Donations and support have poured in at Girls Inc. of Tarrant County after Tarrant County officials ended a long-standing annual grant. Tarrant County commissioners in early October voted to reject more than $115,000 in funding to the nonprofit. Three Republican commissioners voted to remove the funding, while two Democratic commissioners voted to continue it.
In voting to end the funding, Republican commissioners cited positions held by the national Girls Inc. leadership, including opposing parental consent for abortions, favoring inclusive sexual health and identity curricula and “restorative justice,” according to a report in The Texan.
Girls Inc. of Tarrant County, an affiliate of the national Girls Inc., had received funds from Tarrant County for the previous 15 years, CEO Jennifer Limas wrote in an email to The NonProfit Times. The organization has not pursued an appeal of the decision.
The resulting media coverage of the cuts, however, caused funders to open their wallets. More than 200 unique donors, including an undetermined number of first-time funders, stepped up with contributions that ranged from $5 to $50,000 – and money is still coming in. “We aren’t ready to share any totals at this time,” Limas wrote. “We haven’t announced some of these donations yet and are not ready to talk in any detail about them.”
The money that has come in is welcome: The cut represented a healthy bite out of the organization’s income. Girls Inc. of Tarrant County received nearly $2.8 million in contributions and grants during the fiscal year ending June 30, 2022. Its overall revenue topped $3.4 million during the same year. The funds cut by the commissioners were slated for activities scheduled for September 2023 through August 2024.
“We are disappointed by the actions taken by the county and shocked by the misleading and false statements made about our organization,” Limas wrote regarding county officials’ characterizations. “At the same time, we are humbled by the way the community has responded and defended Girls Inc. of Tarrant County’s mission and the impact we are making in the lives of girls and their families daily. “
Stephanie J. Hull, president and CEO of the national Girls Inc., declined to comment on the issue. For its part, Girls Inc. of Tarrant County bills itself as a nonprofit that supports young women in their efforts to be “strong, smart, and bold”. Girls Inc. of Tarrant County had earmarked the denied funds for its Girl Power! Program, which touts self-esteem, stress management, healthy relationships, health and hygiene and pregnancy prevention.
While Limas did not have final totals, she was able to provide something better – assurances that, because of the donations, programs the cut grant supported would remain available.
“The Girls Inc. programs supported by this grant have continued without interruption and that funding will be replaced by community support this year,” Limas wrote. “For 15 years, that grant funding has helped us deliver programs that provide girls in high-need ZIP codes with mentoring and life skills to grow up to be healthy, educated, and independent. Families also received services through this program. That included everything from parent-child communication workshops to food drives during the pandemic.
“We are confident that the loss of funding will be supported by community members who have stepped up to support us, and we will continue to deliver resources and other services that improve the lives of girls in our community,” Limas continued.
Going forward, fundraisers at Girls Inc. of Tarrant County will be judicious in how they refer to the lost county funding, if they do at all. “The real story is the positive impact we are making in the community and in the lives of the girls we serve,” Limas wrote. “Our fundraising efforts will continue to focus on telling those stories.”
