Greetings, readers! 

This week’s Leadership newsletter opens with yet another round of attacks on the nonprofit sector by the Trump administration, which just issued yet another memorandum seeking to “review,” and cut funding to, nonprofits that “undermine the national interest.”

Who will be the arbiter of this vague, Orwellian determinant? The same administration that has already tried to freeze federal funding for everything from health research to USAID, to hundreds or thousands of nonprofits that receive federal funding nationwide. But our sector is already fighting back. And NPQ’s Leadership desk is here to cover the resistance.

This week’s line-up begins with NPQ’s latest news coverage: first, of a worrying trend of nonprofits self-censoring in the wake of Trump administration actions; then, of the aforementioned Trump memorandum calling for a review of all US nonprofits and NGOs and the defunding of those which don’t meet the yet-unspecified metrics for serving “the national interest.”

Then, Steve Dubb covers the organizing efforts of federal workers being enticed, bullied, and shoved out of government posts by Elon Musk’s DOGE team. And Alison Stine examines threats to disability justice under Trump’s anti-DEI orders. 

Plus, don’t forget to check out—and submit questions to!—our new fundraising advice column, Ask Rhea, with fundraising maven Rhea Wong. 

Lastly, one final invitation to attend this week’s timely sector briefing, “Advocacy in a Second Trump Administration: A Practical Guide for Leaders on Defending Progress and Advancing Justice.”

As always, thanks so much for reading and please feel free to hit me up with tips, pitches and feedback at [email protected].

Yours truly,

Isaiah Thompson
Leadership Editor, NPQ