Why protecting democracy means protecting nonprofits

Threats to civil society are a threat to us all

This Sunday, August 17, marks National Nonprofit Day. The celebration comes at a time when nonprofit organizations are under increasing threat of politicized investigations and other unwarranted scrutiny by federal and state government actors.

In anticipation of this day, we want to take a step back and discuss the hostile landscape in which nonprofits are operating, why that poses a particular threat to our democracy, and offer some guidance on navigating this moment.

The evolving threat to nonprofits

Nonprofit organizations are vital sources of community assistance, growth, and transformation. Whether it’s feeding those in need, supporting people through natural disasters, or setting low-income children up for success in a new school year, nonprofits are critical to the communities we all live in.

But the current administration is trying to tell a different story.

Just a few weeks into his second term, President Trump issued a memorandum in which he suggests — without evidence — that “many” nonprofits are using taxpayer dollars to undermine American interests. The administration paired that with a number of early executive orders that have resulted in organizations across the country losing access to federal funding. In recent months, this narrative has generated escalating threats by the government against nonprofit organizations: congressional hearings and inquiries accusing nonprofits of fueling a border crisis by facilitating illegal human trafficking; calls by lawmakers for the IRS to investigate whether specific groups still deserve tax-exempt status, or for DOJ to investigate political opponents; investigations into nonprofits that have angered wealthy Trump allies; and attempts by DOGE to infiltrate a nonprofit critical of Trump’s policies.

And, just today, we learned that the administration is proposing to deny public service loan forgiveness to people who work for organizations it deems to be engaging in activities that have a “substantial illegal purpose.” (In other contexts, the administration has used “illegal” to mean pretty much anything it doesn't like, from diversity and inclusion programs to campus protests.) The goal? To make it more difficult for talented workers to take jobs at nonprofits and other public service organizations because they can’t afford to work there while also paying off student loans.

At the same time that the president and his allies are defunding and attempting to silence nonprofits, government services are rapidly degrading as the administration fires civil servants and shutters programs (or even entire agencies) that are responsible for providing healthcare, aviation safety, disaster relief, and more. Nonprofits are usually there to fill in the gaps when the government is unable, or even unwilling, to provide services to its citizens. With the administration now also making moves to return to a spoils system — one where incompetence, corruption, and inefficiency reign — the American people will increasingly turn to nonprofit organizations to get the help they need.

If threats against nonprofits continue to escalate, then our ability to remain a free, safe, and healthy society is also at risk.

Why threats to nonprofits are a threat to democracy

Attacks against civil society — especially nongovernmental organizations — are straight from the authoritarian playbook. As Vanita Gupta explained recently in The New York Times:

Because civil society organizations exist outside government, we rely on them to fight official abuses of power.

That, of course, is exactly why they make such a fine target for the president. Civil society groups ensure that our government, no matter who is in power, is accountable to the law and to our Constitution.

That these attacks against organizations are disguised as attempts to root out corruption (especially involving the previous administration) or other unlawful activity should come as no surprise. Nor should the fact that this veil of legitimacy usually proves so thin. The purpose is not to enforce the law but rather to silence and chill.

This is not a new phenomenon. Scholars have observed a global pattern of authoritarian-minded leaders targeting civil society organizations with the purpose and effect of tightening civic space as they attempt to consolidate power.

Given this pattern, it’s easy to see why the Trump administration and its allies in Congress would go after certain organizations that serve as vocal critics or have been challenging the administration in court. But should the rest of civil society be concerned? At a recent House Homeland Security Committee hearing, some members of Congress tried to draw a line distinguishing between nonprofits engaged in alleged illegal conduct from those that do good work in their communities. In short, they suggested, they’re only interested in a few “bad apples.”

But with an administration bent on eliminating checks and balances and consolidating its own power, that claimed distinction doesn’t hold up.

Even when authoritarian governments begin by targeting organizations they view as opponents or critics, or those that work with vulnerable communities who are easy to scapegoat, they don’t necessarily stop there. Attempts to shrink and silence civil society will usually expand to include other groups, including service and humanitarian organizations that you wouldn’t necessarily think of as “political” in any way. (Alert: This is already happening here as such groups — including religious organizations — have been swept up in efforts by the administration and its allies to clamp down on various nonprofit sectors.)

Why is that? Why should your local food bank or domestic violence shelter be concerned when the government targets Media Matters or CHIRLA? Why should a senior center or a veterans group be alarmed when the president threatens the tax status of a national advocacy organization?

