The economic downturn has reduced funding from foundations and government. Faced with Stark County’s ongoing needs and an increasing competition for funds, funders have moved dollars to programs that demonstrate the ability to work in concert with multiple organizations with the intent to maximize community impact. These efforts are an attempt to make systemic changes within Stark County. One approach has been to study the programs that have been effective and then to scale up or replicate those programs in order create more efficient and effective programming. In another approach, some agencies and funders in an effort to provide better and more cost effective services, have formed partnerships. Additionally in order to reduce cost and increase efficiency, some large social service organizations in Stark County have merged.

Local social service organizations receive the majority of their funding from local and government grants. These funders are requiring increasing levels of accountability and collaboration. Multi-agency collaborations have in some cases simply divided funding rather than increase it and created difficulty in accountability. Also, grant funding does not provide an assured and ongoing source of revenue resulting in difficulties in future planning. Agencies often are forced to make programming decisions based solely on available funding.