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The Community Services Agency in Mountain View is opting to forgo some of its federal funding, rather than compromise its commitment to serving all those in need, the nonprofit announced this week.
CSA has decided not to apply for funding through the Community Development Block Grant program after the federal government required recipients to check the immigration status of those they serve. Grantees are also banned from engaging in “gender ideology” and providing referrals to organizations that offer abortion services.
In a Feb. 5 call with community supporters, CSA Executive Director Tom Myers stressed that his organization would not be following the federal government’s directives, which he called “egregious”.
“We will serve anybody who comes to us,” Myers said. “We do not track immigration status. We will make referrals so that people can make their own choices about where they get assistance.”
The nonprofit is the primary nonprofit provider of safety net services for Mountain View, Los Altos and Los Altos Hills. The organization provides food, emergency rent and utility assistance, support services for homeless residents and case management for local seniors.
In December, CSA’s board voted unanimously not to accept money that would require the organization to violate its values, meaning that it won’t apply for this round of CDBG funding.
On Thursday, Myers underscored that CSA does not get involved with politics, but added that this choice was necessary to continue to serve the people who need its services most. That doesn’t mean the decision is without drawbacks.
“This could have consequential [impacts] on funding,” Myers said. “There’s no doubt about it.”
Out of CSA’s $6 million budget this year, 12% comes from the federal government, which supports three programs: senior nutrition, senior case management and homeless prevention.
All three are vulnerable, but senior nutrition presents the highest concern, because it is the most reliant on federal funding, Myers said. The initiative aims to reduce hunger and food insecurity among the elderly, and to provide them with opportunities for socialization. CSA has one of the most popular senior nutrition programs in Santa Clara County, serving lunch to about 200 people each day.
Although CSA’s federal funding is on shaky ground, the nonprofit is not currently at risk of going under, Myers said. Nonprofits in nearby cities have not been so lucky. The Downtown Streets Team, which offered employment and housing assistance in exchange for help with street clean-up, shut down in September 2025, after losing several federal grants and contracts.
CSA has invested in diversifying its revenue and building up its reserves for years. Their newly renovated building has also been paid off. The nonprofit is primarily funded by private donations.
“CSA has been here for almost 70 years, and it’s going to be here for a long time to come,” Myers said.
The group plans to conduct outreach to foundations, corporations and private donors, but Myers said that these sources likely won’t offset funding shortfalls indefinitely.
CSA plans to engage in contract negotiations with the city of Mountain View and Santa Clara County in March, aiming to offset some of the federal funding cuts.
The federal grant restrictions are currently being challenged in court. If that litigation is successful, CDBG funding could be on the table again for CSA, Myers said. If not, CSA would likely see the financial impact when its next fiscal year starts July 1.
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Bravo, CSA!
CSA takes a principled stand but this also throws fuel on the claim that undocumented immigrants take services away from US citizens. Maybe the needy US citizens who miss out on $1M in federal aid have something to say about it.
LOL bro, chillax. Why did you assume that they would take services away from US citizens??? It is a NGO charity – it sets whatever rules it wants to set about whom they wish to serve. Also, would’ve helped if you actually researched the history of this organization before you commented. Here, let me make it easy for you:
“CSA has grown from humble origins. In 1957, a group of Mountain View residents, concerned about the welfare of low-income families in the city, gathered to talk about the plight of the local migrant farm workers. They decided to form the Mountain View Welfare Council to address the needs of this population.”
The local economy has in the past prospered off the labor of the low wage workers. They generally pay taxes themselves. So the whole idea that non citizens could not get benefits is absurd. We have a high minimum wage which works to pay both citizens and not a higher minimum, nothing about non citizens are exempt and pay as little as you want.
Couldn’t agree more with you.
Bravo to the CSA for saying no and allowing its staff to focus on service delivery rather than becoming immigration enforcers. The bureaucratic expansion that the Trump administration is trying to force onto community organizations like these is a poison pill. Glad to see the CSA is not swallowing it.
Maybe add links to the CSA website?