This article was updated on April 18, 2025.
On March 17, members of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) forced their way into the US Institute of Peace’s (USIP) offices, under President Donald Trump’s directive, despite its status as an independent nonprofit. DOGE staff fired USIP’s board and staff, seized its headquarters, and silenced its operations. This unprecedented use of presidential power against an independent nonprofit has raised significant concerns—especially among organizations receiving federal funds or whose missions might conflict with the administration’s ideological agenda.
USIP was established as an independent nonprofit by congressional charter in 1984 under Ronald Reagan to prevent and resolve international conflicts. Despite this, the organization was targeted under the administration’s push to “reduce the federal bureaucracy.”
What followed was not a bureaucratic belt-tightening, but the forcible takeover of a nonprofit long seen as nonpartisan and mission-driven. As the lawsuits filed to challenge the administration’s actions unfold and uncertainty deepens, the USIP takeover is raising urgent concerns across the nonprofit sector about legal protections, preparedness, and the limits of executive authority.
How the Takeover Unfolded
In a February 19 executive order, President Trump named USIP in a list of “government entities” to be reduced to the bare minimum. As USIP’s former Executive Vice President Tara D. Sonenshine explained in an opinion article for US News, the directive essentially was to shut down the nonprofit.
After a DOGE team failed to enter the institute’s headquarters through threats and intimidation, Trump terminated the nonprofit’s voting board members. The remaining ex officio board members fired Acting President and CEO George Moose and installed a new leadership.
DOGE staff then forcibly entered USIP’s headquarters, backed by armed police, FBI agents, federal attorneys, and even USIP’s own private security— Inter-Con switched sides after threats of having federal contracts cancelled. DOGE replaced the institute’s new leader with one of its own staff, had some USIP employees removed for “trespassing,” and took down the institute’s website.
By the month’s end, the Trump administration had fired most staff at USIP’s headquarters, offering severance only to those who waived their right to take legal action. Overseas staff were ordered to return to the United States. It remains unclear whether the institute will pay its pending grants or contracts for fellowships, research, and education on peacebuilding projects.
Implications for the Nonprofit Sector
Whether these actions were legal is still being decided in court. Moose stated in an interview with NBC4 News that before the raid, the nonprofit had reminded DOGE for “many weeks” that the institute is “not a federal agency and, therefore, the federal government has no entitlement to come and take over our building.”
The Trump administration disagreed, claiming in court it has the authority to decide the fate of the nonprofit.
In early April, a federal judge ruled preliminarily that the institute’s privately financed headquarters and assets could be transferred to the General Services Administration. President Trump has tasked this agency with selling off hundreds of federal buildings, further complicating USIP’s fate.
After the takeover, most advocacy organizations that support nonprofits remained silent, at least publicly. Notable exceptions included the Alliance for Peacebuilding and Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights, both of which condemned the Trump administration’s actions and expressed support for the institute.
“Two other recent incidents have underscored how vulnerable other nonprofits are to political intimidation and retaliation.”
The USIP takeover may seem to some like an anomaly due to the nonprofit’s close ties to the federal government—ties which legal scholar Ellen P. Aprill described as creating a “hybrid governmental-charitable entity”—but it is far from it. While these hybrid connections are not typical of many nonprofits, the USIP incident may be a template for how other organizations could be attacked. The Trump administration has already aimed hostilities at nonprofits through freezing federal grants, canceling contracts, threatening future funding, or, in some cases, outright defunding programs, eliminating government agencies and employees that support public programs, and attacking diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility efforts.
How Vulnerable Are Nonprofits?
For the most part, the Trump administration has so far targeted specific nonprofits with governmental connections, such as the Kennedy Center, the Wilson Center, and the Smithsonian Institution. The administration’s efforts to impose presidential control on the so-called hybrid nonprofits isn’t likely to end there, considering Trump’s “Restoring Truth and Sanity to American History” executive order.
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Two other recent incidents have underscored how vulnerable other nonprofits are to political intimidation and retaliation.
After Harvard University refused to comply with the administration’s “unprecedented demands” for policy changes control, the administration froze more than $2 billion in federal funds for the university and threatened to revoke its tax-exempt status, which the IRS is planning to do, according to an April 16 CNN report.
In another incident, DOGE met with the Vera Institute of Justice to discuss “getting a…team assigned” to review its federal grants, unaware those funds had already been cut. The Vera Institute is an independent nonprofit think thank founded in 1964 to end mass incarceration. According to The Washington Post, DOGE revealed during the meeting that it wants to assign teams “to every institute and agency” receiving congressionally appropriated funds. Unlike USIP, neither Harvard University nor the Vera Institute of Justice were created by Congress.
In a Bluesky post, the Vera Institute stated, “While we are the first to be targeted in this way, we know that we will not be the last.”
Planning for Government Intrusions
What happened at USIP does not necessarily mean widespread threats to all nonprofits are imminent. Still, the administration’s continued aggression against the nonprofit sector has prompted organizations to seriously consider how prepared they are for government interference.
In this environment, nonprofit leaders may find themselves asking difficult but important questions: Are we vulnerable? What protections do we have in place? How do we respond if we’re targeted, even when it’s baseless?
“[The USIP takeover] signals a critical moment for nonprofits.”
In a climate of heightened political targeting, nonprofit leaders can take steps to prepare for potential interference from government:
- Know Your Rights
Nonprofits should consult legal counsel to understand the limits of government authority over their data, operations, financial information, and more. Consult with legal counsel about how to recognize and respond to subpoenas, search warrants, or politically motivated inquiries. Ensure leadership, staff, and key volunteers are trained on what to do in the event of these types of government intrusion.
- Develop a Crisis Response Plan
Every organization should have a crisis response plan. Start with a risk assessment to identify vulnerabilities. Select a crisis response team, with spokespeople for media and legal inquiries. Rehearse responses to various scenarios, even ones that may seem unlikely. Planning ahead can reduce confusion and mistakes when under pressure.
- Protect People and Data
The safety and privacy of the people the nonprofit serves, and its staff, board, and volunteers must be a priority. Review your data security practices and avoid collecting and storing sensitive information unless absolutely necessary. Update the organization’s policies on data and get everyone trained.
- Engage Your Community
Maintaining strong relationships with funders, partners, and other stakeholders that can provide crucial support during a crisis. Keep them informed about how your organization operates and how it responds to challenges. If targeted, a supportive community can be a powerful tool for defending the organization’s credibility.
Broader Patterns and Sector Resilience
The takeover of USIP fits within the Trump administration’s larger pattern of reshaping federal governance and expanding presidential powers. Across numerous federal agencies, budgets have been cut, grants and contracts terminated, staff and leadership removed—often with DOGE’s involvement in accessing internal data and systems. This weaponization of executive power has been criticized by legal scholars, civil liberties organizations, and politicians, with public protests increasing in size and frequency.
It is part of a broader effort by the Trump administration to intimidate, discredit, and defund institutions it believes do not align with its ideological agenda.
This signals a critical moment for nonprofits. It is another indication of the troubling erosion of the norms and laws that have historically governed the relationship between civil society and the federal government. For nonprofits, the USIP takeover and other incidents are urgent reminders to reassess vulnerabilities and strengthen preparedness.
