Social Current has published an executive order tracker to assist in navigating the executive orders issued by President Trump. The tracker briefly reviews key executive orders and memoranda signed by President Trump and actions his administration is directed to take.  

U.S. Committee on Oversight Holds a Hearing on Welfare Programs  

The U.S. Committee on Oversight and Government Reform held a hearing on Feb. 11 to discuss social safety net programs, including nutrition, housing, and health care assistance. Ranking Member Krishnamoorthi (D-Ill.) and Michael Linden, the senior policy fellow for the Washington Center for Equitable Growth, emphasized the programs’ substantial impact on improving families’ quality of life. 

Robert Rector, the senior research fellow for the Heritage Foundation’s Center for Health and Welfare, warned of the potential of welfare programs to disincentivize marriage and encouraged strengthening work requirements. Patrice Onwuka, the director of the Independent Women’s Forum’s Center for Economic Opportunity, spoke about the cost of the programs and recommended reforming eligibility and participation. 

Robert F. Kennedy Jr. Confirmed as the U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services 

Robert F. Kennedy Jr. was sworn in as head of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services on Feb. 13 after the Senate voted in favor of his confirmation, largely along party lines, as 52 Republican senators voted in favor.  

During the swearing-in ceremony, President Trump stressed Kennedy’s commitment to rebuilding trust in America’s public health system through transparency. President Trump also spoke of his Make America Healthy Again Commission, which will be chaired by Kennedy and investigate the rise of chronic illnesses among youth.  

In addition to transparency, Kennedy emphasized returning “gold-standard science” to the National Institutes of Health, Food and Drug Administration, and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and “ending the corruption, … getting rid of the people on those panels that have conflicts of interest.”

Brooke Rollins Confirmed as the U.S. Secretary of Agriculture 

Brooke Rollins was sworn in as the U.S. Secretary of Agriculture on Feb. 13 after the Senate voted in favor of her confirmation, with 72 senators voting in favor. Following her confirmation, Rollins issued a statement expressing her firm commitment to American farmers, ranchers, and the agriculture community. 

President Trump Signs Executive Order to Establish the Make America Healthy Again Commission  

On Feb. 13, President Trump signed an executive order to establish the Make America Healthy Again Commission. The commission was created to address critical health challenges, including rising rates of mental health disorders, obesity, diabetes, and other chronic diseases. The order mandates increased research, transparency of findings, and flexibility for health insurance coverage to provide benefits supporting disease prevention. The commission’s focus will initially center on understanding and addressing the childhood chronic disease crisis. 

President Trump Signs Executive Order to End COVID-19 Vaccine Mandates in Schools 

On Feb. 15, President Trump signed an executive order that maintains discretionary Federal funds shouldn’t be directed toward any educational agency or school, including institutions of higher education, that requires  COVID-19 vaccination for students to attend any in-person education program. 

The order also directs the Secretary of Education to issue guidelines to educational agencies and schools regarding their legal obligations to parental authority, religious freedom, disability accommodations, and equal protection under the law and their impact on coercive COVID-19 school mandates. 

U.S. Department of Education Releases a Dear Colleague Letter Directing Schools to End Racial Preferences 

The U.S. Department of Education issued a Dear Colleague Letter on Feb. 15 to notify educational institutions receiving federal funds that they must stop using race preferences and stereotypes as a factor for, but not limited to: 

The letter stated that institutions that fail to comply risk being investigated and losing federal funding. The Department of Education will begin assessing compliance with the directive no later than March 1.  

Sector Updates from the Judiciary  

Executive Order Restricting Access to Gender Affirming Care Temporarily Blocked  
Two federal courts, the U.S. District Court for the District of Maryland and the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Washington, temporarily blocked an executive order restricting gender affirming care for transgender individuals younger than age 19. The temporary restraining order was issued on Feb. 13 and will remain in place nationally until the 27 unless extended. While the orders are in place, medical institutions cannot have federal funding revoked.  

DEI Executive Orders Temporarily Blocked 
The U.S. District Court for the District of Maryland issued a partial, nationwide preliminary injunction for two executive orders: “Ending Radical Government DEI Programs and Preferencing,” and “Ending Illegal Discrimination and Restoring Merit-Based Opportunity.” The court determined that the order is too vague to be enforced as they fail to define key terms, including “DEI” and “equity-related.”   

The court ruled that the Trump administration is not allowed to terminate “equity-related” grants or contracts. The language of the executive orders is too vague for recipients of government grants to know how to bring their grants into compliance. Without clear reasoning or guidelines, the termination of grants may be arbitrary and discriminatory. 

The administration also cannot require federal contractors and grant recipients to certify that they do not engage in any “equity-related” programs. 

