Samwise Nonprofits and Charities Newsletter
Friday, May 1, 2026
Supreme Court Guts Voting Rights Act in 6-3 Ruling, Civil Rights Nonprofits Condemn Decision
The U.S. Supreme Court delivered a 6-3 ruling on April 29 in Louisiana v. Callais that civil rights organizations are calling one of the most destructive voting rights decisions in decades. The conservative majority nominally preserved Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act while eliminating its practical force, ruling that plaintiffs must now prove intentional racial discrimination rather than discriminatory effect — a standard Congress never wrote into the law. NAACP President Derrick Johnson called the decision “a license for corrupt politicians who want to rig the system.” The ACLU said it “obliterates” six decades of voting protections. Civil rights nonprofits pledged immediate legislative and litigation responses.
Louisiana Suspends House Primaries After Supreme Court Map Ruling
Louisiana suspended its scheduled U.S. House primary elections on April 30, one day after the Supreme Court’s ruling in Louisiana v. Callais struck down the state’s congressional map as an unconstitutional racial gerrymander. The suspension leaves the state’s congressional delegation in legal uncertainty while a new map is drawn. Voting rights nonprofits including Democracy Docket and the Campaign Legal Center warned that the broader VRA ruling hands states a roadmap for drawing partisan maps that suppress minority voting power. Danielle Lang of Campaign Legal Center said the majority now permits states to “dilute or even eviscerate” minority voters’ ability to elect candidates of their choice.
Sources: NPR, Campaign Legal Center
Fidelity and Vanguard Freeze Donor-Advised Fund Grants to SPLC After Federal Indictment
Fidelity Charitable and Vanguard Charitable suspended donor-advised fund grants to the Southern Poverty Law Center following the DOJ’s April 21 indictment of the nonprofit on 11 counts of wire fraud, bank fraud, and conspiracy to commit money laundering. Fidelity stated the SPLC is “not an eligible grant recipient during the ongoing investigation.” Vanguard cited “allegations and charges that may call into question their ability to carry out their tax-exempt charitable purpose.” The two institutions collectively manage trillions in donor-advised fund assets, effectively cutting off a major contribution channel. The suspension adds financial pressure as the organization prepares for a May 7 arraignment in federal court in Montgomery, Alabama.
Sources: NewsBusters, The Hill
SPLC Faces May 7 Arraignment as House Panel Demands CEO Testify
Two parallel pressures hit the Southern Poverty Law Center on April 29: a federal court in Montgomery, Alabama, scheduled an arraignment for May 7, and the House Judiciary Committee formally asked SPLC CEO Margaret Huang to testify about the organization’s paid informant program. DOJ charges allege the SPLC secretly funneled more than $3 million to individuals affiliated with extremist groups between 2014 and 2023. The SPLC simultaneously filed motions seeking grand jury transcripts and asking Acting AG Todd Blanche to retract remarks made on Fox News that the organization calls “false and unfairly prejudicial.” The SPLC maintains its informants’ work “saved lives” and was known to federal law enforcement.
Sources: 1819 News, Washington Times
Purdue University Raises $95.5 Million in 13th Annual Day of Giving
Purdue University’s 13th annual Day of Giving closed April 29 with $95.5 million raised through 34,454 individual gifts, bringing the program’s cumulative total since its 2014 launch to $697.6 million. The 2026 result marks the second-highest gift count in the drive’s history, surpassed only by last year’s record. Purdue’s 24-hour campaign is one of the largest single-day university fundraising events in the country, mobilizing alumni, parents, faculty, and students across all campuses. Funds support scholarships, research, facility improvements, and student programs. The result continues a consistent run of strong giving-day performance for the West Lafayette institution.
Sources: Purdue University
Community Foundation of North Louisiana Awards $4.1 Million in 2026 Competitive Grants
The Community Foundation of North Louisiana announced May 1 it has awarded $4.1 million in competitive grants to nonprofit organizations through its 2026 grant cycle. The majority of awards targeted programs addressing poverty, educational attainment, and health outcomes in the Shreveport-Bossier City metro area and surrounding parishes. The foundation’s open-call competitive program draws proposals from nonprofits throughout north Louisiana each year. Grantmaking in 2026 continues a multiyear investment strategy targeting systemic gaps in health, housing, and education services across the region. A full list of 2026 recipients is now available on the foundation’s website at cfnla.org.
GameChanger Charity Earns California Legislature’s Nonprofit of the Year for Pediatric Work
California State Senator Tony Strickland named GameChanger Charity the 2026 Nonprofit of the Year for California’s 36th Senate District on April 30, citing the organization’s play-based healing work across more than 250 hospitals on five continents. Founded in 2007 by Jim Carol and his son Taylor during Taylor’s five-year battle with pediatric cancer, GameChanger operates programs that bring gaming consoles and therapeutic play to children in extended inpatient treatment. The nonprofit will be formally honored at the California State Capitol on May 20, where it will receive an official Senate resolution recognizing its contributions to pediatric health care.
Sources: GlobeNewswire
Curated by JD · samwise.agency
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