Boston Groups Come Together to Face the “Existential Threat” to Nonprofits

On May 5, more than 1200 people gathered for a forum convened by the Boston Foundation called “The Shifting Federal Landscape: Massachusetts Nonprofits Raise the Alarm.” This was a record turnout for the group—a clear indicator of nonprofit leaders’ sense of urgency in the current political moment.

During the convening, speakers made clear that the threats are real, but they also indicated that work is actively being done to combat them.

“The greatest existential threat that we face is that this administration is pulling from an authoritarian playbook to suppress civil society.”

In his remarks, for instance, Lee Pelton, president and CEO of the Boston Foundation, explained why the foundation awarded funding to 77 nonprofits through its Safety Net Grants program—a program that was entirely community-led. “This is not a time to rest. This is a time to be relentless in pursuit of what is right and just,” he said.

Nonprofit Strategy, Resistance, and Introspection

Pelton’s remarks underscored themes of nonprofit strategy, resistance, and introspection taken up during a panel discussion with the National Council of Nonprofits (NCN) President Diane Yentel, Philanthropy Massachusetts CEO Mary Skelton Roberts, and Massachusetts Voter Table Executive Director Shanique Rodriguez.

“The greatest existential threat that we face is that this administration is pulling from an authoritarian playbook to suppress civil society. One of the key ways they are doing that is to vilify nonprofit organizations as an enemy to be at fault,” said Yentel of the NCN.

In January the NCN sued the Donald Trump administration over a memo issued by the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) that froze all federal funding, including thousands of grants and loans for US nonprofits. The organization is also part of a second lawsuit against the administration filed in March to prevent the freezing of funds under the Inflation Reduction Act and the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act.

“National organizations that don’t receive federal funding and are White-led have the least risk in this moment and the greatest obligation to be speaking out. The same can be said for the nonprofits in blue states.”

Amid these lawsuits, Yentel has taken on increased visibility. She said she understands that such a public stance is not something that every organizational leader can strategically afford to do—but emphasized that organizational leaders who have a particular amount of privilege, whether it is because of geographic location or the fact that they are not dependent on federal funding, have the responsibility to be speaking out now.

“National organizations that don’t receive federal funding and are White-led have the least risk in this moment and the greatest obligation to be speaking out. The same can be said for the nonprofits in blue states. You have a level of protection,” Yentel said.

Yentel also noted that not every organization needs to be engaged in litigation, partly because it takes time away from the critical work that must be done.

“Those of us who can must speak out because it protects those who cannot,” she said.

Philanthropy Is Stepping Up

Through her work with the Massachusetts Voter Table, Rodriguez has seen this firsthand. The nonprofit is a coalition of over 40 organizations that “fight for resources, representation, and power for communities of color, working-class people, new citizens, and youth.”

Many of the coalition’s members are service providers who work directly with those who have been most impacted by issues like immigration and are fearful of the rising detentions of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) without due process. For Rodriguez, putting together a safety plan and rapid response resources is critical for her work.

She noted that one of her partners that works with immigrant workers said that people are not coming to meetings anymore because they are afraid.

“Many of our 501c3 movement partners at the organization are BIPOC-led, BIPOC-serving,” Rodriguez said. “We are talking about individuals who are doing work in a time that is also impacting themselves. These are not people that are far removed from communities. These are folks who live in community who are doing the work.”

For Rodriguez, it is critical for funders to be investing in groups that are most directly impacted. She notes that too often resources are invested in political parties instead of people and organizations who are “doing boots-on-the-ground work.”

To that end, Skelton Roberts of Philanthropy Massachusetts noted how philanthropy is stepping up in this moment, even if they cannot fully close the gap of the loss hundreds of millions, possibly billions of federal dollars.

“We are talking about individuals who are doing work in a time that is also impacting themselves.”

Skelton Roberts, who leads a membership organization of about 160 funders that work with over 500 nonprofits, noted that her work is being a bridge between these two groups. She also highlighted the fact that philanthropic groups are often 501c3 organizations as well and are, in some ways, also facing threats.

But she noted that there are still resources available—in part because philanthropy is meeting this current moment with new ways of doing their work. She highlighted how some foundations are paying out their funds early; how organizations like the Boston Foundation are pooling their funds to get dollars out the door; how national groups like the MacArthur Foundation are supporting local groups by increasing their charitable giving.

“The good news is, particularly here in Massachusetts,” she said, “philanthropy has stepped up.”