U.S. Appeals Court Continues to Pause SAVE Program for Student Loans 
The Eight Circuit Court of Appeals returned a lawsuit challenging the constitutionality of the Saving on a Valuable Education (SAVE) Plan to the district court. Payments will remain frozen as litigation continues.  

The SAVE Program allows borrowers to enroll in income-driven repayment plans that lower their monthly federal student loan bills. The rule also cancels loans after 10 years of payments for those who borrowed $12,000 or less, increasing by 1 year for every additional $1,000 of the borrower’s original balance. Approximately 7.5 million borrowers have enrolled in the SAVE program. 

The lawsuit was brought by a coalition of several Republican states: Missouri, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, North Dakota, Ohio, and Oklahoma. The states maintained that the U.S. Department of Education and former President Joe Biden lacked the authority to pursue a student debt relief program designed to lower monthly payments and accelerate loan forgiveness. 

The Eight Circuit Court of Appeals agreed that the U.S. Department of Education exceeded its authority. They maintained the Higher Education Act provision that allows for income-based loan repayment plans to adopt debt forgiveness cannot be transferred to the scale provided by President Biden’s SAVE Plan. The court asserted that the text of the Higher Education Act does not align with the SAVE Plan and Congress’ explicit terms for creating repayment plans. 

Subscribe to the Policy and Advocacy Radar to receive our biweekly policy roundup, which includes commentary on issues in Social Current’s federal policy agenda, opportunities to take action, and curated news and opportunities.

Social Current is hosting a free webinar Wednesday, Feb. 19 from 1-2 pm ET. It is the second in our Advocacy in Action series, which digs into our federal policy agenda.

This webinar will discuss critical workforce and insurance challenges affecting the human services sector. It will offer tailored strategies to advocate for workforce and insurance solutions, including through data-driven approaches and storytelling.

The session is designed to empower organizations with the knowledge and resources needed to create actionable advocacy plans and outline opportunities to join Social Current’s advocacy efforts. Register here.

Senate Committee on Aging Holds a Hearing on Inflation Challenges Facing Older Adults

U.S. Senate Committee on Aging recently held a hearing to discuss the challenges inflation presents to older adults. Witnesses and senators highlighted reduced purchasing power and increased financial instability due to paying rising grocery, housing, medical, and transportation costs while often relying fixed incomes.

Witnesses recommended reducing government spending, increasing deregulation, and strengthening incentives to work to ease inflationary pressures and lower interest rates. They also encouraged addressing corporate price gouging, improving Social Security’s annual cost-of-living adjustments, and reducing the price of prescription drugs by expanding Medicare’s power to negotiate.

House Education and Workforce Committee Holds a Hearing on the State of American Education

The House Education and Workforce Committee recently held a hearing to consider the challenges students continue to face following the COVID-19 pandemic. Chairman Tim Walberg (R-Mich.) and Ranking Member Robert C. Scott (D-Va.) referenced the most recent National Assessment of Educational Progress Report to underscore ongoing declines in math and reading scores.

Representatives and witnesses discussed widening achievement gaps. Janai Nelson, president and director-counsel of the Legal Defense Fund, highlighted the Department of Education’s role in safeguarding students’ right to equal educational opportunities. She underscored the importance of desegregation to close achievement gaps and more equitably distributing resources. Nicole Neily, president of Parents Defending Education, further stressed the importance of transparency of curriculum and partnerships with families.

Representatives and witnesses also discussed challenges in higher education, including excessive costs, low completion rates, uneven financial value for students, and high rates of student loan nonpayment. Preston Cooper, senior fellow for the American Enterprise Institute, recommended caps on federal loans and increased accountability among taxpayer-funded colleges for their outcomes.

Johnny C. Taylor Jr., president and CEO of SHRM, stressed the importance of a strong connection between the business and education communities to prepare workers for the future of work. He recommended partnerships and open communication among employers, educational institutions, and government agencies.

Executive Orders Signed by President Trump

Executive Orders Repealed by President Trump

Sector Updates from the Judiciary

Federal Judge Stops Federal Funding Freeze
The U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia recently issued a temporary restraining order to halt a memorandum issued by the Office of Management and Budget. The court’s ruling stopped the memo, which announced a temporary pause on federal funding, from going into effect.

The memorandum ordered all federal agencies to pause issuing of new awards, disbursing federal funds under all open awards, and other relevant agency actions that may violate executive orders recently signed by President Trump. The delay in funding holds the capacity to severely harm communities by preventing states and organizations from providing critical services, including funding programs that increase access to housing, support child abuse prevention, and promote community health.

