Tough Times for Nonprofits
Without Cash, Western Progress Closes Its Doors
Former Montana U.S. Rep. Pat Williams' thinktank has lost its funding, another casualty of the economic meltdown.
By Robert Struckman, 10-13-08
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| Caption: Former Montana Congressman Pat Williams speaking in Bozeman in 2007 at a Sonoran Institute event. Photo by Chris Boyer, www.kestrelaerial.com. | |
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Leading funders of the nonprofit group Western Progress backed away, prompting the nonpartisan thinktank to close its three offices in Missoula, Denver and Phoenix and lay off all 10 of its employees.
“We ran out of money,” said board president Alice Madden.
Former Montana U.S. Rep. Pat Williams, who helped found the group almost two years ago, said, “I don’t know what to call it. A reneging? It’s a delay in funding of two of our biggest contributors. We had thought we had three years of $500,000 contributions from each of the two big contributors. As of yet, neither has come through on what we thought was a promise.”
Western Progress, which has operated with an annual budget of about $1 million, has been conducting important research to the West, Williams said. He cited the group’s work with Montana Gov. Brian Schweitzer to establish a restoration economy to clean the state’s rivers and soils, dirtied by more than a century of mining and industry. The goal would be to replicate the effort in other states, Williams said.
“Not to be able to carry it out would really be a pity,” he said. “This isn’t about… people saving their jobs. There’s really a lot of work being done here.”
Other ongoing projects include a study on water and another on children in working families who are not covered by health insurance. “The results, if we can get to them, are going to astonish the Rocky Mountain West. There’s a flat tragedy there,” Williams said.
But that work won’t be completed without money.
“The question isn’t resolved,” Madden said. “We might still be funded.”
It became apparent last June that the funding would be difficult to sustain, Madden said. The group began looking for other sources, even as the national economy weakened and foundations and philanthropists curtailed giving. Madden also had a hands-on role at the organization, trying to cut costs to make the cash last.
“It’s a tough time for any nonprofit to be looking for private money,” Williams said. “Private money is wildly fickle, as any group out there can tell you.”
“We extended the last bit of money to cover healthcare. It’s been horrible, actually.... Unfortunately, we’re really at the mercy of the economy,” Madden added. “People are afraid of what’s going to happen.”
Madden and Williams both retain hope that Western Progress will get a new lease on life.
“We could find out great news in a day or a week and be back in the saddle,” Madden said. “Every day that goes by… is another turn on the walk, so to speak.... I’m guardedly optimistic.”
To lose funding at this moment, Williams said, seems especially ironic, just as a new progressive spirit appears to be taking root across the Rocky Mountain West.
“It’s a terrible time for this to happen,” he said. “We’re waiting...but the clock is ticking. People have to look for other jobs.”
[End of article]So who was sugar-daddying them?
Comment By Daryl L. Hunter, 10-13-08Good riddance, they were part of the environmental radicals that are killing Yellowstone’s gateway community winter economy.
What goes around comes around:D
This is the first I've heard of the group, but your comment made me go check out their website, Daryl. They applauded the judge's decision to reduce snowmobile traffic in Yellowstone, but that's the only thing I saw about the "gateway community winter economy," much less environmental radicalism.
Their focus issues of renewable energy, restoration economy, water quality, health care, and immigration are all important issues for the west. Their demise won't help your pet peeve that I can see.
Gosh, guess this is the end! Can't be other's working on these issue's...not enough interest beyond several thousand. The problem, as I see it...getting a real job, starting at $100,000
a year for ten folks.
Tom von Alten,
That one issue nearly put west yellowstone out of business, winter business dropped by 65%. Emmet G. Sullivan's decision demonstrates a gross disregard for the 150 million dollar a year snowmobile tourism industry that is the backbone of several Greater Yellowstone community's winter economic well being. Emmet G. Sullivan's decision shows a gross lack of empathy for the 400 jobs that will be lost. This decision spits in the eye of common sense, science, human decency and hundreds of hard working families, and that goes for anybody that sides with the liberal judge that inflicts unnecessary hardship on hard working folks.
Like I said, Western Progress' Karma bit them in the ass!
So, who was the sugar dadsters, Robert? C'mon...
