On a Monday morning earlier this month, Beth Linas received notice that her company — a heavily federally-funded research nonprofit — would have to reduce its workforce in response to the Trump administration’s sweeping funding cuts. By the next morning, Linas was informed that 150 employees would be laid off. Hours later, she found out that she was one of them. 

For Linas, an infectious disease epidemiologist by training, the unexpected layoff was jarring. On top of losing her job, she had to grapple with the loss of her insurance, which would run out at the end of the month. But there was an added layer of uncertainty for Linas: she was in the middle of in vitro fertilization (IVF) treatment. 

“The first thing I said was, I will be OK without a job, but I’m in the middle of IVF, and I need my health insurance. Like, I really need my health insurance,” she told eJewishPhilanthropy. 

Linas is one of a number of Jewish women who, affected by federal layoffs and funding cuts, has turned to the Jewish Fertility Foundation (JFF) — an Atlanta-based nonprofit that provides grants, education and emotional support to women struggling with fertility. 

According to Sarah Shah, JFF’s director of operations, the Washington office does not yet have a manager to do outreach to prospective clients. In spite of that, as waves of federal layoffs have buffeted Washington, JFF’s Washington office has been faced with a still climbing surge in demand for grants, which support families struggling with fertility. According to Shah, overall dispensation has increased by 250% — last year, JFF dispensed $9,000 in grants in January and February. This year, JFF dispensed $32,000. 

“Many of the individuals that are facing infertility, maybe they were financially prepared for treatment,” Shah told eJP. “The unexpected job losses have suddenly put their family building plans at risk.”

For the last decade, JFF has provided financial assistance to Jewish families with fertility challenges in cities across the United States. According to Shah, interest in the organization’s grants has been rising steadily alongside the surge in Jewish life following Hamas’ Oct. 7 terror attacks. But demand has been catalyzed by uncertainty — stoked by ongoing legal battles regarding IVF and women’s reproductive rights in a number of states, and now, federal layoffs.

“We’re seeing unprecedented demand in D.C.,” said Shah. “I’ve read hundreds of [personal statements] now. People are referencing the fact that they were laid off, or that they think they’re going to get laid off, or that they’re concerned about their job because of their current climate. So that really to me, just spoke to the degree to which this is at the top of people’s minds.” 

According to Shah, beyond layoffs, JFF’s operations have been impacted by IVF legislation in a number of states. After Alabama’s Supreme Court ruled that frozen embryos could be considered “children” under state law last February 2024, JFF partnered with the National Council of Jewish Women to provide emergency funding for women seeking treatment out of state.

“We’re not an advocacy organization. We help people access reproductive care and fertility treatment,” said Shah.  “What we do is provide a lot of education, and connect people with advocacy opportunities that they can take. We really find that that’s very empowering, you know, knowledge is power.” 

With demand continuing to rise for their grants amid uncertainty in Washington, JFF is pursuing new ways to meet that demand, a lot of which is still in the works, said Shah. For now, JFF is putting together a pop-up support group for those whose treatment plan has been impacted by federal layoffs. And it’s trying to turn around their grants more quickly. 

As for Linas, she’s still waiting for her grant application to be approved. In the process of filling out her application however, she got in touch with her rabbi, who pulled from a discretionary fund to support her treatment. 

“It just sort of makes me even more proud to be a Jew, and it makes me really glad that I have a community that’s around me,” said Linas. “That even if they don’t know me, they will embrace me… I think that’s special.”