Judge AliKhan stressed Congress’ right to appropriate federal funds and the unconstitutionality of interfering with their distribution. The U.S. District Court’s order follows a temporary restraining order issued by a federal district judge for the U.S. District Court of Rhode Island. Chief Judge John J. McConnell Jr. also granted a temporary restraining order to stop President Trump administration’s funding freeze following a suit brought by a coalition of 22 states and D.C.

Maryland Supreme Court Upholds State Law Removing the Statute of Limitations for Survivors of Child Sexual Abuse
The Maryland Supreme Court affirmed the constitutionality of the state’s Child Victims Act of 2023, which retroactively eliminated the statute of limitations for survivors of child sexual abuse. Individuals are now permitted to bring civil lawsuits against private entities, including state government agencies, regardless of the date of the incident.

Maryland’s Child Victims Act of 2023 additionally capped liability for public entities at $890,000 per occurrence. It raised the liability limit in claims against private institutions for non-economic damages, such as pain and suffering, to $1.5 million. It eliminated caps for economic damages for costs of services, such as therapy and medical treatment.

Subscribe to the Policy and Advocacy Radar to receive our biweekly policy roundup, which includes commentary on issues in Social Current’s federal policy agenda, opportunities to take action, and curated news and opportunities.

Social Current is seeking applications to become pilot communities for the social impact campaign inspired by the film, UnCharitable. This initiative is being developed in collaboration with the team of filmmakers and social innovators behind the film, including its producer and social impact lead Meredith Blake and director Stephen Gyllenhaal, with the goal of reducing funding constraints and improving the way the social sector applies innovation and creates impact in the U.S. and Canada.

Teams of local organizations are invited to apply to serve as pilot communities for the initiative. Submit applications online by March 31.

The initiative will take place over three to five years, with communities receiving access to research, technical assistance, operations support, marketing and communications support and evaluation. The five pilot communities will work collaboratively to develop, incubate, refine, and ultimately scale innovative strategies that address the most pressing issues faced by the community and more broadly, the nonprofit sector. The campaign will use a community-centered and participatory process that engages diverse groups, listens to their needs, and co-designs solutions that respond to their highest priorities and reflect their lived realities.

Social Current will support the pilot communities by establishing a community steering group and assisting in identifying funding and in-kind resources. Communities will work to design their plans, which will include listening sessions and film screenings to serve as catalysts for their initiatives. Through these activities, each community will explore their most pressing challenges, including those faced by their local nonprofit sector, and identify ways to address those challenges through communications, policy and practice change, and local advocacy.

The strategies developed by the pilot communities will be scaled through the development and implementation of a narrative change communications and media strategy around nonprofit impact; creation of educational resources, tools and curricula; and the development of federal, state, and local policy and advocacy strategy, tools, training, and resources.

For more information about the social impact campaign, watch the recording of our informational webinar, held Feb. 26.

Download a copy of the application questions and apply online by March 31.

Direct questions about the application process to Sarah Beth Lardie, chief development officer at Social Current.

As the social sector enters 2025, it faces an evolving landscape of both tremendous opportunities and significant challenges. Emerging technologies, particularly artificial intelligence (AI), offer the potential to transform organizations by driving productivity and efficiency. However, these advancements also bring important considerations around responsible deployment and risk management.

To help leaders navigate this shift, Social Current’s Knowledge and Insights Center has curated a report on key trends shaping the sector in 2025, offering actionable strategies to stay ahead. From leveraging AI to managing its ethical implications, this article explores how the social sector can harness technology while staying grounded in its human-centered mission.

Social Current is committed to fostering collaboration among sector leaders to address systemic challenges and seize new opportunities. At our Convening for Chief Executives in North Carolina, March 19-21, we’ll discuss strategies for integrating emerging technologies into the sector.

Lauri Goldkind, professor at Fordham University, will lead an interactive session to co-create an AI readiness assessment rubric, a practical tool to help organizations prepare for AI implementation. Goldkind’s research focuses on data justice, AI in nonprofit management, and telemental health. The session will provide leaders with actionable insights on integrating AI responsibly into human services, ensuring its positive impact while minimizing risks.

Leveraging AI

Social sector organizations are using AI to automate routine functions, gain organizational insights, and increase productivity.

Adoption of AI is surging. A recent McKinsey & Company study reveals that 72% of surveyed organizations are using AI to support at least one business function. In the social sector, organizations report using AI to assist with tasks such as writing personalized donor thank you notes, crafting newsletters, drafting grant proposals, and developing press releases. Across all sectors, AI is commonly used to support IT, HR, marketing, sales, and product/service development functions. Considering staffing shortages, nonprofit organizations can use AI to automate manual tasks in order to free up space for staff to focus on more complex tasks such as problem solving and relationship-building.

