ATLANTA — An Atlanta nonprofit that helps tens of thousands of young people across Georgia is dealing with a painful budget hit.
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The Georgia Campaign for Adolescent Power and Potential, or GCAPP, has lost more than $2 million in federal funding.
Channel 2’s Karyn Greer sat down exclusively with the CEO, who says its biggest fundraiser could determine how many programs survive.
For 30 years, the Georgia Campaign for Adolescent Power and Potential has worked to give Georgia’s young people the tools they need to make healthy choices, from pregnancy prevention and sex education to leadership and youth empowerment programs.
“We focus on improving the overall health and well-being of young people in our state to ensure a more powerful future for us all,” said Dr. Ronald McNeill, GCAPP’s CEO and president.
McNeill said the organization learned in late June that the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ Office of Population Affairs would no longer fund GCAPP or 53 other organizations across the country.
The $2.2 million loss in federal funding has forced GCAPP to make painful decisions, including layoffs.
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“It has been a tremendous loss, not only for the organization and the work that we do to build the capacity of communities to offer adolescent health education programs, but certainly it has been a hard hit for communities, for young people, for parents, for our community and school-based partners,” McNeill said.
The cuts come as GCAPP prepares for its annual Empower Party, the nonprofit’s signature fundraiser. McNeill said the event is more than a celebration; it is critical to keeping services in classrooms and communities.
“In early July, we had to lay off and also put a hiring freeze on 14 positions. We also lost several of our contractors and consultants who were helping us offer programming in Clayton County and Macon-Bibb County, as well as several rural communities around the state,” McNeill said.
GCAPP was founded by actress and activist Jane Fonda and has been credited with helping drive a dramatic drop in Georgia’s teen pregnancy rate. The organization says its work has helped reduce teen pregnancies in the state by 76%.
McNeill said the organization’s work focuses on young people who need access to health education, mentorship and youth development programs.
“This work has really been focused on vulnerable populations, African-American young people, LGBTQ+ young people, and just young people in general who really need the services that we provide, not only about teen pregnancy prevention but also youth development and mentorship for young people as well,” McNeill said.
The Empower Party raises money to help GCAPP rebuild programs and support young people statewide.
The event is scheduled for Nov. 12. Those interested in attending or supporting the organization can find more information by clicking here.
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