After an outpouring of support from charities, the Office of Personnel Management announced on Sept. 10 that it would allow this year’s Combined Federal Campaign to continue. Just before Labor Day weekend, OPM issued Stop Work orders for the two companies that have contracts to run the CFC’s 35 regional campaigns. OPM did this just weeks before the campaign was to begin (Oct. 1) and despite charities having already paid their application and listing fees. OPM said it was considering whether the CFC should continue.
OPM’s Stop Work orders are still in effect for the contracts to run the 2026 CFC, so the fight to save the CFC is not over. But this is a major success, and the effort has brought together a broad range of CFC charities, federations and advocates for a future campaign.
We did what we could, being a source for the initial story about the Stop Work orders in The Washington Post, working with that reporter to do a follow-up story about the 22 DC-area charities that had raised more than $100,000 each in the 2024 CFC. We also provided data about CFC charities in states whose senators were targeted in the effort to save the CFC, as well as data about various types of charities that would be hurt, such as faith-based international charities and charities serving veterans.
The effort was spearheaded by the Save The CFC Coalition, which included The Nonprofit Alliance, many CFC federations, two DC-based advocates and other allies. Nearly 400 CFC charities joined the sign-on letter that went to the OPM director, Scott Kuper, a tech industry investment banker whose nomination was confirmed by the Senate in July. The Coalition continues to meet, both to help this year's campaign succeed and to prepare for an effort to preserve the CFC for next year and into the future.