in funding put at risk – and the situation is still precarious. The critical situation facing Melwood and other nonprofits throughout the U.S. due to the recent uncertainty surrounding federal grants, including congressionally directed funding, have the potential to severely impact the services and support that individuals with disabilities rely on through Melwood’s programs.
The current political climate adds additional concerns about the timely availability of already limited resources used to support individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities. As the recipient of over $10M in federal grant funding over the next five years, the potential loss of funding will drastically affect how and where services are provided for the over 1,700 individuals impacted by this funding, potentially leading to reduced access to critical support and care.
This chaos comes on the heels of recent news of a possible $200M reduction in funding for Developmental Disability Services in Maryland that could impact Melwood by as much as $2M per year on top of the potential loss mentioned above. On January 14, Maryland released a proposed budget that includes significant cuts to programs funded through the Developmental Disabilities Administration (DDA) -- cuts that could directly impact the people we support and the services from Melwood that they have come to know and rely upon. These cuts will directly impact several of Melwood’s legacy programs, such as Employment Supports, Day Habilitation, and Community Development Services. To make matters more uncertain, DDA funding is matched by Medicaid funding, also under review by the current administration.
Melwood stands firm in our unwavering commitment to empower people with disabilities in the greater Washington, DC metropolitan area but, now more than ever, we cannot fight this battle alone. Your immediate support is crucial to protect the services that so many individuals with disabilities depend on. Please give now and please give generously to help people with disabilities overcome the barriers blocking their path to success.
Together, we can make a difference and ensure that people with disabilities are empowered to live their best lives with the support from Melwood they desperately need.
Sincerely,
Larysa Kautz
President & CEO, Melwood, Inc.