As for the drop in funding, look at the map. The "progressives" no longer "need" any political support for Obamarama, unless there's an October sooprize, and the inland West with the exception of front range Dollarado and New Mexico looks like it will support the other guy anyway.
So, if the change agent gets elected, the "progressive" agenda will once again be rammed down the throats of Westerners and there really is no need for the gloss of Kemmis/Williams "Western" policy babble. Politicians can count...so can rich leftie sugar daddies. And rich people tend to be rich because they have the brains to figure out how not to waste money -- especially when they can get what they want for free.
Hey Dave,
Thanks as always for your sharp comments and observations. You're absolutely right. I had hoped to offer the next installment in this story today..., but sometimes the info doesn't come together in time. I'm on it, though, and you'll know as soon as I've got answers.
So, yeah. It's coming.
Bob
Robert, good article and thank you for your work. No one else is reporting this.
As for who has been funding them, please let us know if you can. I see that Western Progress appears to be closely associated with Center for American Progress(CAP) ...
http://www.americanprogress.org/experts/MaddenAlice.html
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CAP, allegedly have close ties to the Clintons and Media Matters ...
http://www.discoverthenetworks.org/groupProfile.asp?grpid=6709
Thanks again Robert for all you do.
Well Daryl, as important as snowmobiles in Yellowstone may be to you and to "the industry," there is an essential conflict in values that has been playing out for some years now. Public opinion is not on your side, whether or not karma may be.
Feel free to revel in the schadenfreude over the demise of WP; there are plenty of other advocacy groups willing to step up to defend the Yellowstone ecosystem against industrialized recreation.
JamesMT,
Thanks for the link, these guys were worse than I thought
Pull quote from site below.
Leftist think tank run by Hillary Clinton and former Clinton chief of staff John Podesta
Helped launch Media Matters for America
The Center for American Progress (CAP) describes itself as "a nonpartisan research and educational institute" aimed at "developing a long-term vision of a progressive America" and "providing a forum to generate new progressive ideas and policy proposals."
Robert Dreyfuss reports in the March 1, 2004 edition of The Nation: "The idea for the Center began with discussions in 2002 between [Morton] Halperin and George Soros, the billionaire investor. … Halperin, who heads the office of Soros' Open Society Institute, brought [former Clinton chief of staff John] Podesta into the discussion, and beginning in late 2002 Halperin and Podesta circulated a series of papers to funders."
Soros and Halperin recruited Harold Ickes -- chief fundraiser and former deputy chief of staff for the Clinton White House -- to help organize the Center. It was launched on July 7, 2003 as the American Majority Institute. The name was changed to Center for American Progress (CAP) on September 1, 2003. The official purpose of the Center was to provide the left with something it supposedly lacked -- a think tank of its own.
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What a rouges gallery, we can only hope that (CAP) will close its doors soon also.
The experiences of my life have made me a bit of a paradox. I was raised on welfare but then grew up to be a staunch conservative because I lived the downside of public assistance and have learned of its traps.
I am a wildlife, nature, and sports photographer yet I support the traditional ways of making a living in the mountains, i.e., responsible logging, public land ranching, mining, and mineral production.
I am a conservationist that disagrees with the lying ways of radical environmentalists; I am an advocate for wilderness that is at loggerheads with the Sierra Club, Wilderness Society, etc.
I am glad we have wolves in Yellowstone, but I think that they should be shot on site as soon as the set foot on a ranch. I am thrilled that Grizzly Bears are doing so well that they have been removed from the endangered species list, but I am unhappy that they are moving into the mountains by my home.
I am a quiet sports participant, dog mushing, horseback trail riding, fly-fisherman, cross-country skier, and photographer that has never owned a snowmobile, ATV etc. however I also am an activist for for motor sportsmen to carry on responsibly on our government, multi-purpose lands.
It is a shame that the local tree huggers have sold a bill of goods to America about how bad yellowstone is because of snowmobiles, it is easy to sell a bill of goods to the ignorant that have no way of seeing for themselves.
I interviewed gate workers in west yellowstone, the only time they ever wore the masks were when they were told the TV cameras and congressmen were coming. environmentalists are Freaking liars.
