Across the country, legislative budget cuts and funding delays are reshaping public systems at a destabilizing pace for families and individuals who struggle to find vital support within their own communities.

In Pottawatomie County and our neighboring communities, nonprofits traditionally step in when systems pull back. They absorb the impact of reduced funding created by shifting legislative priorities, all while representing the front line of service to families and individuals in need.

Avedis Foundation’s mission—to measurably improve the health, wellness, and quality of life for the people of Pottawatomie County and its surrounding communities— truly rises or falls with the strength of our nonprofit sector.

Since our founding in 2012, Avedis Foundation has awarded more than $74 million in grants to nonprofits and organizations across our service area, including $4.6 million in 2025. These investments support work that improves health outcomes, strengthens neighborhoods, and raises quality of life.

But money alone can’t solve every challenge— active collaboration often matters just as much as funding. Avedis has deepened its engagement with state and local leaders, working to amplify policies that support rural healthcare, educational funding, and economic development, among others.

Last February, Avedis Foundation convened state legislators and community leaders for our second Legislative Luncheon to share what nonprofits are experiencing on the ground and what our data confirms— as funding is reduced or eliminated from state and federal sources, community needs continue to grow exponentially, and nonprofits are carrying more weight than ever.

Avedis’s 2025 Nonprofit Impact Report makes this plain. Across Pottawatomie County and neighboring communities, nonprofits serve as the backbone of local support systems, addressing nearly every facet of daily life: affordable housing, quality childcare, accessible healthcare, addiction recovery, and more. They respond to immediate crises while also working toward long-term solutions. And they do it with limited resources, increasing demand, and often, unrealistic expectations.

Butnonprofitscannot— and should not—shoulder this work alone. Policy decisions matter. Legislative engagement matters. Evidence-based data matters. When legislators hear directly from nonprofit leaders and see the data behind the demand, as they did at our recent Legislative Luncheon, the “why” comes back into focus and decisions begin to address the most pressing needs of the community.

These are not abstract policy issues; they are daily realities for families and employers alike. Access to quality childcare affects workforce participation, economic development, and children’s long-term outcomes. Stable housing supports educational success, family health, and community resilience. When these systems are strained or removed, nonprofits are often the first—and often the only—responders.

Beyond legislative engagement, local nonprofits, many of whom are represented by their executive directors among Avedis Foundation’s Nonprofit Leadership Roundtable, are innovating, collaborating, and stretching resources to meet rising demand. Through the Leadership Roundtable, nonprofit leaders come together monthly to share best practices, work through challenges, and identify where systems are failing.

Communities like ours don’t thrive by accident. They thrive when we invest in the systems that hold them together. If we want healthy, resilient communities, we must stop treating nonprofits as peripheral and start treating them as partners. Continued investment, thoughtful policy, and cross-sector collaboration are not optional—they are required.

Avedis Foundation proudly celebrates the nonprofits who are doing this work every day. We are equally grateful to leaders—nonprofit, civic, and legislative—who understand that lasting impact is built through shared responsibility.

For more information about Avedis Foundation, visit www.avedisfoundation. org.