Many authoritarians allow nominally independent, friendly nongovernmental organizations to continue operating because doing so can help lend a veneer of legitimacy to the regime. But as in other contexts, it can be quite difficult to remain on the good side of an autocrat. Even setting aside the sometimes fickle preferences of such leaders — what if he just… changes his mind? — many organizations engage in a mix of service provision and advocacy that is hard to untangle. After all, part of sustaining the resources to feed the hungry or keep children healthy naturally involves explaining why those issues are relevant and deserve attention. Most service organizations also have views on the causes of the social problems they address and how to mitigate them, and avoiding any discussion of public policy that might be perceived as critical of the regime is pretty tricky business.

More fundamentally, though, a diverse and effective civil society is one of the hallmarks of a healthy democracy — and likewise a threat to authoritarian rule. Nonprofit organizations provide critical, sometimes life-saving support to people in need. They give people a place to meet their neighbors and strengthen their communities. They vet and disseminate information. They allow people to discuss and debate ideas. They help people to organize around issues they care about. They foster an engaged citizenry.

And that’s what authoritarian-minded rulers rightly understand as a threat: a citizenry that is able to take collective action, to advocate for itself at all levels of government, and to hold its leaders accountable. That’s why authoritarians don’t stop with the larger national organizations that file lawsuits — because the existence of a robust civil society is itself a threat. Far better to turn neighbors against each other, to keep people isolated and in need, to silence through fear. That’s how you eliminate checks on your own power.

That’s why politicized attacks on nonprofits are a danger to us all.

What nonprofits and their supporters can do

There is no silver bullet to stop the government from targeting civil society. It will require collective action and coordinated support. Here are five things nonprofits and their supporters can do right now.

For organizations:

One: Understand the dangers of anticipatory obedience. It’s difficult, yet critical, to both recognize authoritarian attacks for what they are and avoid the trap of obeying in advance.

When faced with this threatening landscape, it’s natural for people and organizations to want to avoid injury and maximize their chances of survival. Authoritarians exploit this. They make a point of targeting one individual or organization, or even one sector, that they view as vulnerable — in part to send a chilling message to others. So that organizations will decide the threat of standing up or fighting back is too risky and “take themselves off the field” even before they are targeted.

But engaging in anticipatory obedience guarantees a win to the administration by impeding our collective ability to reverse this dangerous moment in our democracy. Because when nonprofits remove themselves from the fight, other institutions (courts, media, elected representatives) have less support (or face less pressure) and are then less likely to check or resist abuses of power.

However, as our colleague Shanna Singh Hughey wrote:

When targets of autocratic attacks fight back — and when a broad coalition of civil society has their backs — other potential targets are less likely to engage in anticipatory obedience by taking themselves off the field. Then, in turn, the institutions of democracy are better able to function as checks on abuses of power and disrupt the autocrat’s consolidation of power.

In other words, by far the most important thing nonprofits can do at this moment? Stand firm and continue to do their mission-based work, even in the face of potential attacks.

Two: Lower the flag that is the brightest red for your organization. Getting your house in order is one important way to protect your organization from the harmful effects of politicized government scrutiny. But it can also be overwhelming. With limited resources, it’s hard to know what to prioritize.

We’re often asked about the number one thing organizations should do to protect themselves against politicized government actions. There's really no one-size-fits-all answer. But if organizations can identify and then address one or two of their own highest risks (be that a lack of physical or cybersecurity protections, document retention protocols, or communications planning), they’re already safer and better off.

Three: Start preparing investigation response plans now. It’s sometimes hard to know in advance where the administration might train its attention. That’s why it’s crucial for organizations to orient themselves to the evolving threat environment and start preparing before they become targets.

Protect Democracy recently published a toolkit tailored to nonprofits facing politicized government investigations. Building on the longer Protecting Civic Space guide that we put out in the fall, the toolkit features short, topic-specific primers to help organizations prepare in advance and keep doing their lawful, mission-based work. Including:

• What if . . . your organization is the subject of a congressional investigation?

• What if . . . your organization is served with a subpoena?

• What if . . . your organization is subject to a search warrant?

• What if . . . your organization is subject to politicized executive actions?

• And more to come.

If you know a nonprofit that could benefit from this toolkit, please share it! And if you’re a nonprofit leader looking for best practices on navigating government subpoenas, search warrants, or congressional investigations, please read it!

And there are many other helpful resources out there as well. Here are just a few worth checking out:

• Charity & Security Network: Civil Society Rights & Resilience Resources

• Democracy Security Project: Safety and Security Tools

• Bolder Advocacy: Advocacy Check-Up: Nonprofit Self-Assessment

• Equation Campaign: Security Toolkit

• Digital Defense Fund: Online Privacy Checklist

Read more: Nonprofit Toolkit: Resources for organizations facing government investigations.

For supporters:

Four: Donate time or money to a nonprofit today. Donate to a local and/or national nonprofit of your choice. Think about helping those nonprofits wrongly targeted, as they may be undertaking costly litigation or bearing other costs just to continue their work. You can also support a local nonprofit by volunteering. You can find national and local volunteering opportunities online (or check out a community center near you!).

