440-Plus Organizations Condemn DOJ Indictment of Southern Poverty Law Center as Political Weaponization

More than 440 civil rights, faith, labor, and nonprofit organizations issued a joint statement on May 20 declaring that the Trump administration’s DOJ indictment of the Southern Poverty Law Center is a “naked attempt to weaponize the criminal justice system to silence speech and activities this administration dislikes.” The statement responded directly to a House Judiciary Committee hearing titled “The Southern Poverty Law Center: Manufacturing Hate,” held the same day. The SPLC was indicted on April 21 on 11 counts including wire fraud and conspiracy to commit money laundering, stemming from its practice of paying informants to infiltrate extremist groups. Signatories organized by The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights and Nonprofits Together included the ACLU, National Council of Nonprofits, and Independent Sector. National Council of Nonprofits president Diane Yentel called the hearing an effort to “aid the weaponization of the DOJ against civil rights organizations.”

Sources: The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights · National Council of Nonprofits

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Accountant Examines Rise of Nonprofit Fraud Prosecutions and What Sets SPLC Case Apart

An associate professor of accounting at the University of Dayton published an analysis in The Conversation on May 21 examining the current wave of nonprofit fraud prosecutions, the highest-profile of which is the Trump administration’s April indictment of the Southern Poverty Law Center on 11 federal counts. Author Sarah Webber argues the SPLC case is historically unusual: federal investigations of nonprofit fraud have been rare, and the charges rest on conduct that nonprofits and law enforcement have long considered legitimate work. Webber contrasts this with the Feeding Our Future case in Minnesota, where defendants diverted $250 million from a federal child nutrition program. The Association of Certified Fraud Examiners estimates nonprofits lose roughly 5 percent of annual revenue to fraud, with a typical incident costing around $76,000. Larger and older organizations are better positioned to withstand fraud-related reputational damage, Webber notes.

Sources: The Conversation

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2026 DAF Fundraising Report: Donor-Advised Funds Represent 13 Percent of Nonprofit Revenue Despite Fraction of Gift Volume

The 2026 DAF Fundraising Report, released May 20, found that donor-advised fund gifts account for less than 1 percent of gift volume at participating organizations but represent nearly 13 percent of total revenue, highlighting the outsized value of the average DAF donor. The report expanded its participant pool 65 percent to 54 organizations representing $26.1 billion in total giving. Small nonprofits with annual budgets under $10 million saw the largest year-over-year jump in DAF revenue at 24.1 percent. DAF donors have retention rates 13 percent higher than non-DAF donors and give median gifts 12 times larger. Two-thirds of DAF gifts were under $1,000, with only 2 percent exceeding $25,000, suggesting a broad and growing middle-class DAF donor base. The Chronicle of Philanthropy noted that nonprofits most successful at attracting DAF revenue mention donor-advised funds to donors at all giving levels.

Sources: Chronicle of Philanthropy · Chariot / DAF Fundraising Report

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GiveWell CEO Named to TIME100 Philanthropy List; Renews $10 Million Grant to Iron Fortification Program

GiveWell co-founder and CEO Elie Hassenfeld was named to TIME magazine’s 2026 TIME100 Philanthropy list, recognizing the most influential leaders in global giving. The honor coincides with GiveWell reporting it directed over $400 million to high-impact programs in 2025 and has diversified its grantmaking: 74 percent of grants now go to programs outside its traditional top-charity list. The same May 22 update announced a $10 million two-year renewal grant to Fortify Health, an organization that fortifies wheat flour with iron, folic acid, and vitamin B12 in India to combat anemia. A new GiveWell lookback analysis of its original 2021 grant found Fortify Health had grown its fortified flour production 30-fold, reached more people than projected, and spent less than budgeted, making the program far more cost-effective than originally estimated. The renewal underscores GiveWell’s growing use of grant retrospectives to sharpen future funding decisions.

Sources: GiveWell Blog · TIME100 Philanthropy

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