When Nonprofits Are Under Attack, Security Must Be Funded
📷 credit: LumiNola
For justice-focused nonprofits, the work has never been more urgent or more dangerous.
Nonprofits focused on advancing immigrant rights, racial justice, social justice, environmental justice, and defending our democracy are under siege from an escalating wave of attacks. They’re facing politically motivated audits, legal harassment, online threats, and funding retaliation, all while key revenue streams dry up overnight.
Nonprofits saw this coming. Many have been warning about escalating threats for years, especially in preparation for the return of a hostile Trump administration. They understood that the pushback against justice work wouldn’t just come in the form of ideological opposition; it would target their safety, infrastructure, and survival.
The mission hasn’t changed, but the risks have. And yet, philanthropy has not adjusted to meet the moment.
Rather than focusing on serving their communities, nonprofits are being forced to divert precious time, staff, and already-limited budgets to defend themselves against threats they warned us about. They're fighting legal battles, responding to doxxing and harassment, and scrubbing websites of staff names for safety.
While these attacks intensify, funding isn’t increasing to match the danger. Many foundations, wary of political scrutiny, are quietly stepping back, preemptively complying with an environment that punishes justice work. Others are taking a wait-and-see approach, as if inaction itself doesn’t carry consequences.
This moment requires more than continued programmatic support. Philanthropy must fund the security that makes justice work possible. That includes legal defense, digital and physical protection, crisis response, and flexible dollars that allow organizations to adapt quickly.
Nonprofits Are Fighting Battles They Shouldn’t Have to Fight Alone
The pressure is coming from multiple directions:
Government agencies are revoking grants for political reasons, forcing organizations to scramble for funding.
Far-right groups and individuals are harassing, threatening, and doxxing nonprofit staff, forcing organizations to remove employee information from public websites.
Funders are scaling back support out of fear of backlash, leaving nonprofits most vulnerable when they need protection most.
Funders are quietly asking grantees to remove so-called "controversial" language and core aspects of their work, such as justice, DEI (Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion), racial equity, and anti-racism, from their websites and grant applications to avoid political backlash.
Under the advice of legal teams and peers, boards and executive directors are distancing themselves from advocacy work, even when it is central to their organizational missions.
This is not theoretical. It’s happening now, and it’s only going to escalate.
Philanthropy Must Treat Security as Essential Infrastructure
Security cannot be treated as an afterthought. How can nonprofits do their work if they’re under siege? How can staff show up for communities when they’re worried about their safety?
Nonprofits aren’t asking for radical solutions; they’re asking for basic protection to meet this moment: funding for legal defense, crisis response, security systems, and flexible grants to help them adapt. These are not bold innovations; they’re overdue necessities. What nonprofits need now is not reinvention but a reaffirmation of support.
None of these threats are new. What’s new is the scale and coordination. The calls are louder, the attacks are sharper, and the stakes are higher.
If Philanthropy truly supports justice movements, it must use its power to fund the security and stability that make them possible. Here’s how:
Make Legal Defense and Security a Priority
Provide funding for legal assistance, digital safety, physical safety, compliance support, and crisis response, not just programmatic work.
Groups like Reset Tech guard against digital threats and seek to hold tech companies accountable to democratic values.
The San Francisco Foundation’s Safety & Security Resources offer a wide range of practical tools for nonprofits, activists, and funders alike to strengthen protection and preparedness.
Help Nonprofits Survive Funding Retaliation
Offer bridge grants and rapid response funding for organizations that lose government contracts due to political targeting.
Provide flexible, unrestricted funding that allows nonprofits to adapt to emerging threats and budget cuts.
Invest in Collective Defense Strategies
Support coalitions and rapid response funds that provides legal, financial, and strategic guidance to nonprofits under attack.
Invest in initiatives like the LEAD for Racial Justice initiative by the California Black Freedom Fund, the The Protecting and Advancing DEI Pro Bono Initiative by the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights, or the Democracy Forward Litigation Fund, which help organizations prepare for retaliatory audits and security threats.
Organizations like Vision Change Win are also providing rapid response support and community training education through virtual series tailored for nonprofits navigating community safety incidents.
Use Philanthropy’s Influence to Push Back
Publicly defend nonprofits that are being unfairly targeted.
Engage in legal defense and advocacy to protect nonprofit status and funding from politically motivated attacks.
Funders can turn to resources like ABFE’s Race-Explicit Grantmaking guide to stay grounded in values while navigating this moment.
Philanthropy Has the Power to Take Risks. Nonprofits Don’t.
Large philanthropic institutions have the financial security, legal resources, and institutional power that nonprofits do not. Unlike nonprofit organizations, foundations are not constantly at risk of being defunded or shut down without the power to fight back.
This is not about blame; it’s about recognizing positionality. Philanthropic institutions have the ability to take risks that frontline nonprofits cannot. That’s why this moment demands more than passive support. It requires action. This is a critical time for the country. Will philanthropy stand by the organizations it funds when they are under attack?
Nonprofits are making impossible choices in 2025: whether to continue critical work or pull back to protect their staff, whether to fight back or stay quiet to avoid becoming the next target, or risk losing government funding. Philanthropy can help alleviate some of those impossible choices. By funding security, legal defense, and crisis response, funders can ensure that nonprofits don’t just survive these attacks. Their funding will allow nonprofits to deepen their work and support their communities at an especially fraught time.
Our communities are under attack, and philanthropy has the power to help. None of these challenges are new, but the harm is escalating. The solutions nonprofits are calling for are practical, proven, and overdue: security, legal defense, and flexible, unrestricted funding. This isn’t about bold innovation. It’s about meeting the moment with courage and clarity. Philanthropy has the power to act; now is the time to use it.