Samwise Nonprofits and Charities Newsletter
Thursday, May 28, 2026
The Word “Black” Has Disappeared from a Set of Bills Aimed at Addressing Black Maternal Health
The word “Black” has nearly vanished from the federal Momnibus Act — once called the Black Maternal Health Momnibus Act. The title change, originating in a 2023 edit, has carried forward as the legislation advances. Rep. Lauren Underwood (IL), a lead sponsor, defends the revision, but advocates including Black Mamas Matter Alliance and Mamatoto Village are frustrated. Black women die in childbirth at a rate of 50.3 per 100,000 live births — nearly three times the national average of 18.6. The National Partnership for Women & Families has withdrawn its support. Originally reported by Barbara Rodriguez for The 19th and co-published by Nonprofit Quarterly.
Sources: Nonprofit Quarterly
Fundraising Platform FlipCause Owes Millions to Charities Nationwide, Including Nonprofits in Idaho
Fundraising platform FlipCause filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in December, leaving more than $29 million owed to charities across the country. Among those affected: Treasure Valley Children’s Theater and Ds Connections, two Idaho nonprofits each owed approximately $20,000. California Attorney General Rob Bonta issued a cease and desist order to FlipCause in November after the company stopped disbursing collected donations. The case has since been converted to Chapter 7, and the appointed trustee now has authority to attempt to claw back funds for affected organizations. Treasure Valley Children’s Theater says the lost funds have shifted the organization’s focus away from education programs to emergency fundraising.
Sources: Boise State Public Radio
How Nonprofits Helped Win Virginia’s Redistricting — and What It Means in a Post-Callais Landscape
Virginia voters approved a new congressional map in April 2026, backed by a coalition of nonprofits including the Brennan Center, Common Cause, and the NAACP. But the Virginia Supreme Court struck it down 4-3 on May 8. The decision comes in the wake of the U.S. Supreme Court’s ruling in Louisiana v. Callais, which significantly weakened the Voting Rights Act’s Section 2. Southern states including Tennessee, Florida, and Louisiana are now moving quickly to exploit the legal opening. Writing in NPQ, Ann Lehman argues that nonprofits learned a hard lesson: winning the public argument is not enough — legal and procedural strategy must be equally robust.
Sources: Nonprofit Quarterly
Wholeness Is No Trifling Matter
Gabrielle Wyatt, founder of The Highland Project, writes in NPQ that the mental health of nonprofit leaders — particularly Black women on the front lines of social change — is an urgent and underfunded crisis. Research from The Highland Project found that 45 percent of Black women voters reported worsened mental health in 2025, and 67 percent have disengaged from news to protect their peace. Wyatt frames this as the hidden “cost of survival” carried by those who lead mission-driven organizations. She calls on funders to shift toward sustained, multi-year general operating support and to ask better questions about leader wellbeing.
Sources: Nonprofit Quarterly
Curated by JD · samwise.agency
Leave a Reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.