Nonprofits are the Backbone

Nonprofits are Alabama’s backbone, delivering critical services efficiently, driving economic growth, and strengthening communities. We may not always recognize a nonprofit when we see one, but they are the places we go to for the critical support that government does not and cannot provide.

• Nonprofits distributed over a hundred thousand Naloxone kits to reverse opioid overdoses over a span of 18 years in the US. Addiction Prevention Coalition, a local nonprofit in Birmingham, provided 994 doses in the last 8 months of 2024.
• Nonprofit volunteer fire departments and EMS services rely on government grants and donations to fund training, equipment, and more. There are 378 volunteer fire departments in Alabama’s towns and rural communities.
• Nonprofits provide veterans with one-on-one assistance, connecting them to permanent housing and knowledge resources to remain financially stable. Since 2013, Priority Veteran, a local nonprofit, has served more than 4,000 individual veteran families in Alabama. 

Communities in Alabama are less stable if family members die from overdoses, if fires are not contained, and if veterans are ignored. The communities we live in depend on our ability to show up and care for each other. While Mrs. Smith may be able to care for a neighbor or two, Mrs. Smith’s nonprofit can help hundreds or thousands in her community. Nonprofits provide the structure that allow us to deliver services on a larger scale.

The Alabama Association of Nonprofits salutes the work of Alabama’s tireless nonprofits as they care for our communities every day. Thank you, nonprofits, for the critical support you provide in both our rural towns and our cities.