NATCHEZ &8212; When is getting substantially less in federal funding for your nonprofit a blessing?

When you thought you weren&8217;t getting anything at all.

That was the situation facing Matilda Stephens, director of the Sunshine Shelter for abused and neglected children, earlier this week. In fact, she was about to send out emergency fundraising letters to help make up the loss of a federal Justice Assistance Grant that makes up almost one-third of her $285,000 budget.

That funding comes down from the U.S. Department of Justice to the State Department of Public Safety and then to agencies such as the Sunshine Shelter.

So when DPS got word in the spring that the White House recommended the JAG program not be funded for this fiscal year, it notified agencies they should find other funding.

But on Tuesday, Stephens received word Congress funded the JAG program for this fiscal year, and the same types of agencies that were funded last year will be eligible this year.

The bad news is Congress funded JAG to the tune of $321 million for this fiscal year, down from $529 million the previous year.

The Department of Justice will publish Friday the amount of funds each recipient will be eligible for, said Sheila Jerusalem, public affairs specialist for DOJ. From there, the states will have to apply to DOJ by Jan. 26.

It&8217;s not clear when local agencies such as the Sunshine Shelter, Natchez&8217;s temporary home for abused and neglected children, could expect to receive their share of the funding the state will receive.

But anything is better than nothing, Stephens said. &8220;Without it, I don&8217;t think we&8217;d have to close the shelter&8221; immediately, she said. &8220;That&8217;s because we have some funds in reserve. But those funds wouldn&8217;t last a year.&8221;