Fresno leaders urge county to boost nonprofit support amid funding cuts
Fresno nonprofits serving farmworkers and poor neighborhoods are already cutting staff as city leaders push the county for more help.
Fresno Mayor Jerry Dyer said some local nonprofits are “starting to struggle” as federal funding reductions hit the local safety net, and he pressed Fresno County to help fill the gaps before more residents lose services. Dyer said the city was willing to do its part, but added, “We need the County of Fresno to do their part as well.”
County leaders said their own budget picture is tight. Fresno County Supervisor Luis Chavez said he agreed with the mayor’s broader message and said the county faces “very tough budget decisions in September” after a resident-input town hall. Board chairman Garry Bredefeld said the county already spends millions helping people in need and argued that city and county should work together instead of treating the issue as a contest over who pays.
Fresno County approved a preliminary budget on June 2 as it headed toward final hearings in September. County budget staff expect departments may be asked to look at a 5% cut to expenses, while the county faces a projected near-$300 million deficit tied to federal changes in the One Big Beautiful Bill Act. Those cuts could land hardest in public health, behavioral health and social services, including Medi-Cal and CalFresh, and county officials have warned that more residents could be pushed toward county help.
In March 2025, county officials notified nearly a dozen organizations that $11 million in federal grants for community health had been canceled, effective March 24, after the Trump administration pulled more than $12 billion in CDC funding. The cuts affected a community health worker network of about 120 people serving rural communities, farmworkers and poor neighborhoods across Fresno County.
West Family Fresno Resource Center laid off seven community health workers after the cuts, and the Nisei Farmers’ League lost a $340,000 grant that had paid for testing kits and education materials for farmworkers.
A coalition of California counties, including Fresno, asked Gov. Gavin Newsom for $1.9 billion in state help, but the May Revise included $87 million, according to a county budget officer.
This article was produced by Prism’s automated news system from verified source data, official records, and press releases, then run through automated quality and moderation checks before publishing. The system is built and supervised by the people who set the standards it runs under. Read our full AI policy.
Did this article answer your question?
