During the 87^th Regular Legislative session, United Ways of Texas tracked and monitored over 150 bills related to the nonprofit sector.  Earlier this month, UWT released a report, Texas Nonprofits: 2021 State and Federal Policy Landscape, which provides an overview of policies affecting nonprofits in our state. The report highlights key policy wins during the legislative session, provides updates on important federal policies that have supported nonprofits during the pandemic, and provides a look forward at the work to strengthen the voice and impact of the sector. 

Also, last week, in partnership with OneStar and other nonprofit partners, UWT released a set of priorities to support the sector for the legislature to consider when allocating American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funding during the special session. These priorities call on appropriators to leverage trusted community and nonprofit partners in relief programs, to consider Texas nonprofits in any small business relief, to target those communities and populations most affected by the pandemic, and to streamline application and distribution processes to ensure money is deployed quickly to support the Texas recovery.