Thanks to a groundswell of support, Borderlands Restoration Network is rebounding after a challenging year. In January 2025, BRN was among the thousands of nonprofit organizations throughout the country affected by the executive order freezing federal grant funding. Forty percent of BRN’s annual operating revenue was from federal sources.
“It was a very challenging experience because our organization had accounted for the grants we were awarded in our budget and made staffing and programming decisions based on those numbers,” said Executive Director Rodrigo Sierra Corona. “To suddenly not have grant disbursements coming in when you have staff counting on their paycheck to support their families was very frightening.”
The initial burst of panic gave way to a surge of passion, as BRN staff members banded together to write letters to their elected officials, reach out to donors, and continue to show up every day, united by a shared determination to keep doing the work they believed in, despite the uncertainty. The board of directors supported Sierra Corona’s bold decision to not reduce hours or lay off any permanent staff. The management team worked very hard to keep staff working on funded projects while seeking additional grants and contracts. Community support through annual giving increased significantly.
Even though most of the frozen funding was eventually restored, the abrupt halting of disbursements meant one of BRN’s beloved education programs – the Borderlands Earth Care Youth internship program – had to cancel its spring course.
“We had dozens of applicants for the spring 2025 BECY cohort we had to turn away,” Sierra Corona said. “Even though we were able to successfully run the program in the fall, an entire group of young people missed out on the opportunity to participate in this program that is designed to open career pathways in environmental fields and help them connect and care for the land they call home.”
After a very rough start, BRN ended 2025 with more income than it had originally budgeted for the year. It began 2026 with 30 permanent staff positions, held the line in education programs, and designed a new conservation program. Borderlands Nursery & Seed increased production, supporting restoration work and retail sales.
However, looking forward, it is not all smooth sailing.
“Both grants and philanthropy are becoming increasingly competitive,” Sierra Corona said. “The amount of fundaing available to do this type of work keeps shrinking while the need keeps growing.”
The federal government’s policies and financing also remain uncertain. BRN is constantly navigating policy shifts while staying focused on its mission to protect and restore the diverse ecosystems of the Arizona and Sonora borderlands.
“We have always focused on positive, tangible action while addressing the challenges of this region,” Sierra Corona said. “We believe that by taking care of our home and landscapes together, we can be united.”