EDD eligibility for non-profit workers? Need urgent advice on UI claim

Yes, you can absolutely apply for unemployment if you worked at a non-profit! I worked at a 501(c)(3) for 4 years and received UI benefits when our organization lost funding. The confusion might be because some very small religious non-profits or certain charitable organizations can be exempt from paying unemployment taxes, but that's rare and most legitimate non-profits do participate in the unemployment insurance program. What matters is whether your employer paid into the UI system, not their non-profit status. File your claim right away through UI Online and make sure you have your employment information ready (dates worked, wages earned, reason for separation). Since you mentioned it was due to funding cuts, that's clearly not your fault, which is good for your claim.

i worked at nonprofit 2 and got bennies no prob. just apply normal way online its same process. make sure u say layoff not fired tho or theyll deny u

To add some clarity here: Most non-profits are required to pay unemployment insurance taxes just like for-profit businesses, so their employees are eligible for regular UI benefits. There are exceptions, however: 1. Some religious organizations can opt out of the unemployment system 2. Some very small non-profits with fewer than 4 employees may be exempt 3. Some non-profits may elect to be "reimbursing employers" (they pay the actual cost of benefits rather than regular UI taxes) But from the employee perspective, this doesn't matter much - you file the same way regardless. You had substantial work history (2.5 years) and were laid off due to lack of funds, not misconduct, so you should qualify. Just be prepared that EDD might contact your former employer to verify details. Make sure to file your claim promptly, report any earnings accurately during certification periods, and complete all work search requirements. Good luck!

My last boss told me it depends on if ur org paid UI taxes or not. Some non profits dont have to, and if they didnt, then EDD will tell you when u try to file. worth trying anyway tho

I've been through this exact situation! I was working at a homeless services nonprofit and got laid off when our federal grant wasn't renewed. I filed for unemployment online and got approved without any special steps. The application process is the same as it would be for any other employer. The only potential issue I can think of is if your organization wasn't properly registered with EDD or wasn't paying into unemployment insurance. But that would be very unusual for an established nonprofit with multiple employees. One tip - when I tried calling EDD to confirm my eligibility before applying, I could never get through. The lines were constantly busy and I wasted days trying. I finally used a service called Claimyr (claimyr.com) that got me connected to an EDD rep in about 20 minutes. They have a video showing how it works: https://youtu.be/JmuwXR7HA10?si=TSwYbu_GOwYzt9km. It saved me so much stress and the rep confirmed that nonprofit employees are typically eligible.

I'm an employment attorney and can clarify this definitively: California non-profit employees ARE eligible for unemployment benefits in most cases. The confusion stems from the fact that some very specific types of non-profits (mainly religious organizations) can choose to be exempt from the state UI system. For a youth development non-profit that had grant funding, it's almost certain they participated in the UI system. The vast majority of 501(c)(3) organizations are required to pay unemployment taxes. If you were laid off due to funding cuts, that's a qualifying separation reason. File your claim immediately - you can always appeal if there's an issue, but delaying filing can cost you benefits. The EDD looks at the first week you file as your starting point, not when you lost your job.

Update: Thanks for all the helpful advice everyone! I submitted my application yesterday through UI Online. The process was pretty straightforward - I just entered all my employment info including the non-profit's details. There weren't any special questions about the non-profit status. My claim status is now showing as "pending" so I guess I just wait for them to process it. I'm feeling much more confident after hearing from so many of you who went through similar situations. I'll update again once I hear something!

make sure u certify on time every 2 weeks!! my brothers claim got messed up cuz he missed certification and had to call like 50 times to fix it

I volunteered at a non profit once and they said something about being exempt from taxes but idk if that applies to unemployment too. But if ur actually an employee not a volunteer I think its different?

Just wanted to share my experience as someone who worked at a nonprofit for 3 years before getting laid off during COVID. I was initially worried about the same thing - whether nonprofit employees could get unemployment benefits. Turns out my organization (a community health nonprofit) had been paying into the UI system the whole time, so I qualified just like any other employee. The key thing is that most established nonprofits with regular employees are required to participate in unemployment insurance, regardless of their tax-exempt status. One thing that helped me was checking my old pay stubs - if you see "SUI" (State Unemployment Insurance) deductions, that's a good sign your employer was participating in the system. Also, since you worked there for 2.5 years as a full-time employee, you definitely have enough work history to qualify if your employer was paying in. Glad to see you already filed! The waiting period can be nerve-wracking but it sounds like you have a solid case. Keep us posted on how it goes!

