MANCHESTER, N.H. —

Sen. Maggie Hassan is leading a letter by the state’s congressional delegation to U.S. House and Senate leaders seeking additional federal funding for nonprofit organizations they say are still under financial duress as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Hassan is joined by Sen. Jeanne Shaheen and U.S. Reps. Annie Kuster and Chris Pappas in writing that while the Families First Act and CARES Act provided initial relief to nonprofits, “we have heard from many in New Hampshire that require significantly greater assistance in order to continue serving vulnerable families and front-line responders.

“Nonprofits have stepped up during this crisis to meet emerging housing, education, employment, food and health care needs in our state and to modify existing services to limit the spread of COVID-19," they wrote.

“Meanwhile, as non-profits have worked to provide these services, many have also lost significant financial and staffing resources due to the crisis. Other organizations in New Hampshire that provide important community resources have been forced to close and continue to face significant operational challenges during this time of economic uncertainty.

“In order to ensure that non-profit organizations can successfully meet the growing needs of our constituents, it is imperative that Congress quickly advance another COVID-19 relief package which provides direct, dedicated emergency assistance for non-profits,” the delegation wrote.

The letter was addressed to Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy.

According to Gov. Chris Sununu’s Office for Emergency Relief and Recovery (GOFERR), New Hampshire received $60 million for nonprofits from the CARES Act, which has been allocated from a newly established the New Hampshire Nonprofit Emergency Relief Fund.

The congressional delegation wrote that additional funding is needed in part because the Federal Reserve has delayed in providing nonprofits access to its Main Street Lending Program, which, the delegation wrote, “provides emergency loans to mid-size businesses with up to 15,000 employees or up to $5 billion in annual revenue.”