Editor’s note: This is the first in a series of articles on the effects of federal funding cuts on Vashon organizations.

Sparser shelves at the Vashon Food Bank and risks of disruption to Vashon HouseHold tenants and mental health care at Vashon Youth and Family Services — these are just some of the consequences, local leaders say, as the Trump administration slashes budgets across the federal government.

The administration cancelled $430 billion of federal funding in its first 100 days, and the House of Representatives passed the “One Big Beautiful Bill Act,” including sweeping cuts in federal funding two weeks ago, including hundreds of billions in cuts to Medicaid and the Supplemental Nutrition and Assistance Program, PBS reports. The bill still must pass the Senate before becoming law.

Some of these cuts have already hit island operations, and many others are yet to take effect or are under debate in Congress, leaving nonprofits and public organizations wary of their future financial position.

“The Trump administration is intent on sewing chaos,” said King County Councilmember Teresa Mosqueda, who represents Vashon. “They are thriving on creating confusion, and this is part of their playbook.”

$200 million in federal funding is baked into the county’s 2025 annual budget, according to a report by Dwight Dively, county Director of Office of Performance, Strategy and Budget. They anticipate about $250 million in next year’s budget.

“We need to be really honest with folks that there’s going to be a huge hole if we cannot rely on these federal dollars,” Mosqueda said.

Governor Bob Ferguson, in May, signed into law a bill that will allow local governments, including King County, to levy an additional 0.1% sales tax to pay for criminal justice expenses. This will raise about $90 million per year in King County, according to Dively, helping to make up for the deficit.

In the meantime, the county is gathering an interdepartmental team to evaluate risks to federal revenue.

“Our biggest job right now is to not be reactive,” Mosqueda said. “We cannot capitulate and comply preemptively. Many of the threats and policy changes that the Trump administration is posturing on or proposing are either being challenged in court, being rolled back on his own accord because they’re failing under their own weight and under the pressure from community members or are being deemed outright unconscious from the get-go.”

The Beachcomber spoke with 10 of Vashon’s health, education, recreation and human service organizations to understand the effect of federal funding cuts to their operations. Many local service organizations are bracing for direct hits to their supplies or funding.

Vashon Maury Community Food Bank

The Food Bank receives few dollars from the federal government, but gets a heavy load of food.

According to Food Bank Executive Director Emily Scott, in 2024, they received 90 thousand pounds of food from the federal Emergency Food Assistance Program. TEFAP expects to see a 50% decrease in product, which will leave the Food Bank to make up for approximately 10% of their food supplies from TEFAP alone in the coming year.

The Food Bank also expects a reduction in food from Food Lifeline, a state organization that receives federal funding, and is expecting a substantial budget reduction, according to Scott.

To fill the gap, the Food Bank is bulking up on wholesale purchasing, such as pasta, canned vegetables and proteins. They are also ramping up their local fundraising efforts.

Demand at the Food Bank has been on the rise for the past couple of years. It supplies the community with around half a million pounds of food annually, and while the Food Bank is purchasing and providing at a level higher than ever before, the shelves appear less stocked.

Even so, Scott is confident it can continue to serve the community facing loss of funding.

“We’re committed to making sure that anybody who comes up here can leave with food that can help them pad their grocery budget,” Scott said.

Vashon Youth and Family Services

For the past several years, VYFS has focused on serving patients on Medicaid or without insurance. Now, approximately 40% of their total annual income comes from Medicaid, according to Executive Director Jeni Johnson.

The House’s legislative package cuts $700 billion from Medicaid, partially stemming from the addition of a work requirement for able-bodied, dependent-less adults to be eligible for coverage.

As the federal budget proposals continue to fluctuate, Johnson says it’s difficult to anticipate how her organization will actually be affected.

“You hear about these crazy numbers, crazy Medicaid cuts,” Johnson said. “How are they gonna apply that? Who will that affect? We just don’t know. … The whiplash effect is of course exhausting, but we’re tough and scrappy, so we will get through.”

VYFS is most concerned about its funding for mental health services, particularly for people who may lose Medicaid eligibility and in turn access to that care.

“If they lose access to that coverage, it’s a huge loss for our already-lean community mental health work here,” Johnson said.

VYFS would look to the county and potentially Vashon Health Care District for supplemental funding if such programs were at risk.

Otherwise, the service receives lots of county levy funds. Johnson says county grant partners have assured them that existing funding will last through the year. In 2026, though, the grants will likely be more competitive and the award amounts will be smaller.

Vashon HouseHold

Incoming VHH Director Amy Drayer says that proposed federal cuts pose “absolutely existential threats to Vashon HouseHold.”

Trump’s May 2 budget plan for fiscal year 2026 proposes a $26.7 billion cut to federal rental aid. NPR reports that this cut would dismantle housing voucher programs such as Section 8.

VHH houses over 100 people on the island, who all rely on assistance either directly from VHH assistance or Section 8 vouchers.

Trump’s US Department of Agriculture budget proposed cuts to rural development programs, including the elimination of rural housing vouchers.

At VHH’s Charter House, all residents are currently eligible for rental assistance through USDA Rural Housing Program.

“The funding that the tenants receive isn’t incidental to Vashon HouseHold,” Drayer said. “It is what allows us to provide housing. If somebody’s Section 8 voucher disappears, we don’t have a way to make up that gap.”

She foresees that some tenants will not be able to pay rent next year.

