Samwise Nonprofits and Charities Newsletter
Thursday, May 7, 2026
SPLC Indictment Breaks Federal Prosecution Norms, Scholar Finds Little Evidence of Criminal Wrongdoing
A legal scholar writing in Nonprofit Quarterly argues that the Trump administration’s federal indictment of the Southern Poverty Law Center departs sharply from established prosecution norms. The analysis finds that the charges appear to rely on contested interpretations of financial disclosures rather than clear evidence of criminal conduct. The piece warns that using the indictment as a political instrument could chill the activities of advocacy nonprofits across the ideological spectrum, setting a precedent that watchdog groups and civil-society organizations find deeply alarming.
Read more → May 6, 2026Florida Attorney General Subpoenas SPLC Over Alleged Deceptive Fundraising Practices, Demands Records Back to 2014
Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier has launched a civil investigation into the Southern Poverty Law Center, issuing a subpoena that demands financial and operational records dating back to 2014. The AG’s office alleges the SPLC may have engaged in deceptive charitable solicitation practices, potentially misleading donors about how funds are used. The SPLC denies wrongdoing and says the probe is politically motivated. The move intensifies multi-front legal pressure on the organization at both the state and federal levels.
Read more → May 5, 2026Philanthropic Institutions Called to Align Endowment Investments with Mission by Divesting from Systems of Violence
A new essay in Nonprofit Quarterly urges foundations and philanthropic institutions to examine whether their endowment investment portfolios contradict their stated missions by funding industries linked to militarization, mass incarceration, and structural violence. The authors argue that genuine social-change philanthropy requires moving beyond programmatic grantmaking to include divestment from harmful systems. They point to emerging divestment coalitions as models and call on foundation boards to treat investment policy as a core expression of organizational values rather than a siloed financial function.
Read more → May 6, 2026Iran War Drives IRC Operational Costs Up 50% as Dubai Aid Hub Is Disrupted and Supply Routes Collapse
The International Rescue Committee reports that two months into the Iran conflict, its operational costs in the region have spiked by 50 percent. Fuel price increases, the disruption of the IRC’s Dubai logistics hub, and the collapse of key overland supply corridors are driving the surge. Aid deliveries to Yemen, Afghanistan, and parts of East Africa that depend on Gulf transit routes have been significantly delayed. The IRC is calling on donors and governments to provide emergency operational funding to prevent life-saving programs from being scaled back.
Read more → May 6, 2026Independent Sector Launches “Voices in Action” to Equip Nonprofits for Nonpartisan 2026 Midterm Voter Engagement
Independent Sector has unveiled “Voices in Action,” a new initiative designed to help nonprofits engage their communities in the 2026 midterm elections while strictly maintaining nonpartisan status. The program provides legal guidance, communications toolkits, and peer-learning networks to help organizations navigate IRS rules on political activity. New polling released alongside the launch shows that nonprofit-facilitated voter outreach significantly increases civic participation among underrepresented communities. Independent Sector frames the effort as a defense of democratic participation at a moment when civic engagement faces institutional headwinds.
Read more → May 5, 2026