Over the years, Boxerwood has received several awards from the Chesapeake Bay Trust (CBT), a multi-million dollar grant aggregator that funds grassroots projects in the Chesapeake Bay watershed. Most recently, CBT funded our 2024 pilot of the EarthKeepers Afterschool Club via a 10K redirected funds from NOAA. Below is an excerpt of a letter shared with grantees and CBT supporters on March 11, 2025, from Jana Davis, President of CBT. We found this reflection helpful and contributory to our own thinking, so we are sharing its perspective with Boxerwood supporters as well:
. . . For 20 years, we [CBT] have been able to expand our grant-making with federal funds, with a third now supported with federal dollars. If those federal funds aren’t accessible/available, we’ll have to scale back how many community-based grants we can make.
Some of the conversations in DC pertaining to the federal funding freeze have prompted a (re)consideration of some basic philosophical questions: What role do nonprofits play in our society? How should they be supported? Should federal money be invested in nonprofits? These are fair questions we should all ask ourselves as part of any strategic planning process.
Because at the Bay Trust we are so diligent with our strategic planning efforts, we are ready with answers. The right space for nonprofits is work that society needs, but that governments can’t tackle as efficiently or effectively and that is outside the mission of the private sector. Natural resource work is one of those areas: Yes, governments can and do perform major watershed restoration work. However, the power of everyday people and community-based groups who want to be part of the solution can and should be harnessed as well. Doing so leads to cost efficiency: Communities match grant monies with their own time and resources and lead to ripple effects as they inspire other community members to act as well.
If you have similar feelings about nonprofits and want to help: donate.
If you have a favorite operating nonprofit (or a few), donate directly to them. They could use your support right now.
If you would like to give to Boxerwood, you may do so here: