By: Jonathan Forbes, Sr. Development Director
With shifting federal funding priorities appearing on the horizon, a strong culture of philanthropy can remain the steady hand for survivors of relationship violence.
There has been some confusion over the last several days about a temporary order to freeze federal grant funding and the immediate impact that this would have on survivors of relationship violence. A possible temporary freeze also sparked questions about what a more permanent shift in federal funding priorities could mean for survivors in the long term. We’d like to provide you with some updates on what we’ve learned about this week’s events, what this means for survivors, and the opportunity it presents for a culture of philanthropy at Human Options.
What happened?
On January 27, 2025, the White House Office of Management and Budget (OMB) issued a memorandum across all federal agencies ordering a temporary pause on all federal grants to go into effect at 5 PM the next day. The memo stated that, “Federal agencies must temporarily pause all activities related to obligation or disbursement of all Federal financial assistance, and other relevant agency activities that may be implicated” by the President’s recent series of Executive Orders. During the pause, Federal agencies were to review all financial assistance programs to determine their consistency with the President’s priorities.
That same day, a Federal District Court granted an “administrative stay” that temporarily paused the federal freeze until February 3, 2025, at 5 PM, to review briefs from the lawsuits filed in response to the OMB memo.
Fortunately, on January 29, OMB released a new memo rescinding the original memo, meaning that it is no longer in effect and federal action to implement that directive has been stopped. However, the Executive Orders requiring all Federal agencies to review grant requirements and determine their alignment with the Administration’s priorities remain active.
How would this impact survivors?
Although the funding freeze was rescinded, Human Options caught a glimpse of what shifts in federal funding priorities could mean for survivors.
Survivors and their families access several life-changing services at Human Options that are partially funded by Federal grants, including access to housing, counseling, and legal services. Survivors benefit from a range of housing options to meet their immediate needs and achieve their long-term goals, participate in trauma-informed counseling on their road to healing, and find guidance on legal services in the aftermath of experiencing abuse.
Because Human Options receives grant funding directly from several Federal agencies, while the temporary freeze was in place, it began to impact our housing, counseling, and legal advocacy services for survivors. Regardless of any shifts in government funding, Human Options remains steadfast in our commitment to supporting survivors at every stage of their journey by providing a safe-haven and working toward our vision of an Orange County where everyone lives free from fear.
While a reprieve from this pause is certainly good news, we are making preparations to assess what the short-term and long-term impacts on survivors in Orange County might be following the review of these grants and any shifts in government funding that might come as a result.
Philanthropy is a steady hand for survivors.
The confusion over the possible impact on survivors over the last few days reinforced for us the importance of partnering with you—our supporters, donors, and funders—so that we can continue providing the life-saving services to survivors in the aftermath of trauma on their road to healing. At Human Options, we are grateful to have a strong culture of philanthropy that provides a steady hand in uncertain times.
A culture of philanthropy makes it possible for us to pivot when needed, remain responsive to survivors’ changing needs, and innovate alongside survivors by centering their voices and experiences as we continually elevate the quality of the care that we provide.
Our supporters, donors, and funders invest not only in the lives of our survivors but also in their futures and the futures of their families. Philanthropy seeds long-term impact by doing what it takes to end the cycle of violence across generations, and therefore, across a changing terrain of funding priorities.
We appreciate the commitment that you’ve shown us to ending relationship violence in Orange County. We know that you share our concerns, and we’ll keep you informed about how we can continue this work together for survivors.
