Nonprofit Resources of the Week – 1/31/26

Minneapolis. viewed from across a river with a reflection of a bridge

Nonprofit Resources of the Week curates timely articles, tools, and commentary to help nonprofit organizations, their leaders, and their advisors stay informed about legal developments, sector trends, and emerging issues affecting the nonprofit and philanthropic ecosystem, including those related to equity, climate change, and resilience. The series also seeks to share tools, perspectives, and sources of inspiration that support more effective, thoughtful, and sustainable nonprofit leadership, and that help those working for and with nonprofits carry out their roles with greater confidence, efficiency, and purpose.

Notable Nonprofit Posts, Articles, & Other Resources:

Opinion: Philanthropy Must Stand Up for Minneapolis — and Our Country (Tonya Allen, Chronicle of Philanthropy)

Neutrality is Not Viable: Leaders Across Sectors Must Speak Out in Defense of Basic Rights (Phil Buchanan, CEP)

A Sector in Crisis (CEP)

KEY FINDINGS

FINDING 1

Nonprofit leaders see this as a time of existential threat to their organizations and the communities they serve as they face both increased demand for their services and significant cuts to their funding.

FINDING 2

Many foundation leaders recognize the high stakes of the current context for nonprofits and have made changes to their grantmaking and processes in response.

FINDING 3

Many foundation and nonprofit leaders believe that foundations have an even larger role to play in supporting nonprofits during this time, and many suggest that foundations could and should be doing more.

The Supreme Court Invited the Chaos in Minnesota and Elsewhere (Alliance for Justice)

How One Foundation Built a Board That’s Standing Up to Trump (Drew Lindsay, Chronicle of Philanthropy)

Devex Newswire: Trump dramatically expands restrictions on aid groups (Anna Gawel, Devex) [Ed. The expansion of the global gag rule blocks U.S. funding for nongovernmental organizations if they advance or promote certain practices, which had previously focused on abortion but are now expanded to include gender ideology and DEI.]

Guidance Concerning Online Giving Platforms and Fiscal Sponsors (Social Impact Commons)

No Good Deed Goes Unpunished – Current IRS Attacks on Charitable Donations (Hale E. Sheppard, Journal of Taxation)

Group Exemptions Are Back Now After A Long Freeze (Linda Rosenthal, For Purpose Law Group)

PLR 202602003 (denial of recognition of 501(c)(3) tax-exempt status for organization whose exempt purpose is “promoting community welfare, elimination of the effects of historical and current racial prejudice and discrimination and combating the deterioration of minority communities in the United States” because of its support of F-owned banks, which the IRS considered to be serving their private interests; “F” in the foregoing clause refers to an undisclosed identifier of some minority group, likely a racial group)

Significant Events:

“Federal agents shot and killed a 37-year-old Minneapolis resident, Alex Jeffrey Pretti, at about 9 a.m. Central time on Saturday morning. A video shared with The New York Times by an eyewitness and her lawyer, as well as other video footage posted on social media, documents the violent scene, where agents appear to fire at least 10 shots in a span of only five seconds.” NY Times [Ed. See also the opinion from the NY Times Editorial Board regarding this murder (my characterization) by federal agents and Orwellian coverup by our President and high-level officials: The Trump Administration Is Lying to Our Faces. Congress Must Act.]
“The Unsettling Implications of Xi’s Military Purge Why His Impatience With Chinese Commanders Should Worry U.S. Policymakers … After several years of playing it relatively safe, Xi is back on the march.” Foreign Affairs
“The number of Russian and Ukrainian troops killed, wounded or gone missing in nearly four years of war could reach 2 million by this spring, according to a study, as Moscow’s invasion shows no sign of abating.” Guardian

Equity and Justice Related Articles & Resources:

Chief Judge Schiltz and the Department of Justice (Steve Vladeck, One First)

America’s Moral Malady (William Barger II, Atlantic) [Ed. The subhead to the article explains: “The nation’s problem isn’t that we don’t have enough money. It’s that we don’t have the moral capacity to face what ails society.”]

Administration Social Media Posts Echo White Supremacist Messaging (Evan Gorelick, NY Times)