a white woman with shoulder-length dark brown hair and bangs is smiling. It is a headshot, but a gray sweater and white shirt are visible. Text says "Samantha Gladu, Technical Assistance Director"

NNAF’s TA Team: Practical Support for Abortion Funds

The vast majority of abortion funds aren’t led by folks who are motivated solely by their deep passion for nonprofit compliance and financial reporting. It’s true! The abortion fund leaders we talk to do this work because they want their friends and neighbors to be able to make every reproductive decision, including abortion, in thriving communities that are safe, peaceful, and affordable. 

Before they can focus on that work, however, fund leaders must dedicate hours to administrative tasks: tax filings, board recruitment, database maintenance, web hosting, finding legal counsel… the list goes on. 

That’s where the NNAF Technical Assistance Team can offer support.

Samantha Gladu, Technical Assistance Director at NNAF, says: 

“As the Director of the TA team, my mission is to return some of this time to abortion funds. I’m a former board member and current volunteer at the Northwest Abortion Access Fund – I know how critical those hours can be. The TA team provides support in a number of ways: offering one-to-one coaching, hiring external consultants, connecting fund members, as well as creating trainings, templates, and toolkits.” 

In addition to this work (an organizational version of the practical support that funds offer callers) the TA department houses NNAF’s regranting programs: the Collective Power Fund, Operation Scale Up, and Technical Assistance mini-grants. Over the next fiscal year, we plan to distribute more than $10 million to member abortion funds through these programs. 

The TA Department’s unique position in the midst of abortion funds’ day-to-day requests for support allows them to identify trends and themes throughout the network. This, in turn, informs the way we move money to funds. Our priority is to support funds in whatever way makes the most sense to them. We want to clear the path so that funds are able to dedicate their time and energy to navigate the barriers and obstacles around abortion access, not nonprofit compliance and tax law. 

Read more from the 2021 Fall Newsletter here.

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2021 Fall Newsletter

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