Puerto Rican Nonprofits Grew After Hurricane María. What's Happening Now?
Read my article about how a series of crises have changed Puerto Rico's nonprofit sector!
Hurricane María tearing through Puerto Rico in 2017 was a "before and after" moment for Puerto Rico. It directly led to an estimated 4,645 deaths and caused more than $90 billion in damages. The storm completely wrecked the national power grid and it has not yet recovered due to mismanagement. However, it would not be the only crisis Puerto Ricans would face. The following years would be filled with protests that ousted a governor, earthquakes, the COVID-19 pandemic, and other weather events.
The devastation wrought by María led to a huge influx of contributions to local nonprofits and foundations. While this post-disaster funding bump typically dissipates within a few weeks or months of the disaster falling out of the news cycle, Puerto Rico was different because of the extent of the damage, as well as the series of crises that would follow. Funds continued to flow to many organizations for years. While some have seen that funding drop off recently, others have seen a drop off in their funding recently.
For 9 Millones, I wrote about how nonprofits in Puerto Rico were affected by the wave of funding that came after María and how those organizations are reacting to recent federal funding cuts and uncertain times. Many organizations, like the Boys & Girls Club of Puerto Rico, were able to massively expand their programs because of government grants. But they have faced significant uncertainty because of the Trump administration. Meanwhile, Taller Salud, which deals with women's health issues and gang violence, had a grant cut leaving them with a huge hole in their budget.
You can read about that – and how Puerto Rican foundations are preparing for a downturn, propping up social justice projects, and more – here.
By:Carlos Berríos Polanco