Risk Management

While capitalizing on innovative technologies, nonprofits must remain human-centered and mitigate risks such as algorithmic bias, cybersecurity risks, and privacy risks.

Even with its many benefits, AI adoption should be approached strategically and with a healthy dose of risk modeling and mitigation. Take the time to teach your teams how AI works and to understand the body of data that your AI tools train on. Generative AI programs are generally trained on open-source information like Wikipedia, Twitter, and Reddit that can contain heavily biased views and can exacerbate algorithmic bias and disparate outcomes. Some conversational AI tools, such as the free versions of ChatGPT, have time delays and train on data with a currency lag of up to two years, which can cause issues for fields that need highly current information. Additionally, data privacy and cybersecurity concerns should be top of mind for nonprofit professionals using AI.

If you haven’t already, begin drafting AI use-case policies for your workplace that protect user data. 2025 is a great time to identify how to ethically and effectively optimize AI at your organization.

Social Current is Here to Help Navigate Changes

As the social sector continues to adapt to the evolving landscape, the responsible integration of AI offers both significant opportunities and challenges. By adopting a strategic, human-centered approach to AI, organizations can unlock productivity gains while safeguarding against risks such as bias, privacy concerns, and cybersecurity threats. At Social Current, we are committed to supporting leaders in navigating this complex terrain.

In addition to our Convening for Chief Executives, we invite leaders to join us at the 2025 Executive Leadership Institute (ELI). Held in partnership with Loyola University Chicago Quinlan School of Business, ELI helps participants enhance their leadership skills and gain valuable insights into emerging trends in technology and organizational development. These programs are opportunities for learning, collaboration, and strategic planning to help ensure AI and other innovations are used ethically and effectively in the social sector.

The social sector is at a critical juncture, grappling with persistent workforce challenges that impact both the effectiveness of organizations and the well-being of employees. From inadequate wages and growing financial hardship for many nonprofit workers, to the increasing difficulty of filling key leadership roles, nonprofits face a host of obstacles that threaten their ability to support their communities.

As the sector confronts a rising mental health crisis and workforce shortages, there is an urgent need for innovative solutions that address these issues while fostering a resilient, well-supported workforce. Join Social Current’s four-part Workforce Well-Being and Resilience webinar series, beginning in March, for insights to healthy and resilient organizational culture.

This article explores the current workforce trends within the social sector, highlighting key challenges and offering insights into strategies for navigating these complexities in 2025 and beyond.

Nonprofits are struggling to pay competitive wages and many social sector employees face financial hardship.

According to the latest ALICE Report from Independent Sector, 22% of nonprofit employees are earning below the ALICE (Asset Limited, Income Constrained, Employed) threshold and are struggling financially. Inequities of the general workforce play out in the nonprofit realm as well: 34% of Black nonprofit employees and 35% of Hispanic nonprofit employees are facing financial hardship. Women, despite making up two-thirds of the nonprofit workforce, are paid significantly less than men in the sector.

We must continue to advocate for social sector funding models that cover the true costs of operations, including competitive, livable wages for all social sector employees. Social Current is leading the social impact work that is inspired by the movie UnCharitable. The effort will address this chronic underfunding in the social sector and ensure adequate resources to meet our communities’ needs while also driving sector innovation and growth.

Workforce shortages continue to impede nonprofit progress and innovation.

We’ll continue to see nonprofit staffing shortages in 2025, particularly in leadership positions. According to a recent report from PNP Staffing Group, almost 1 in 3 nonprofits struggle with retention and turnover and 59% of nonprofits said it was significantly harder to fill staff positions in 2024 than in previous years. This trend will most likely continue into the new year, as 55% of nonprofit organizations cite the inability to offer competitive salaries as a significant challenge.

Source: PNP Staffing Group. (2024). 2024 Nonprofit salaries and staffing trends.

The outlook for mental health care in particular shows a significant gap, with position openings projected to grow at triple the rate of all occupations over the next decade. Need is even higher in rural areas across the U.S. where approximately 122 million people do not have access to mental health services. In fact, roughly 27 million Americans with a mental illness are not receiving treatment. Mental Health organizations specializing in youth care face an even greater workforce deficit: In 70% of U.S. counties, there are no child or young adult psychiatrists and only 20% of children with mental health disorders receive the care they need from a specialized mental health provider.

Leadership gaps reveal inequities and barriers to advancement.

