Tuesday night’s presidential election victory for Donald Trump and the Republican party means sweeping changes to national policy that will reach far beyond Washington and affect the way Birmingham area organizations operate and serve.

Some social action and relief organizations are already evaluating the impact of the election, just after the former president reclaimed his former seat and voters delivered him a majority in the Senate and a possible edge in the House of Representatives.

William Barnes, president and chief executive officer of the Urban League of Alabama, said organizations such as his already know the future of federal support based on the previous Trump administration.

“It’s in the numbers,” he said. “They slashed support specifically to the Urban League and organizations like ours. “We’re bracing for what that impact looks like. It’s going to be a reduction in services.”

The Urban League’s constituents are historically Black along with other minority groups.

Although Trump won support from about 13% of Black voters nationally and 45% of Latino voters, according to CNN and NBC News exit polls.

While those groups still largely supported the Democratic party and Vice President Kamala Harris, Trump’s election night victory showed dramatically growing support from previously reliable Democratic mainstays.

Barnes said voters certainly were free to vote as they wished. But he questioned if some understood the impact of their decisions to endorse significant cuts to agencies, including the Urban League, that directly serve their communities.

“It’s more than a prediction,” Barnes said. “History is bound to predict itself. We did not win many awards during the Trump years for federal grants intended to help our communities. We know there will likely be more the same in that regard and that’s concerning.”

Barnes said America’s wealth gap in home ownership and other areas has continued to widen under the leadership of both parties, which underscores the urgency of his agency’s mission.

Showcasing community needs and how groups fill them is essential as the new administration takes power, he said. The appeal for support must be made to both the government and to private individuals, he said.

“When you talk about outreach, understand that there’s an investment and donations and contributions that are going to need to be made in order for us to have an organization to continue to meet the needs of the community,” Barnes said. “Those needs are still going to be there. They are not going away.”

Carlos E. Alemán, chief executive officer of the Hispanic and Immigrant Center of Alabama or ¡HICA!, said his organization would assess the data on how the Latino electorate voted in the election.

Founded in 1999, ¡HICA!, is a community development and advocacy organization that advocates for economic equality, civic engagement, and social justice for Latino and immigrant families in Alabama.

Alemán declined to comment on how the administration would affect his constituency, saying it would be hard to speak without fully knowing what policies will be executed and implemented. Those elements would also be evaluated.

Still, he said ¡HICA! remains committed to its principles.

“In terms of how it affects our mission, ¡HICA! will continue to provide resources and advocate for members of our community to ensure that we are creating opportunities and inspiring hope,” he said. “That does not change.”

Leaders of the Birmingham Civil Rights Institute, stress that changes around the country provide strong opportunities for the organization to engage in its mission of education.

“This is a human conversation,” said board chair Rosilyn Houston. “This is a ripe time for the Birmingham Civil Rights Institute to be incredibly responsible to bring all people together to have the conversation, to engage in the discussion, the debate and most importantly understanding and reconciliation because our mission is to bring people together so that we can have a better future for all people.”

The Civil Rights Institute is a city of Birmingham-founded educational institution and museum. BCRI has an independent board and is nonpolitical and nonpartisan.

Conservatives in recent years have assailed diversity initiatives, the teaching and discussion of civil rights history and racial issues. Alabama state lawmakers this year banned diversity offices, programming and training in public colleges and state agencies, labeling such as “divisive concepts.”

Still, Houston remains optimistic about overcoming any misconceptions about the mission of the institute.

“We know there are obstacles and there always have been obstacles, but our work to continue to build, restore and enlighten all humans about the importance of equity and justice and freedom and human rights for all will remain the same,” Houston said. “We’ve always been a resource for education and empowerment, and we are committed to that.”

The national election is also being analyzed by political observers working to understand its immediate and long-term implications.

Aneesa McMillan, a veteran Democratic strategist in Washington D.C., agreed that major changes are in store with a different party and president in charge. Those changes will include funding cuts to familiar groups, she said.

“Ironically, this will be a time when we will need them the most. You will see a lot of vulnerable communities impacted by another Trump administration,” said McMillan, a Selma native who has worked with several Democratic administrations and national campaigns. “Those organizations become even more important.”

McMillan said another important question surrounds who will serve in the new administration to communicate concerns.

“What does that mean when people knew about Project 2025?,” she said, referencing the conservative policy agenda championed by the Heritage Foundation. “There are so many dynamics going on that we have to look at and be honest about.”

McMillan said her party must regroup and refine its message for the next major election and better understand what voters demand.

“We’ve got to look inward and think about what does this mean going forward as a nation, who are and what does this tell us about the electorate,” she said.