SAN ANTONIO – Dozens of San Antonio nonprofit leaders rallied at City Hall on Wednesday, calling on city leaders to reject a proposed $5.1 million reduction in funding they say supports critical programs across the city.
The Nonprofit Council said the proposed cuts could affect nearly 50 programs over the next couple of years, impacting more than 9,300 San Antonians.
Those programs provide services ranging from food assistance and housing to workforce training and crisis support.
“This is more than about a budget line,” said Cory McRae, advocacy chair for the San Antonio Nonprofit Council. “It’s about what’s happening when organizations serving families, young people, seniors and people in crisis have fewer resources to do the work.”
Nonprofit leaders said reducing city funding could force organizations to shrink programs, eliminate positions or turn away people who rely on their services.
During Wednesday’s event, one speaker emphasized the potential impact on children and young people.
“When funding is reduced, young people are able to lose a lot more than you expect,” a local teenager said during the event. “We lose programs and people that choose to help us grow rather than being stuck by ourselves and not knowing where to go next.”
Council members oppose proposed cuts
Some San Antonio City Council members joined nonprofit leaders in opposing the proposed funding reduction.
District 4 Councilman Edward Mungia said the impact could disproportionately affect residents in the city’s eastern and western core.
“70% of the people who would be dropped from these programs as a result of these cuts are in Districts 1-5,” Mungia said. “That is unacceptable.”
District 1 Councilwoman Sukh Kaur also pushed back against reducing funding for programs serving young people.
“The city should be doing more for our youth, not less,” Kaur said. “If we really care about workforce development and we really want our graduation rates to increase and our crime rates to decrease, how can we say at the same time we’re going to cut the funding from the organization that are doing just that?”
Kaur argued that nonprofit programs play an important role in workforce development, education and efforts to reduce crime.
Mayor acknowledges budget challenges
Mayor Gina Ortiz Jones acknowledged the city is facing a projected $158 million budget deficit but said city leaders need to find ways to support critical services.
“We have to be fiscally disciplined. We have to be financially responsible, and we have to show up for our most vulnerable,” Jones said.
The mayor added that city leaders should consider other funding sources and look for creative ways to maintain services while also addressing the city’s budget challenges.
She pointed to potential funding through programs such as Ready to Work and revenue from the city’s hotel occupancy tax.
Jones mentioned the city may need to reconsider how some programs have traditionally been funded to ensure resources reach residents who need them most.
The proposed funding cuts are part of the city’s future budget planning in FY 2028 and have not yet been finalized.
City leaders are continuing to work through options for addressing the projected $158 million deficit as the budget process moves forward.
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