Interest in nonprofit leadership positions is also declining. A recent survey by the Building Movement Project shows that there has been a steady decline in interest in top leadership roles. In 2016, 50% of white and 40% of BIPOC respondents were interested in these roles whereas in 2022 this fell to 46% for white and 32% for BIPOC respondents. Though the nonprofit leadership pipeline crisis has been growing for decades, the pandemic exacerbated the issue with high turnover, burnout, and early retirements at the leadership level. Our sector is at a critical moment. We must address the barriers to leadership pipelines, including lack of mentorship and support opportunities, particularly for leaders of color, eschew rigid job requirements, and proactively address burnout and inadequate salaries, if we want to close these gaps in 2025.

With support from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF), Social Current has partnered with the American Public Human Services Association (APHSA) on the “Equip the Flip” initiative. This initiative seeks to create a new leadership framework that can support leaders by addressing structural racism, shifting power to authentically center community voices, and advancing diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging across the sector. Through focus groups, story gathering, and a review of the literature and lived experiences, we have been able to map the next generation of leadership competencies for human service leaders – keeping them actionable and human-centered. The competencies developed from the Equip the Flip initiative show that social sector leaders need development in the following skillsets:

Learn more about the Equip the Flip initiative online.

Organizations are prioritizing employee mental health due to increasing rates of burnout.

The most recent State of Nonprofits Survey from the Center for Effective Philanthropy reveals that 95% of nonprofit CEOs are concerned about burnout at their organization and over 50% of those CEOs reported feeling more burnout themselves than in previous years. In Mental Health America’s recent Mind the Workplace Report, Millennials and Gen-Z had the worst work mental health scores, with 59% and 71% reporting unhealthy scores, respectively.

In 2025, support your nonprofit workplace with best practices in workforce resilience and employee wellness. In addition to paying living wages and comprehensive benefits packages, offer paid time off to encourage rest and rejuvenation, offer flexible and/or less than 40-hour work week schedules, create a resilient culture by training staff on trauma-informed workplace approaches, and allocate protected time for professional growth and development.

PQI: Nonprofits are developing and updating their PQI Models to stay sustainable and mission oriented.

The term VUCA (volatility, uncertainty, complexity, ambiguity) is over 30 years old, and yet it is increasingly resurfacing in recent business articles and blogs as we face a very VUCA political landscape to start out 2025. VUCA in the social sector field is the new constant and nonprofits must stay agile and change-ready.

When it comes to program evaluation and continuous improvement, nonprofits are updating their Performance & Quality Improvement (PQI) strategies to be more flexible, dynamic, and gather real-time feedback for swift course correction. PQI models provide a structured approach to evaluating programs, identifying areas for improvement, and driving evidence-based decision making to improve organizational outcomes. By tracking key performance indicators and analyzing data, nonprofits can make informed decisions about resource allocation, staff training, and program design. This data-driven approach helps nonprofits demonstrate accountability to funders, donors, and the community, while also fostering a culture of continuous improvement. Check out Social Current’s webinars to design or update your own PQI plan: Introduction to Logic Models and Logic Models 2.0: Connecting Program to Action.

Partnering with Social Cooperatives: Nonprofits are promoting worker co-ops through incubation.

Another growing workforce resilience trend is an increase in partnerships between established nonprofits and worker cooperatives. Over the past 50 years, social cooperative workplace models have been on the rise. This model deconstructs traditional hierarchical organization models in favor of worker voice and participation. This typically takes the form of equal (or more equitable) distribution of profit and shareholder power. To facilitate this rise, nonprofit organizations have stepped in to incubate social cooperatives that support marginalized communities by providing funding, staff, support, and resources to launch and develop fledgling worker cooperatives. This promising partnership model combines the social mission of nonprofits with the economic benefits of cooperatives. The U.S. could accelerate the development of a more equitable and sustainable economy by following the social cooperative models of countries such as France, Italy, and the U.K., that provide legal recognition and tax incentives for social cooperatives.  To learn more, check out our Social Collaborative & Nonprofit Partnerships resource handout from the Social Current Knowledge and Insights Center.

Social Current is Here to Help you Navigate Workforce Trends

We recognize that staff at nonprofit organizations are facing change, stress, and conflict on multiple levels. Political polarization, isolation, and vicarious trauma are contributing to staff feeling drained and disengaged. Our Workforce Wellbeing & Resilience During Times of Change Learning Series is a great place to develop crucial competencies that will help your workforce thrive.

This four-part webinar series will equip leaders and supervisors with foundational knowledge and skills to help their teams manage uncertainty and interpersonal conflict so they can create a healthy and resilient organizational culture. To empower their staff, participants will learn about core strategies and tactics that are based in brain science research and trauma-informed approaches.

Sessions in this series:

To go even deeper, Social Current offers consulting with workforce resilience experts, train-the-trainer opportunities, in-depth in-person training, and more to strengthen your workplace culture. Learn more about our expertise and solutions.

