The Boys and Girls Club of Bloomington-Normal has cut "55% of its team" as part of the response to a loss of federal grant funding. The club has eliminated "both full and part-time positions."
“Our Club has made significant changes to stabilize our operations. While our doors remain open, our landscape has significantly changed," executive director Tony Morstatter said in a letter to donors and supporters.
To place the 55% staff reduction in context, in calendar year 2023 the club had a total of 88 employees. That’s the most recent year available on the club’s not-for-profit organization Form 990 tax filings. There were 85 employees in 2022, 59 in 2021, and 65 in 2020. Back in 2015, the club had 46 paid workers. Throughout the last decade, the forms show the club also benefited from hundreds of volunteers each year.
Morstatter said the club has reduced its operating budget by more than $900,000, and closed three of five locations and moved those programs to the current clubhouse.
The same tax forms showed revenue of $2.45 million and expenses of $1.9 million in calendar year 2023. The forms showed a trend of growth under Morstatter, until this reversal. A decade ago, the year before he arrived, revenue was just $749,000 and expenses were $623,000.
Several other Boys and Girls Clubs in the state also lost federal grant funding administered by the Illinois State Board of Education, when ISBE prioritizes new programs over renewals.
Morstatter wrote this week the club is at "a pivotal moment," with increasing demands and expectations while navigating "the fear of an uncertain economic environment."
“Despite our strategic efforts to diversify our funding model, this year alone, we are faced with a $600,000 shortfall in grant revenue due to funding reductions and cuts. These significant reductions, [in no way linked to our programs or the successful outcomes we deliver], have not only forced Clubs in Illinois, but more than 900 Boys & Girls Clubs across the U.S., to make tough decisions,” wrote Morstatter.
Morstatter said the changes are contrary to the club’s strategic goals and long-term vision yet are needed for long-term sustainability. He said the organization remains committed to serving the community.
