Government Shutdown: What Nonprofits Need to Know

At this time, there is no sign that congressional leaders and the White House are ready to move toward a compromise. Instead, both parties plan to hold multiple press events today to drive home their message. The House remains out on recess this week, but it will return next week. The Senate, meanwhile, plans to return to D.C. on Friday and Saturday for additional votes on short-term spending measures to reopen the government.

• Two labor unions representing federal workers and other plaintiffs filed a lawsuit against the Office of Management and Budget (OMB), asking a federal judge to stop the Administration from using the government shutdown to lay off federal workers. We have heard that some federal workers have already received termination notices.
• House Speaker Mike Johnson warned that "pain will be inflicted" during the shutdown, and shortly after, the Administration announced it froze federal infrastructure funds intended for Senate Democratic Leader Schumer's and House Democratic Leader Jeffries's district.

Agency Plans

Federal agencies have published their contingency plans, outlining which functions will remain open (and which will close) during the shutdown. Additional plans can be found here.

• Department of State (DOS): DOS-Lapse-Guidance-updated-29-September-2025.pdf
• Department of the Treasury/IRS:pdf
• Department of Defense (DOD):Contingency Plan Guidance for Continuation of Operations in the Absence of Appropriations
• Department of Justice (DOJ): S. Department of Justice FY 2026 Contingency Plan
• Department of the Interior (DOI): Bureau of Reclamation Contingency Plan
• Department of Agriculture (USDA): https://www.usda.gov/sites/default/files/documents/fy2026-usda-lapse-plan.pdf
• Department of Commerce: DOC Contingency Plan
• Department of Labor (DOL): dol-contingency-plan.pdf
• Department of Health and Human Services (HHS): FY 2026 HHS Contingency Staffing Plan | HHS.gov
• Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD): https://www.hud.gov/sites/dfiles/PA/documents/HUD-Lapse-Plan.pdf
• Department of Transportation (DOT) - 30.25.pdf
• Department of Energy (DOE): https://www.ed.gov/media/document/us-department-of-education-contingency-plan-lapse-fiscal-year-fy-2026-appropriations-112431.pdf
• Department of Education (ED): us-department-of-education-contingency-plan-lapse-fiscal-year-fy-2026-appropriations-112431.pdf
• Department of Veterans Affairs (VA):Human Capital Contingency Plan - VA Contingency Planning
• Department of Homeland Security (DHS): DHS Procedures Related to a Lapse in Appropriations (Updated September 2025)
• FDA: Food and Drug Administration | HHS.gov
• FTC: Shutdown of Federal Trade Commission Operations Upon Failure of the Congress to Enact Appropriations
• NASA: NASA Guidance - NASA

Here is an infographic outlining how veterans will be impacted by the shutdown.

Take Action

The only way to end the government shutdown is for Congress and the White House to reach a bipartisan agreement to reopen the government and allow nonprofits to continue their essential work.

Nonprofits can take action by:

• Registering for NCN's National Webinar. NCN is hosting a national webinar on Monday, October 6th at 3:00 pm Easternto share more about what nonprofits need to know about the government shutdown and current federal grant landscape.
• Sharing Your Story Use NCN's storytelling tool to share real examples of how the government shutdown is harming nonprofits and their communities. Sharing these stories is one of the most effective ways to make your voice heard.
• Contacting Your Members of Congress. Use NCN's email template to send a message directly to your Senators and Representatives, urging them to work across the aisle to reopen the government.

NCN Resources

• NCN created a media one-pager outlining the impacts of a government shutdown on nonprofits.