Economic Downturn has Nonprofits Preparing for Scary 2009

For 30 years, more or less, Food for Santa Fe has been a dependable source of basic food for families in need. Now the program is more in demand than ever. Compassion nonprofits such as Food for Santa Fe are getting hammered these days. More and more is being asked of them. They, in turn, are asking for more help from individual donors, businesses and foundations -- who are watching the value of their own portfolios sink. As year-end appeals go out from various local charities, there's a lot of anxiety about how much funding will be available in 2009. Organizations might not even be able to count on the state. The governor is asking agencies to reduce operating expenses by 5 percent by cutting, among other things, travel costs and supplies as well as grants and contracts. Most grant makers now say they are committed to honoring multiyear awards, but they are taking a wait-and-see attitude toward new grants. Billie Blair, president of the Santa Fe Community Foundation, said a number of local nonprofit groups don't like what they see ahead, and three of them in the last month have approached the foundation asking for help in facilitating what they call "alliances" and what others might describe as "mergers."

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