The mentorship program offered as part of Social Current’s Executive Leadership Institute (ELI) plays a pivotal role in developing transformative leaders. By pairing seasoned leaders with emerging talent, ELI creates a unique, supportive environment where knowledge sharing, personal growth, and professional development converge.

For this article, we asked an ELI mentor pair to share their experiences and shed light on the significant impact of their relationship on the broader leadership learning process. Mentor Kevin Walsh is a retired executive with 43 years of experience in child welfare, mental health, and juvenile justice in New York State, and mentee Althea Birch is the director of community programs at The Advocate Program in Miami.

Complementing On-Site Learning Through Mentorship

For many ELI students, the week of onsite learning is the foundation of their leadership journey. However, it is the mentoring component that provides the essential bridge to real-world application. According to Walsh, the in-person experience and additional virtual learning are crucial for providing a theoretical framework on leadership, but the program’s true value emerges when participants are encouraged to translate these lessons into action.

“While the onsite sessions provide critical insights into the challenges facing leadership today, working with a mentor allows the mentee to apply these concepts to real situations within their own organization,” Walsh explains. For example, Birch embarked on a project to expand her organization’s board of directors to include a member with lived experience. With Walsh’s guidance, this goal became not just a theoretical exercise, but a transformative action which reshaped Birch’s organization.

The focus on action-based learning is what sets ELI apart. Each student works on a project that requires them to implement the skills and insights they’ve gained, with their mentor acting as a neutral, experienced guide. “The mentor’s role is to help the mentee reflect on the challenges they face, not to solve the problem for them,” explains Walsh. This reflective process, which is central to adult learning, allows the mentee to deepen their leadership practice and approach issues from new perspectives.

Mentorship as a Personal Development Journey

Mentorship within ELI is not just about professional growth; it is deeply intertwined with personal development. The mentor shares their expertise and helps the mentee work through their leadership challenges. As Walsh highlights, “Mentoring is about guiding the mentee on a personal journey toward becoming a stronger leader.” This means fostering a space where mentees can think critically, voice their concerns, and reflect on their growth.

For the mentees, the experience is equally impactful. “Kevin was an unbiased sounding board,” says Birch, reflecting on the mentorship experience. “His guidance helped me make better leadership decisions.” The mentor-mentee dynamic offered Birch a chance to step back and analyze her leadership style, without the pressures of a supervisor-employee relationship. This created a safe space for reflection and growth.

Benefits to Both Mentor and Mentee

While mentorship is primarily focused on supporting the mentee’s development, mentors also benefit significantly from the experience. For Walsh, the chance to work with mentees has kept him engaged and connected to the evolving trends in the nonprofit sector. “I am constantly learning from my mentees,” Walsh shares. “Working with individuals facing different challenges keeps me sharp and connected to the changing landscape of leadership.”

For the mentee, the benefits are clear: Continuous support, expert guidance, and an opportunity to learn from someone who has walked the path before. “Kevin’s nonprofit leadership experience gave me a wealth of guidance,” Birch shares. “He helped me understand that even small accomplishments matter in leadership, and he gave me the encouragement to keep moving forward.”

Overcoming Challenges Together

Like any relationship, the mentor-mentee partnership can face challenges. Walsh reflects on early struggles with understanding the fine line between coaching and mentoring. “It was difficult at first to resist the urge to offer advice on how to solve problems,” he admits. “But the true role of a mentor is to help the mentee reflect, not provide direct solutions.” With practice and support from other mentors in ELI’s alumni community, Walsh honed his active listening skills, ensuring that he could better guide Birch’s self-reflection.

For Birch, challenges were minimal, but the consistency of open communication was key. “Kevin was always available and supportive,” she explains. “Even between our scheduled meetings, I knew I could reach out if I needed guidance.”

A Lasting Impact

Perhaps the most powerful aspect of the ELI mentorship program and the institute overall is the longevity of relationships with peers and advisors in the sector. The connections formed during the program do not end when students graduate from the institute. As Birch shares, “I know I can continue to reach out to Kevin throughout my leadership journey.” This enduring support is what makes ELI’s mentoring approach unique — it is not just about guiding participants during the course, but about establishing a lasting partnership for continued growth.

Learn More About the Executive Leadership Institute

The mentor-mentee relationships forged through ELI are more than just professional connections—they are partnerships that nurture personal growth, challenge assumptions, and develop leadership skills. These relationships provide a critical complement to the in-person and virtual learning experience, offering mentees the chance to apply new concepts in real-world settings while growing as leaders.

View details online for the 2025 Executive Leadership Institute, to be held June 8-12 at Loyola University Chicago.

