Funding Stability Starts with One Rule: No Orphan Programs

Most organizations don’t collapse because of one bad grant cycle. They collapse because of a quiet structural problem no one names out loud: orphan programs.

An orphan program is any program that doesn’t have a clear owner, a clear funding path, or a clear purpose that ties back to the organization’s strategy. It keeps running because it has always run. It survives on scraps of staff time and whatever dollars can be scavenged together. No one is quite sure how it started, who’s responsible for it now, or what success even looks like.

It’s not dramatic, but it’s expensive.
And it’s one of the biggest threats to long-term stability.

The hard part? Orphan programs don’t feel risky day to day. They feel familiar. Comfortable. Even noble. But familiarity is not a funding strategy. And comfort is not a business model.

If you want stability, you have to make one clear decision: no program stands alone.

The Real Cost of Orphan Programs

Orphan programs drain capacity in ways most leaders never measure.

They scatter staff time.
They confuse funders.
They dilute your mission story.
They force your financial team to stretch restricted dollars in ways that feel like contortion.
And they distract the board from the decisions that actually move the needle.

An organization with orphan programs always feels a little behind. A little underfunded. A little unsure of where the money went. That’s not a money problem. That’s a design problem.

Healthy Programs Share Three Traits

If a program is connected to the organization’s stability, you can usually see it in three places:

1. Clear ownership

Someone is accountable for outcomes, decisions, and results. Not in theory. In writing.

2. Clear purpose

The program ties directly to your mission and your strategic priorities, not “nice-to-have” ideas or legacy commitments no one wants to examine.

3. Clear funding path

You know how the program is resourced today and how it will be resourced next year. You don’t build a whole budget around hope.

How to Fix an Orphan Program (Without Burning Everything Down)

You don’t need to cut everything. You need to name what’s happening and design intentionally.

Start with a simple review:

• Which programs actually drive our mission?

• Which programs have stable funding?

• Which programs have a clear owner?

• Which programs drain capacity without a measurable return?

If a program doesn’t hit all three, you have decisions to make. You can sunset it, fold it into a healthier program, or redesign it with clearer ownership and a real funding strategy.

What you can’t do is pretend the problem isn’t there. Pretending is expensive.

The Point Isn’t Perfection. It’s Alignment.

Stability doesn’t come from doing more. It comes from doing the right things on purpose.

When every program is anchored to your mission, your strategy, and your budget, your organization becomes easier to run. Funders understand you faster. Staff feel less pulled in different directions. You create room for real growth instead of scrambling to keep everything afloat.

And most importantly — you stop building programs you can’t afford to sustain.

No orphan programs.

That one rule alone can change the entire trajectory of your organization.