2026 has both felt the same and completely different from 2025. Across both years, our team at Community Wealth Partners has partnered with over 200 leaders through scenario planning, and I’ve had the opportunity to work directly with nearly 50 organizations as they developed plans. Last year, there were drastic changes coming from federal budget cuts and policy changes that made for a wide range of possible scenarios – from sunsetting to having to significantly increase services to fill systemic gaps emerging. This year, the ripple effects of federal funding and policy decisions are taking shape. General tightening is upon many of the groups I’m working with – everyone is having to do more with less. Questions are emerging this year such as:
- “What is our stable budget through 2028?”
- “How can we leverage different partners in new ways to expand our capacity – such as donor champions, volunteers, and interns?”
- “How do we care for our staff - that are doing more with less – ensuring they have the right supports and right skills to lead this work?”
Pathways Kitchen, a nonprofit in Nashville, TN, committed to helping justice-involved youth thrive came with similar questions as we started working together earlier this year. Like many nonprofits, they entered 2026 navigating uncertainty about funding and capacity.
If you or your partners are also asking similar questions, listen to our conversation below. I sat down with Rokeisha Bryant, CEO and Teri Sloan, COO of Pathways Kitchen to reflect on their experience in the cohort. We discussed why they joined the scenario planning training, how it was helpful to them, and what they’re focused on going forward.
It continues to be a scary time for nonprofits. Folks want to take the time to face this fear, think through and address what’s happening, and chart a path through the storm.
Scenario planning doesn’t remove uncertainty, but it helps organizations navigate it with greater confidence.
As Laura Burgher, a program associate at the Annie E. Casey Foundation stated:
“Scenario planning helps organizations prepare and plan for uncertainty, increasing their ability to adapt and respond effectively to the unexpected. While nobody can predict exactly what the future will hold, this type of capacity support offered by the Foundation can help leaders think through a range of possibilities and make more confident decisions today.”
What challenges or uncertainties led your team to say yes to scenario planning?
Was there a moment during the process when you realized scenario planning could change how your organization approaches the future?
What value did you find in learning alongside peers facing similar challenges?
Looking back, what was the most valuable outcome of the scenario planning process for your organization?
What advice would you give peer nonprofits considering scenario planning?
What should funders or networks know about the value of scenario planning?
Scenario planning creates space for leaders to move beyond reacting to uncertainty and instead make thoughtful decisions about where to invest time, resources, and energy.
For funders, investing in scenario planning is more than supporting a planning process. It’s an investment in helping grantees strengthen their resilience, build confidence in decision-making, and prepare for whatever comes next.
As Rokeisha shared, let’s “get to before you got to.”
Click here to watch the full video.
If you are interested in learning more about scenario planning, reach out to me at whowell@communitywealth.com. And to engage more with Pathways Kitchen, reach out to explore partnering with them here.