Samwise Nonprofits and Charities Newsletter
Wednesday, May 27, 2026
Open Society Foundations Pledges $300 Million for U.S. Democracy Amid Attacks on Nonprofits
The Open Society Foundations, now led by Alex Soros, pledged $300 million over five years to strengthen U.S. democracy, civil rights, and economic security, according to reporting from multiple news outlets on May 20, 2026. The announcement came as the Trump administration singled out the Soros family, accusing them of supporting violence and fostering division. The foundations committed $20 million of the total for deployment in 2026, supporting strategic litigation, nonprofit sector defense, and efforts to track government corruption. The strategy marks the first U.S.-focused program approved under Alex Soros’s leadership of the organization.
Sources: ABC News
Trump Administration Borrows Authoritarian Playbook in Labeling Nonprofits as Foreign Threats
The Trump administration has employed foreign agent labels and anti-terrorism designations to target domestic nonprofits, mirroring tactics used by authoritarian regimes in Russia and Hungary, according to an analysis published May 18, 2026, by Protect Democracy researchers in Nonprofit Quarterly. Congressional committees have summoned nonprofit leaders to probe alleged foreign influence, while the Department of Justice launched an investigation into the Open Society Foundations on terrorism-related allegations. The piece draws parallels to Russia’s 2012 foreign agent law, which has been used to designate over 900 individuals and organizations and driven numerous civil society groups to close.
Sources: Nonprofit Quarterly
Over 121 Nonprofit Leaders Sign Statement Backing SPLC After Major DAF Platforms Block Donations
More than 121 nonprofit leaders signed a statement supporting the Southern Poverty Law Center after three of the nation’s largest donor-advised fund sponsors — Fidelity Charitable, Vanguard Charitable, and DAFgiving360 — blocked donations to the organization, The NonProfit Times reported May 13, 2026. The platforms froze distributions following the Department of Justice’s indictment of the SPLC on federal fraud charges, with Fidelity citing an ongoing government investigation as the reason. Leaders of community foundations condemned the decision as a capitulation to the Trump administration, which has been hostile to civil rights nonprofits.
Sources: The NonProfit Times
Bipartisan Charity Parity Act Would Let Retirees Give Directly from 401(k) Plans to Nonprofits
Bipartisan legislation introduced May 13, 2026, would extend qualified charitable distributions to employer-sponsored retirement plans including 401(k), 403(b), and 457(b) accounts, CNBC reported. Representatives Mike Kelly and Don Beyer introduced the House version of the Charity Parity Act, with Senators Kevin Cramer and Chris Coons sponsoring a Senate companion. Under current law, QCDs — which allow donors age 70½ and older to give up to $111,000 annually directly from an IRA to a qualifying nonprofit — are unavailable from workplace retirement accounts. The bill has drawn endorsements from the American Heart Association, United Way Worldwide, the Salvation Army, and the National Council of Nonprofits.
Sources: CNBC
Survey: 66 Percent of Nonprofit Leaders Cite Financial Stability Concerns as Federal Cuts Mount
Sixty-six percent of nonprofit leaders surveyed by the Center for Effective Philanthropy said they have concerns about their organization’s financial stability, Axios reported May 12, 2026. The share of respondents reporting a deficit — spending more than they are bringing in — rose to 39 percent, up from 22 percent in 2022. The survey polled 380 nonprofit leaders who receive foundation funding. Nearly three-quarters of CEOs said their organizations have experienced increased demand for services. Government grants to nonprofits total at least $240 billion a year — more than double all foundation giving combined — making federal funding cuts especially damaging to organizations serving vulnerable communities.
Sources: Axios
DOGE Actions Drive Termination of Nearly 16,000 Federal Grants Totaling Approximately $49 Billion
The Department of Government Efficiency had driven the termination of 15,887 federal grants totaling approximately $49 billion by January 2026, according to data reported by the National Council of Nonprofits and corroborated by multiple news organizations, with sector-wide effects continuing into May 2026. AmeriCorps alone saw nearly $400 million in active grants slashed, shutting down more than 1,000 programs and eliminating 32,000 positions. Local casualties include long-standing elementary and high school tutoring programs in Madison, Wisconsin, that were shuttered as a result of the cuts. Eighty-five percent of nonprofits report experiencing some impact from federal funding changes, according to a survey by Instrumentl.
Sources: National Council of Nonprofits
Democrats Urge OPM to Save Combined Federal Campaign as Program Faces Possible Elimination
Democratic lawmakers, led by Representative Jamie Raskin of Maryland and Senators Chris Van Hollen and Angela Alsobrooks, warned that shuttering the Combined Federal Campaign would “disrupt and destabilize” thousands of charitable organizations that depend on it, urging the Office of Personnel Management to maintain the program in 2026 and beyond, Federal News Network reported in May 2026. The CFC, the world’s largest workplace giving program, has seen its online portal decommissioned as of March 2026, with OPM not yet making a final decision on running the campaign this year. The 2025 donation cycle raised an estimated $40 million, down from roughly $70 million in 2024.
Sources: Federal News Network
Curated by JD · samwise.agency
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