When I wrote the above comment, there were no other news outlets covering this story. Since then, the Missoulian has picked up the story.
http://www.missoulian.com/articles/2008/10/14/bnews/br56.txt
Why is Western Progress so afraid to say where their money is coming from? (somewhat rhetorical question) Maybe the Missoulian will give us all the details.
You could be a charming paradox (and maybe you are in person), but the "environmentalists are Freaking liars" just makes you sound like a flaming idiot (and rather run-of-the-mill for that).
I have to say, a "quiet sports participant" standing up for snowmobiling expands my experience. But all that reasonableness could be an act; it's not congruent with the hate and caricature.
Over here in SE Idaho, environmentalists of various stripes (wilderness proponents, ranchers, bureaucrats) are figuring out how to work together. It's not easy. And the "must drive everywhere" team has done their level best to monkey-wrench the process.
Make that "SW Idaho." D'OH!
Comment By Daryl L. Hunter, 10-15-08Tom,
Article I wrote in late 90's when Clinton was trying to pass wilderness bill. http://www.free-press.biz/usa/wilderness.htm
I buried it after I started uncovering lies by environmentalists to move their agendas forward.
Green Peace founder Patrick Moore can point out environmentalist lies that you will give more credence than if I gave you my own.
http://www.greenspirit.com/21st_century.cfm?msid=29&page=4
I should have qualified the environmentalist liars, they are the radical activists, rank and file environmentalists are just ignorant enough to follow them and to help them fly their canards.
I have written many times that it is a shame that agenda driven environmentalists defecate all over their credibility on a regular basis because they rationalize that their agenda of the moment is more important than the truth. i.e. (Spotted Owl)
I wish that I could believe them because having millions of volunteer watchdogs should be a good thing but it hasn’t worked out that way.
Human nature provides a mental mechanism (guilt) that sometimes retroactively provides a knee jerk reaction from perceived wrong doings. There are people all over America who believe they have fouled their nest and knee jerk compulsion demands reaction that doesn't affect their community and pocketbook but does harbor a rationalization of redemption. It is these people that fund the few altruistic but egocentric green activists hell bent on ruining the economy of the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem by putting what they perceive as offenders of nature out of business and out of jobs.
Altruism is a wonderful thing if not perverted into a destructive weapon by narrow-minded zealots that are more concerned by their perceptions and feelings than by facts. Junk science, lies and alarmist Chicken Little tactics are the weapons of the green activists and a misinformed and duped populace is their co-conspirators and constituency.
Zealots lacking human empathy who are over funded by a guilt ridden, misinformed, and gullible populace creates a dynamic that facilitates a tyranny of the absent and ignorant.
We have been surviving off the land and the people that visit it since the 1890's, if we wish to continue to do so we must stand together and address the allegations of the environmental propagandists that hope to put an end to our way of life. It will be an up hill battle because mundane facts don't incite excitement and fervor as does the alarmist inflammatory hyperbole of the environmental left.
I have been urging the environmental left to stick to the facts because it would be a wonderful thing if we could believe them!
Here's another article written by Mr. Hunter. "The Eco-tally-ban" at
http://www.free-press.biz/eco-tally-ban.htm. It's almost, like, straight outta a McCain rally or somethin'...
P.S. Patrick Moore is not a "founder" of Greenpeace. On his own website, he acknowledges as much and says, "I always say the I am 'a founding member of Greenpeace'". Big difference between the "founder of Greenpeace" and "a founding member of Greenpeace."
Matthew Koehler,
It's nice to see your reading my old stuff. Aren't you splitting hairs about Patrick Moore wether he was the founder of founding member? the point is he left an organization, Green Peace, that had gotten radical, unreasonable and destructive.
If all environmentalists were like Patrick Moore Environmentalism wouldn't have such a bad name.
Everyone ought to read this whole article he wrote in Green Spirit.
http://www.greenspirit.com/21st_century.cfm
Patrick Moore was in Greenpeace because he wanted to protect the environment from what reasonable people, not only ecofundamentalists, would see as excess. So he was doing it for ethical reasons. Now it seems GP exists only to stay in the public eye, play power politics and keep the money rolling in, regardless of whether their "activism" has any realistic impact. So he left, end of story.
As for this one, I anxiously await both the NW and Missoulian stories on who the sugar-entities (see, I CAN be PC, non-sexist, non-speciesist) were/are.