To learn more about how you can develop your leadership skills and make a lasting impact, join our free informational webinar about the institute Feb. 20.

Social Current is seeking competitive submissions for its 2025 Innovative Impact Award. Too often great ideas are kept in-house without recognizing their potential to create change beyond the communities where they were born. Social Current’s Innovative Impact Award identifies, documents, and celebrates examples of successful approaches to management and service delivery practices adopted by our network organizations.

The Innovative Impact Award will spotlight the efforts of Social Current network organizations—their staff, board, volunteers, and partners—who innovate for good to create lasting change with families and communities.

We invite you to share your successful strategies and serve as a resource for community-based organizations, leaders, researchers, and advocates across the full spectrum of human and social services.

Applications should be submitted online by March 24. Submissions must include a synopsis of your innovative practice and a case study narrative that addresses the evaluation criteria.

Learn more about our 2024 Innovative Impact Award winner Children & Families First Delaware, which was recognized for its Brain Science Training Institute. Read their guest article, The Business of Healing: How Trauma-Informed Care Revolutionizes Organizational Strategy, online.

Winner Benefits

The 2025 Innovative Impact Award winner will receive national visibility and promotion from both Social Current and participating national associations. The winner will also receive the following benefits:

Submission Guidelines

Use our online submission form to submit a synopsis (2,500 character maximum) and case study narrative (five page maximum) about your innovative practice by March 24, 2025. Your case study narrative should introduce the innovative practice and how it has contributed toward positive service delivery outcomes and organizational success. In writing your case study narrative, note the award evaluation criteria and consider addressing the following:

When filling out the form, you’ll need to indicate:

Evaluation Criteria

Planning and Presentation (20%)

Performance and Quality Improvement (30%)

Innovation (50%)

Eligibility Terms and Conditions

Note: Social Current will not accept submissions that are designed to endorse, market, or sell commercial products and/or services.

Apply online by March 24. Contact Social Current with questions.

Social Current has released its 2025-27 Federal Public Policy Agenda, outlining key priorities and a bold vision for the 119th Congress.

This agenda is the culmination of months of research and development, incorporating the priorities of the Social Current network that were gathered through focus groups, surveys, and one-on-one conversations.

Rooted in the belief that strengthening the social sector strengthens communities, the agenda focuses on critical areas vital to the sector’s ability to deliver essential services, including:

View and download the full agenda online to learn more. 

Exploring Benefits and Concerns of Permanent Tax Cuts for Working Families

On Jan. 14, the U.S. House Committee on Ways and Means convened a hearing to discuss making the tax cuts enacted during President Donald Trump’s previous administration permanent. Several witnesses, including small business owners as well as a parent, spoke of the positive effects of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act. They emphasized economic growth and investment, particularly in light of the doubled standard deduction and the expanded child tax credit.

Several representatives, however, raised concerns about the increasing national debt, noting that tax reductions disproportionately benefited corporations and wealthy business owners. Brendan Duke, senior director for economic policy at the Center for American Progress, echoed representatives’ concerns through his testimony. He cautioned that any current or future spending cuts intended to offset the cost of tax reductions could make food, health care, and housing increasingly unaffordable for lower- and middle-class Americans.

ACF Calls for Stronger Response to Missing Children in Foster Care

To help communities enhance their response to children missing from foster care, the Administration for Children and Families (ACF) hosted a series of listening sessions in 2024, bringing together service providers, child welfare professionals, and law enforcement agencies.

Feedback revealed inconsistencies in the definition of the word “missing” and confusion over reporting responsibilities, which often result in delays in responding during critical periods for a youth’s safety and wellbeing. Participants recommended a coordinated, interagency response, including improved communication, clearer reporting protocols, and stronger cross-sector collaboration, to lead timely and effective interventions.

Additional recommendations included expanding training and resources for child welfare professionals, law enforcement, and service providers. Participants also emphasized the need for a focus on human trafficking, culturally competent care, and addressing the unique needs of Native youth.

SAMHSA Releases Updated National Behavioral Health Crisis Care Guidance

The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) has released the National Behavioral Health Crisis Care Guidance, including three documents:

The updated national guidance was created to help state, territory, tribal, and local governments, along with key stakeholders, understand, implement, and sustain effective behavioral health crisis services. It is based on three foundational elements crucial to an integrated crisis care system, with the ultimate goal that everyone should have access to:

The guidance highlights the importance of follow-up services, care coordination, key service intersections, and the development of crisis systems, reflecting the evolving national crisis landscape following the transition to the 988 Lifeline.

