Samwise Nonprofits and Charities Newsletter
Friday, July 24, 2026
House Ways and Means Committee Advances Four Nonprofit Bills on Party-Line Vote
The House Ways and Means Committee advanced four bills affecting nonprofits this week in a contentious partisan markup. All four bills passed with unanimous Republican support and Democratic opposition after Democrats’ nine amendments were defeated along party lines. The bills would require nonprofits to disclose foreign contributions on Form 990, restrict nonprofits receiving foreign donations from supporting election-related 501(c)(4) organizations, mandate fiscal sponsorship disclosures, and protect religious organizations’ tax-exempt status based on views on marriage and gender. Independent Sector raised concerns the bills could silence nonprofit voices and create donor friction. The bills face a difficult path in the Senate, where a 60-vote threshold typically applies.
Sources: Independent Sector Share ↗ ✉︎ Email 💬 Text
Progressive Foundations Expand Support for Conservative Groups in Bid to Bridge Political Divides
Progressive foundations are increasingly funding conservative and bipartisan organizations in an effort to bridge political divides, the Chronicle of Philanthropy reports. Institutional funding for democracy programs reached $6.7 billion in 2024, a 17% increase, with nearly $1 billion directed to bridge-building efforts—a 36% jump from the prior year. Ford Foundation announced a $60 million nonpartisan democracy commitment in April. Freedom Together Foundation, led by Deepak Bhargava, increased its payout to 10% of assets for the second consecutive year, generating $280 million extra for democracy efforts. Andrew Carnegie Foundation has shifted grants toward center-right groups including the Cato Institute and Be the People coalition, co-chaired by the Koch-linked Stand Together.
Sources: Chronicle of Philanthropy Share ↗ ✉︎ Email 💬 Text
Trust in Nonprofits Holds at 56% While Confidence in Philanthropy Falls to 29%, Survey Finds
Public trust in nonprofits held near-steady at 56% in 2026—down one point from last year but 27 points ahead of philanthropy, which dropped four points to 29%, according to Independent Sector’s seventh annual trust study with Edelman Data & Intelligence, based on 3,000 U.S. adults. Human service organizations were most trusted at 67%; seven of nine nonprofit categories posted declines, with civic organizations falling four points. Trust was bipartisan: 64% of Democrats and 58% of Republicans expressed confidence in nonprofits. CEO Akilah Watkins attributed high nonprofit trust to transparency and direct community engagement, and called on nonprofits to invite more Americans into volunteer and advocacy roles.
Sources: The NonProfit Times Share ↗ ✉︎ Email 💬 Text
Philanthropy Must Share Risk, Not Just Resources, Former Anti-Violence Worker Argues
Marcel D. Woodruff, an implementation strategist at the California Endowment, argues in Nonprofit Quarterly that philanthropy risks what political philosopher Joy James calls “the captive maternal”—a mode of care that demands labor from communities closest to suffering while leaving underlying structures intact. Drawing on his experience mentoring youth caught in gun violence, Woodruff argues that solidarity must be material, not theoretical. He cites The California Endowment’s Schools Not Prisons campaign as a model of philanthropy that shared physical and political risk alongside communities, contrasting it with philanthropy that “soothes the conscience of wealth” while managing symptoms rather than building community power.
Sources: Nonprofit Quarterly Share ↗ ✉︎ Email 💬 Text
Burnout Is an Issue for Nine in Ten Nonprofit Organizations, Survey of Sector Leaders Finds
Nine in ten nonprofit sector leaders say burnout is an issue for their staff, according to the Center for Effective Philanthropy’s 2026 State of Nonprofits report. In a Nonprofit Quarterly advice column, executive coach Marian Urquilla responds to a 20-year nonprofit professional weighing a move to the corporate sector, arguing that overwork has become “a sectoral feature rather than a glitch.” Urquilla says the sector is under heightened pressure from federal instability, and advises experimenting with new roles rather than an abrupt switch. She encourages treating the desire for sustainable conditions as “important information rather than a moral failure.”
Sources: Nonprofit Quarterly Share ↗ ✉︎ Email 💬 Text
Tax Reform Without Reparations Is Incomplete, Former Grocery Chain Executive Argues
Nicole Piccinini Pesco, former co-president and CEO of The Save Mart Companies, argues in Nonprofit Quarterly that tax reform alone is insufficient to repair systemic economic inequity. Drawing on her family’s grocery business—built with capital routinely denied to Black entrepreneurs—she notes that just 8% of Black families inherit anything, compared with 26% of white families. She cites Justice Louis Brandeis’s warning that concentrated wealth is “inconsistent with democracy” and a cross-national study linking inequality to democratic erosion. Pesco argues that reparations and fair taxation must work together to address both present inequality and the nation’s founding harms.
Sources: Nonprofit Quarterly Share ↗ ✉︎ Email 💬 Text
Feminist Organizations Face Severe Funding Fragility, AWID Study of 1,174 Groups Across 128 Countries Finds
Feminist organizations worldwide face severe funding fragility, according to AWID research covering 1,174 organizations across 128 countries. While 71% now receive some core funding—up from roughly half receiving none in 2010—62% report core funding covers less than one-fifth of their budgets, and only 4% have access to grants longer than three years. By 2025, 28% had no financial reserves; 46% projected no savings past 2026; and 64% could not sustain operations for more than six months without external funding. AWID Co-Executive Directors Faye Macheke and Inna Michaeli call for multi-year, flexible core funding for feminist movements.
Sources: Nonprofit Quarterly Share ↗ ✉︎ Email 💬 Text
Curated by JD · samwise.agency
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