More than three weeks into the new fiscal year, nonprofits are still playing the waiting game. The decision on their funding levels for FY 2010 rests with Gov. Pat Quinn, all thanks to a stopgap budget passed by the General Assembly last week that requires him to free up over $2 billion via cuts that will largely target the human services sector. Folks over in Quinn's budget office tell us that they've been combing through such programs -- line by line -- ever since.

The budgeting process isn't as easy as nipping a little here and tucking some there; it's incredibly complicated. To make matters worse, the governor's office is still trying to figure out the size of the hole they're trying to fill. After revising their deficit estimate during the budgeting negotations, Quinn's aides are treading carefully on the subject.  "We don't do ballparks," budget office spokeswoman Elizabeth Austin told us.

Federal matching money is a major factor in the decisionmaking process. For instance, the Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE) passed a budget this week protecting programs that fetch federal money, but at a heavy price for the state's flagship early childhood education. An estimated 30,000 kids will lose preschool services this fall as a result.

The Quinn administration is also struggling with their options for moving money across agencies. For instance, the Ceasefire program currently falls under the corrections budget.  Does it then qualify for any of the emergency human services funding?  They're trying to answer dozens of similar questions.

Meanwhile, Department of Human Services director Carol Adams sent out this memo Tuesday afternoon:

The Department of Human Services appreciates your support and forbearance as we go through this protracted contracting process. As you know, the state of Illinois now has a budget. Additional dollars have been identified for the social services which will result in the modification of many of your contracts.

We are now in the process of budget revisions with the Office of Management and Budgets and expect to extend new contracts, where indicated, starting next week.

When asked what's on the horizon, Austin could only say that "the governor is trying to make decisions that serve the most people." More answers are coming  "soon," she adds. But the uncertainty has gone on too long for some organizations, many of which are starting to pull the plug.

Ricardo Estrada, director of the Erie Neighborhood House, says his organization is "in limbo" until Quinn announces his plans. With $3 million of his agency's budget built around early childhood programs, Erie "could soon look a lot different than it has in more than 130 years," Estrada said. But he remembers that lawmakers' lack of political courage is the major factor behind the current situation.

"The General Assembly did just enough to cover themselves and hoped people would blame the governor [for the cuts]," he told us. "But I don't think they're going to get their wish."