In July, the Midwest Innocence Project alerted its supporters that it was on the brink of closure. Even after cutting its staff by 25%, the nonprofit was struggling to adjust after losing federal grants and funding in 2025.
Since that announcement, the group has raised $400,000 and is now on firmer financial footing. Tahir Atwater, the group’s executive director, said the funding crunch has helped put the group’s work in Missouri, Kansas, Arkansas, Nebraska and Iowa in perspective
“It served as a wake-up call for a lot of people, about how important this work is and that there isn’t a lot of recourse for someone if an organization like ours were to shut down,” Atwater said…