I'm glad to see you got your application submitted! As someone who's navigated this process before, I can confirm that most established nonprofits do participate in the unemployment insurance system. The fact that your organization had been around for 12+ years with 20 employees makes it very likely they were paying into UI. One thing I learned during my own unemployment experience is to keep detailed records of everything - save screenshots of your claim status, keep copies of all correspondence, and document your work search activities from day one. Even though you're still in the pending phase, it's good to start building those habits now. Also, while you're waiting for your claim to process, you might want to start familiarizing yourself with the CalJOBS system if you haven't already. You'll need to register there for work search requirements once your benefits kick in. The sooner you get that set up, the smoother the process will be later. Hope your claim gets approved quickly! The nonprofit sector has been hit hard by funding cuts lately, so you're definitely not alone in this situation.

Just wanted to add my perspective as someone who worked at multiple nonprofits over the years. The eligibility really does depend on whether your specific organization opted into the UI system, but the vast majority do participate. One thing I noticed from your post is that you mentioned grant funding - organizations that receive federal or state grants are typically required to comply with employment laws including unemployment insurance participation. This is often a condition of their funding agreements. Since you've already filed and are seeing "pending" status, that's actually a good sign! If your employer wasn't in the system at all, you'd likely get an immediate rejection or error message. The pending status usually means they're verifying your employment details with your former employer. Quick tip while you wait: start documenting your job search activities now even though you haven't been officially approved yet. When your benefits do kick in, you'll need to show you've been actively looking for work, and having that documentation ready from day one will make your certifications much smoother. Good luck with your claim - sounds like you have a strong case!

I'm going through something similar right now! I was laid off from a nonprofit arts organization about 3 weeks ago due to budget cuts, and I was also worried about UI eligibility. After reading through all these responses, I feel much better about my own situation. One thing that might help you while you're waiting - I called my former HR person and asked them directly if the organization participates in unemployment insurance. She was able to confirm right away that they've been paying UI taxes for years. If you're still feeling uncertain, it might be worth reaching out to someone at your old job who could verify this quickly. Also, I've been using this waiting period to update my resume and start networking within the nonprofit sector. A lot of organizations are facing similar funding challenges right now, but that also means there's a community of people going through the same thing who are willing to help each other out. Keep us posted on your claim status - I'm rooting for you!

I've been following this thread and wanted to share some additional perspective as someone who's worked in nonprofit administration. Most people are giving you accurate information - the vast majority of nonprofits do participate in the UI system, especially established organizations like yours. One detail I haven't seen mentioned yet: if your nonprofit received any federal funding (which most youth development organizations do), they're almost certainly required to participate in unemployment insurance as part of their compliance obligations. The same goes for most state and local grants. Since you mentioned you were a program coordinator for 2.5 years, you definitely have more than enough work history to qualify. The "pending" status you're seeing is totally normal - EDD typically takes 1-2 weeks to verify employment details with former employers, especially for smaller organizations that might not have automated systems. While you're waiting, I'd recommend setting up your CalJOBS account if you haven't already, and maybe start browsing nonprofit job boards like Idealist.org or GrantSpace job listings. The nonprofit sector moves pretty quickly when it comes to hiring, so having your materials ready can make a big difference. Hang in there - funding cuts are unfortunately common right now, but your experience in program coordination is valuable and you should be able to find something new soon!

I went through almost the exact same situation last year when my nonprofit environmental organization lost their EPA grant funding. I was super worried about UI eligibility too, but it turned out to be no problem at all. Filed online through UI Online just like any other job, got approved within about 10 days. The key thing that helped me was realizing that if you got regular paychecks with taxes taken out (including state disability insurance), your employer was almost definitely paying into the UI system too. Nonprofits that don't participate are usually very small religious organizations or all-volunteer groups - not established programs with paid staff like yours sounds like. One heads up though - when you do your biweekly certifications, make sure you report any volunteer work you might do while job searching. I made the mistake of not reporting some volunteer hours at first because I thought "it's unpaid so it doesn't matter" but EDD considers any work activity relevant. Nothing bad happened but they did ask me about it later during a routine audit. Sounds like you're on the right track! The nonprofit world is small so definitely leverage your network while you're job hunting.

I'm so glad you found this thread helpful! I just went through this exact same situation about 6 months ago when my nonprofit homeless services organization had to cut staff due to losing city funding. Like you, I was really confused about whether nonprofit employees could get unemployment benefits. The good news is that I got approved without any issues! The application process was exactly the same as it would be for any other employer. Since your organization was established and had multiple employees, they were almost certainly paying into the UI system - especially if they were receiving government grants, which usually require compliance with employment laws. One thing that really helped me during the waiting period was connecting with other nonprofit professionals who had gone through layoffs. There's actually a pretty supportive community of us dealing with these funding challenges. I ended up finding my current position through someone I met in a nonprofit professionals Facebook group. Also, don't forget to look into any severance or continuation benefits your old employer might offer. Some nonprofits have policies about helping laid-off employees even if they're not legally required to. It's worth asking! Best of luck with your claim and job search - the nonprofit sector needs experienced program coordinators like you!