New Report Highlights Progress and Challenges in Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity

The U.S. Departments of Labor, Health and Human Services, and the Treasury released their 2024 report to congress on the enforcement and implementation of the Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act (MHPAEA). The report details the progress made by group health plans and health insurance issuers in meeting compliance standards, while also identifying areas for improvement to ensure parity with medical and surgical benefits. It also outlines ongoing federal efforts to strengthen MHPAEA protections, reduce barriers for beneficiaries, and increase awareness of the Act’s protections.

Sector Updates from the Judiciary 

Supreme Court to Review Student Loan Forgiveness for Fraudulent Practices by Schools

The U.S. Supreme Court will review the process for loan discharges in cases where students were misled or deceived by their schools. The regulations introduced by the Biden Administration aimed to simplify the loan discharge process for borrowers who could prove their school misled them, breached a contract, or engaged in aggressive recruitment tactics. The rules also expanded options for students to have their loans forgiven if their school closed.

The Supreme Court accepted the case after the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit overturned the new procedures, ruling that the Department of Education lacked authority to directly forgive loans for students misled or defrauded. Instead, the court ruled that students must first default on their loans first and then raise fraud as a defense during debt-collection proceedings in court.

Federal Court Strikes Down Expansion of Title IX Rule

The U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Kentucky struck down a federal rule implemented by the Biden Administration that aimed to ban discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity in federally funded schools. The rule sought to expand the protections under Title IX, but the court ruled Title IX’s prohibition of discrimination ‘on the basis of sex’ applies solely to an individual’s male or female sex.

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The Stop Institutional Child Abuse Act, introduced by Sens. Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.), John Cornyn (R-Texas), and Tommy Tuberville (R-Ala.), was created to study and prevent child abuse in youth residential programs. It was signed into law December 2024.

Key Provisions

The Stop Institutional Child Abuse Act requires the Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services to contract with the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine to conduct a study examining youth residential programs. The findings will be published in a public report every two years for a period of 10 years. The study and recommendations should involve consultations with child advocates, health professionals, state and federal agencies, subject matter experts, and individuals with lived experience.

The report must include the following information:

Additionally, the report must include recommendations to support the development and implementation of education and training resources for professional and paraprofessional personnel in several fields, including health care, law enforcement, judiciary, social work, child protection, education, and child care. The recommendations should center lived experience, interagency communication, evidence-based practices, and the legal rights of children in youth residential programs.

The report will also include recommendations for community-based alternatives to youth residential programs that are more accessible and follow evidence-based standards to support individuals’ health and safety, including by supporting continuity of education and providing mentorship.

Expected Impact on Human Service Sector

The Stop Institutional Child Abuse Act is expected to provide greater oversight and data transparency for institutional youth treatment programs. It affirms a longstanding commitment to rigorous evidence-based standards and children’s safety and well-being.

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Social Current has released its 2025-27 Federal Public Policy Agenda, outlining key priorities and a bold vision for the 119th Congress. Social Current is dedicated to building a more equitable society where all people can thrive, and this public policy agenda reaffirms our commitment to harnessing the power of the social sector as a catalyst for change.

“In the face of an unpredictable political landscape, Social Current remains committed to challenging the status quo and addressing ongoing inequities,” said Social Current President and CEO Jody Levison-Johnson. “We understand that meaningful progress requires collective action, and we are determined to work with our network of organizations, their communities, and all of our partners to drive forward essential public policy changes.”

The 2025-27 Federal Public Policy Agenda is the culmination of months of research and development, incorporating the priorities of the Social Current network gathered through focus groups, surveys, and one-on-one conversations. It reflects the diverse perspectives of our network organizations, the challenges they face, and the future they aspire to create.

This agenda translates our vision and values into concrete, actionable priorities that address systemic challenges, foster resilience, and empower organizations to increase their impact. Rooted in the belief that strengthening the social sector strengthens communities, the agenda focuses on critical areas vital to the sector’s ability to deliver essential services, including:

Access the full agenda online to learn more about our priority actions in each area.

To help human and social services professionals learn about pressing issues, build advocacy skills, and take collective action, Social Current will be hosting several webinars and trainings. Register now to participate:

“The 2025-27 Federal Policy Agenda is not only a roadmap for addressing the challenges facing our sector, but also a call to action to come together and advocate for the critical issues that will help us build a stronger, more equitable society,” said Blair Abelle-Kiser, senior director of government affairs. “I encourage everyone to join us for our upcoming Advocacy in Action webinar series, where we’ll dive deeper into how we can collectively advance these priorities.”

Join Social Current’s grassroots advocacy network to be alerted about new advocacy opportunities and tools and resources, and subscribe to the Policy and Advocacy Radar to receive our biweekly policy newsletter.

Learn more about Social Current’s government affairs and advocacy work online.