VHH also receives state and county funding, braided with federal funding.

Drayer says VHH is adopting more conservative stances in financial planning, but that private funding would be insufficient to make up for deficits.

“There really is no way to plan for a half a million dollar a year gap in funding,” Drayer said.

The 2026 budget cuts may not be as severe as what Trump has proposed, but Drayer is still concerned about staff cuts and program freezes. She sees at least some cuts to funding as inevitable.

“We know how Trump operates, right?” Drayer says. “He takes one hardline position and then allows for renegotiation, but that renegotiation always moves the needle. Moving the needle for us means disruption of housing.”

Vashon Island Growers Association

Federal sources make up an estimated average of 15% of VIGA’s annual funding, according to Board Treasurer Abby Antonelis.

The nonprofit has ramped up their grant writing efforts in recent years.

“We’re still moving forward in applying for grants, but we’re also very hyper aware that we may not get anything,” Antonelis said.

USDA has cut funding for the Vashon Island School District to source food locally through VIGA, which Antonelis sees as one of the biggest downfalls to the organization’s funding cuts.

The House is moving forward with unprecedented cuts to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program. The recent legislative package laid out SNAP cuts of about $267 billion over 10 years, according to PBS.

One facet of SNAP is access to fresh food. Those enrolled in SNAP can use benefits to buy produce from local vendors, including the VIGA Farmer’s Market.

Antonelis says that Farmer’s Market sales have so far remained steady. She foresees that, if SNAP cuts are passed, shoppers will spend less money on local produce as they prioritize lower cost food options.

Vashon Island School District

The majority of VISD’s federal funding is for special education and Title 1 grants, which support low-income students.

VISD Director of Student Services Kathryn Coleman says the district is not expecting a drastic cut, but they’re keeping their eyes and ears to the ground.

Federal money spent on schools flows through the state Office of the Superintendent of Public Information, and is dispersed through non-competitive state grants.

Coleman says that OSPI has been very responsive in keeping the district up to date as new policies are rolled out, though any impact remains unknown.

Coleman has worked in special education for 39 years, and on the district staff for the past 8 years. Special education has never been fully funded by the state or federal government, Coleman said, but there is still a state mandate for providing appropriate services for students with individual education programs.

All districts carefully manage dollars they do get, and spend in excess for what the government provides.

“The worry about funding feels very familiar,” Coleman said. “What’s not familiar is the idea that the federal government would somehow be backing away from the mandates that they put forth since the early 70s. That feels unprecedented and uncomfortable.”

Vashon Island Fire and Rescue

VIFR Director of Finance and Human Resources Christina Bosch wrote that the department’s “existing approved federal funding is continuing to be funded without any unnecessary delays or processes.”

Though they are uncertain about any impacts further down the line, they are confident that they’re operations will remain the same for the foreseeable future.

Vashon Senior Center

The Senior Center’s two primary grants — through King County Veterans, Seniors and Human Services Levy — are fully funded through the next two to three years, according to Executive Director Maria Glanz. The Senior Center doesn’t receive funding directly from the federal government.

Glanz says that the Senior Center donor base remains loyal, as well. Recent Senior Center fundraisers have been successful, and incoming private donor funds are holding steady.

The House “big beautiful bill” currently proposes cutting more than $500 billion from Medicare over the next eight years. Among members at the senior center, “there is an undercurrent of worry” about these impending cuts.

Nearly 30% of islanders are over the age of 65, a rate 1.5 times higher than the state, according to Census Reporter. Of that population, about 20% are on Medicare, Data USA reports.

Vashon-Maury Island Land Trust

The Land Trust does not receive any direct federal funding. Their operations often overlap with federal projects, though, according to Conservation Director Tom Dean.

Being surrounded by saltwater, much of the island’s restoration work relates directly to Puget Sound, which falls under federal jurisdiction. Local efforts, such as eelgrass preservation, often overlap with federal organizations like the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

The Land Trust hires experienced crews through Earthcorps and Washington ConservationCorps, for restoration projects on Judd Creek, for example. Those organizations are funded by Americorps, which the Trump administration cut by about 40% last month.

“There’s so much chaos,” Dean said. “There’s a lot of ripple effects that we can’t necessarily see yet.”

Vashon Park District

Federal partners play a crucial role in maintaining parks, especially waterways and fish.

Island parks, at a local level, have not seen the effects of federal funding cuts, according to Park District Executive Director Tim Stapleton. The district relies primarily on state and county grants.

Stappleton expects to apply for federal grants in the future, but says that it is too soon to tell if Vashon Parks will be impacted.

Voice of Vashon

VoV is not funded through the federal government. VoV President Rick Wallace pointed out that their largest concern is Federal Communications Commission deregulation.

VoV raises money from individual donors, NPR-style underwriting and community fundraisers. At their early-May fundraiser, Give Big, they hosted other island organizations, many of whom spoke on the air about recent losses of federal funding.

VoV sees itself in tune with many of the people and organizations on Vashon. The way Wallace sees it, present political concerns go far deeper than funding.

“What I think anyone who’s paying attention will understand is that this isn’t just about money,” Wallace said. “This is about human effects, and how our neighbors are going to get through this. … The fact is this reaches us in ways that aren’t just simply about money. Money is horribly important, terribly important, but it’s more than that.”

Mari Kanagy is a contributing journalist to The Beachcomber.