The Marguerite Casey Foundation plans to significantly increase donations this year to $130 million to help nonprofits respond to policy changes from the Trump administration, especially federal funding cuts and what it calls threats to the independence of civil society organizations.
“We’re doing this very specifically to ensure that organizations across our country have the full weight of our resources to serve communities that are actively under attack from the administration,” said Ian Fuller, chair of the foundation’s board and an investment advisor.
It’s important to act now to protect their freedom to give and their grantees’ rights to freedom of speech and assembly, he said.
The Seattle-based foundation donated between $23 and $57 million annually since 2019, making this commitment a major expansion. Additionally, it’s giving to organizations it hasn’t previously supported, including $3 million to the National Council of Nonprofits, which has sued the Trump administration over its proposed federal funding freeze.
“We are stepping in to provide resources where organizations see an opportunity to fill in an information and an organizing void,” said Carmen Rojas, president and CEO of the foundation.
The foundation was created in 2001 with funds from Jim Casey, the founder of United Parcel Service. In general, it provides grantees 25% of their budgets for five years and does not accept unsolicited applications for funding. Rojas said the foundation supports community-led organizations and movements that ensure the government works for everyone — not just the rich and powerful.
It’s already granted out $40 million this year, mostly to organizations it previously supported, she said, though about half of the year’s donations overall will go to new grantees. A particular focus will be on journalism organizations like More Perfect Union, Deep South Today and National Trust for Local News.
Balancing future funding with current needs
Several foundations have also pledged to increase donations this year, including the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation and Freedom Together Foundation. Recently, the Northwest Area Foundation, which serves states and Native American tribes from Minnesota to Washington, announced it would double their grantmaking this year.
However, most foundations have not and it is unusual for them to donate money directly from their endowments, which are usually created to sustain the foundation’s future operations through investments. The Internal Revenue Service requires foundations to spend the equivalent of 5% of their endowments annually.
George Suttles, executive director of Commonfund Institute, encouraged all foundations to at least ask their investment advisors what the impact would be of spending more now.
“What are we really called to do as a philanthropic community?” he asked. “Effectively manage assets as long-term institutional investors or show up for grantees and communities that we care about? I think the answer is both.”
White House pushes to control nonprofits
The Trump administration has challenged the independence of nonprofit organizations and sought to discourage organizations from carrying out programs that include LGBTQ+ people or that benefit specific groups based on race or other protected characteristics.
Last week, Department of Government Efficiency staff asked the Vera Institute of Justice about installing a team at the nonprofit. President Donald Trump also specifically questioned the basis for Harvard University’s tax-exempt status, complaining about what it teaches.
Before he was elected, Vice President JD Vance attacked foundations who fund movements for social justice in a 2021 speech.
“We should eliminate all of the special privileges that exist for our nonprofit foundation class,” Vance said. “If you’re spending all your money to teach racism to our children in their schools, why do we give you special tax breaks instead of taxing you more?”
In February, the White House directed federal agencies to review all funding for nonprofits because it said many “actively undermine the security, prosperity, and safety of the American people.”
Other initiatives helping grantees
Giving more money is not the only way that funders and foundations can respond to funding cuts and uncertainty.
The Trust-Based Philanthropy Project, along with other sponsors, asked funders to commit to moving in solidarity with nonprofits, meaning to listen, be transparent about their funding decisions and offer other support like legal, financial or communication resources.
The Council on Foundations, a membership organization, has asked foundations to sign onto a statement advocating to protect the freedom of donors to give.
More than 430 have, with the statement reading in part, “We don’t all share the same beliefs or priorities. Neither do our donors or the communities we serve. But as charitable giving institutions, we are united behind our First Amendment right to give as an expression of our own distinct values.”