Five: Share why nonprofits matter on National Nonprofit Day. August 17 is “National Nonprofit Day.” Why not use that celebration to uplift the work nonprofits do day in and day out to help their communities? Remind folks that nonprofits make up our homeless shelters, our places of worship, and our arts centers. Post on social media, speak with your friends and families, or call your local representatives to share those stories.

The National Council of Nonprofits just launched a new campaign: “Nonprofits Get It Done,” which shines a light on the essential support nonprofits provide Americans. You can play a part by contacting your local lawmaker here.

And as a bonus: Share these actions with your networks and encourage others to do all these things.

The threat to nongovernmental organizations is an urgent one. It can be difficult for a democracy to recover once authoritarian forces are able to shrink civil society, and with it, the space for an engaged citizenry to serve as a check on the government. That’s why the moment to step up and speak out in support of nonprofits — and to do so collectively — is now.

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Bad economic news is a political problem for authoritarians

President Trump has tapped Heritage Foundation economist and Project 2025 contributor E.J. Antoni to replace Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) Commissioner Erika McEntarfer, whom Trump fired earlier this month after the BLS released weak jobs numbers that he claimed were “rigged” and “phony.” Antoni is regarded as a blatantly partisan choice and has been widely criticized by other conservative economists. He doesn’t have the typical qualifications of someone in this post — for instance, he hasn’t published any academic research besides his dissertation. And video footage shows Antoni in the crowd outside the Capitol on January 6.

The president’s politicization of the BLS appears to be an attempt to mitigate the negative political consequences of bad economic news. He’s got a strong incentive to do so: Pro-democracy coalitions around the world have capitalized on economic discontent to weaken support for authoritarian regimes. Here’s what happened in Turkey:

Turkey’s economic outlook has deteriorated since the mid-2010s, just as Erdoğan’s executive aggrandizement started to spook investors and degrade consumer confidence. Beginning in 2018, Erdoğan’s obsession with low interest rates — dubbed “Erdoğanomics” — plunged the country deeper into economic despair. In response, he doubled down on his inflationary agenda, firing three central bank governors and the head of Turkey’s statistics agency for acknowledging the struggling economy.

During the 2023 campaign, the pro-democracy opposition highlighted the failure of Erdoğanomics as voters soured on the AKP’s mishandling of persistent inflation. And despite Erdoğan’s attempts to course correct ahead of the 2024 local elections, widespread economic disillusionment was “decisive for the AKP’s poor performance” across the country. This year, the government’s increased political repression has continued to shake investor confidence in Turkey’s long-term economic stability, leaving the window open for renewed pushback from pro-democracy actors.

Read more on Turkey in the latest installment of The Democracy Atlas: Rule 2: Be unified. Be visible.

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What else we’re tracking:

• This week, President Trump moved to deploy the national guard and take over local law enforcement in the capital. Here’s Beau Tremitiere and Emily Rodriguez on what it means: Eight things to know about the National Guard in Washington, D.C.

• Our case seeking to force the White House to restore transparency over how it’s spending (or not spending) taxpayer money moved forward. The administration has until today to comply. Read more. Background here.

• Another win: A federal judge has denied Virginia’s attempt to toss out our case that challenges the commonwealth’s voter purge program. Learn more about the ruling here and about why we brought the case here.

• Tripp Mickle reports for The New York Times that NVIDIA and Advanced Micro Devices have made a “highly unusual financial agreement with the Trump administration” to give the U.S. government a 15 percent cut of their sales in exchange for the proper licensing to sell A.I. chips to China. Experts have questioned the constitutionality of the deal, and one Bush administration export control official called it “unprecedented and dangerous” and said it “seems like bribery or blackmail, or both.”

• The White House has a scorecard that tracks the loyalty of companies and trade associations for reference when considering their requests, according to reporting by Axios’s Mike Allen: White House loyalty rating for companies. (This is an example of autocratic capture — read more about it here.)

• In case you missed it, Amanda Carpenter joined The Bulwark’s Tim Miller for a wide-ranging conversation on the president’s use of fake emergency declarations. Give it a listen.

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How you can help:

In addition to supporting your favorite organizations for National Nonprofit Day, there’s another opportunity to celebrate and take action right around the corner: Constitution Day is September 17! Our friends at the Task Force for American Democracy are organizing events to celebrate and reaffirm our commitment to America’s founding principles:

This moment kicks off a year-long campaign to educate, engage, and equip people to defend the rule of law and strengthen our constitutional democracy.

We are calling for attorneys, educators, veterans, and others to participate in this call and in this day of action - to re-take your oath of office and/or to teach in your classroom about the constitution.

Sign up here to be notified of existing Constitution Day events in your area, and join this call on August 21 to learn more, including how to host your own event.