Samwise Nonprofits and Charities Newsletter
Monday, June 22, 2026
AmeriCorps Marks One Year Since DOGE Cuts: Pittsburgh Programs Rebuild, But Slowly
One year after the Department of Government Efficiency drove termination of approximately $400 million in AmeriCorps grants — eliminating more than 32,000 service positions — organizations across the country are attempting to rebuild with mixed results. In Pittsburgh, the KEYS program placed 80 AmeriCorps members in 2026, up from 49 the year prior but still below the 92 placements recorded in 2024. Public Allies Pittsburgh relaunched with 18 full-time and 13 part-time members and has broadened its revenue base by offering Custom Leadership Labs, fee-based training programs that reduce reliance on federal funding. National advocates continue urging Congress to restore full funding to the national service program.
Sources: PublicSource
PSLF “Ideology Test” Rule Takes Effect July 1 Despite Three Pending Lawsuits
A Department of Education rule granting authorities the power to strip employers of their Public Service Loan Forgiveness eligibility by declaring them to have a “substantial illegal purpose” takes effect July 1, 2026, with legal challenges still unresolved. Any employee whose employer is disqualified would lose credit for loan payments made after the disqualification date, jeopardizing progress toward the 120-payment threshold required for forgiveness. Nonprofit coalitions working on immigration, reproductive health, gender-affirming care, and civil rights advocacy are among those most exposed. The National Council of Nonprofits and allied organizations filed one lawsuit; 21 state attorneys general filed a second. Courts have yet to issue a stay.
Sources: Nonprofit Quarterly · National Council of Nonprofits
Nonprofit Quarterly and Liberation Ventures Launch Week of Repair Editorial Series Through July 4
Nonprofit Quarterly and Liberation Ventures launched a 16-day editorial partnership on June 19, curating storytelling under the theme Week of Repair — a deliberate counter-narrative to America’s 250th anniversary. The collaboration runs through July 4 and features essays, poetry, reported pieces, and visual art centered on reparations, harm repair, and visions of a healed future. NPQ editors announced the initiative aims to ensure the America 250 moment does not become a monument to mythology. Liberation Ventures is a reparations-focused organization that has worked with philanthropy partners on racial equity. Nonprofits, artists, and community advocates can contribute via submissions tagged #WeekOfRepair.
Sources: Nonprofit Quarterly
One Big Beautiful Bill Gives Nonprofits a Universal Deduction — Then Takes $7 Billion More Away
The One Big Beautiful Bill Act introduces competing provisions the National Council of Nonprofits calculates will produce a net loss of approximately $7 billion for the charitable sector over ten years. A new universal charitable deduction allows the roughly 90 percent of taxpayers who do not itemize to deduct up to $1,000 in cash donations ($2,000 for joint filers), projected to generate $74 billion in new giving over a decade. However, itemized deduction floors of 0.5 percent of AGI and a cap limiting high-income donors’ deduction value to 35 cents on the dollar are projected to reduce charitable giving by $81 billion over the same period.
Sources: National Council of Nonprofits · Tax Foundation
NPQ: Quiet Collapse of the Nonprofit Sector Threatens Every Community
A new analysis in Nonprofit Quarterly warns that erosion of the U.S. nonprofit sector constitutes a civic emergency largely unnoticed outside the field. The article notes that 73 percent of nonprofit leaders report increased demand for services while 30 percent have already reduced staff and 66 percent express serious concern about financial stability. Donor retention has fallen to 31.9 percent, meaning eight in ten first-time donors do not give again. The convergence of federal funding reductions, DOGE grant terminations, and waning individual giving is creating a widening gap between what communities need and what nonprofits can provide.
Sources: Nonprofit Quarterly
As Anti-LGBTQ+ Laws Multiply, Queer Sports Nonprofits Step Into the Gap
With the ACLU tracking 530 anti-LGBTQ+ bills nationwide — 31 of which have been signed into law — mission-driven sports nonprofits are expanding programs to build community for LGBTQ+ athletes facing a hostile legal environment. Organizations including Big Apple Recreational Sports and Athlete Ally operate inclusive leagues and advocacy programs that function as both athletic competition and mutual aid networks. An analysis in Nonprofit Quarterly examines how these groups have scaled their programming in direct response to legislative pressure, framing recreation infrastructure as essential nonprofit work. Organizers report increased participation and emphasize that the leagues offer connection and support for participants isolated by new state restrictions.
Sources: Nonprofit Quarterly
Philanthropy Must Treat Information Access as Core Infrastructure, NPQ Analysis Argues
Nonprofit Quarterly is calling on foundations to reframe information infrastructure — nonprofit journalism, public libraries, fact-checking organizations, and community data systems — as core civic needs warranting sustained philanthropic investment, not discretionary communications budgets. An analysis published in June argues that reliable public information is as essential to democracy as physical infrastructure, yet foundations have historically treated it as a secondary priority. The piece highlights the growth of nonprofit news outlets as a demonstration that philanthropic capital can support journalism that commercial markets have abandoned, citing a rising wave of locally-focused nonprofit journalism organizations that have expanded in cities where for-profit papers have closed or sharply reduced coverage.
Sources: Nonprofit Quarterly
Curated by JD · samwise.agency
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