Leaders at the nonprofit Transhealth , a medical clinic in Northampton, say they are meeting with state officials to find ways to protect their patients amid the federal government’s push to end support for gender-affirming care.
Staff from the nonprofit Immigrant Family Services Institute in Mattapan, which assists Haitian people, say they are working with the American Civil Liberties Union of Massachusetts to help clients understand their legal rights as deportations increase across the nation.
And the executive director of Strategies for Youth , a Cambridge-based nonprofit that trains police to interact respectfully with young people, especially in communities of color, says she is lining up pro bono legal help in preparation of feared cuts to her budget.
The three organizations are among many local nonprofits figuring out how to protect their mission amid a flurry of unprecedented announcements and directives from the White House. Concerns escalated last week after the White House budget office ordered a pause to all federal grant programs in an effort to end so-called “wokeness.”
Days later, after massive pushback, the government rescinded the order. Although this particular crisis appears to be over, leaders of local organizations say they expect Trump officials to try other ways to hinder their work. They say they are bracing for the worst, including efforts to remove their nonprofit status altogether.
“We’re preparing the best we can, primarily with trying to educate and keeping things calm, and partnering with the state agencies,’’ said Jo Erwin, chief executive of Transhealth. “Our patients, a lot of our staff, are trans and gender-diverse. They’re very scared.”
To better harness their strength, local organizations say they are meeting with state officials, legal advocacy organizations and each other. Dallas Ducar of Fenway Health , one of the oldest health clinics in the state, says nonprofits need to work together in this climate.
“We’ve been deeply engaged in conversations with other non profit sector organizations across Massachusetts,” said Ducar, executive vice president for donor engagement and external relations at Fenway Health. “Collaboration will be key as we navigate these unprecedented challenges together.”
There are more than 42,000 nonprofit organizations operating in the state, according to the Massachusetts Nonprofit Network. And the state employs nearly 3,000 people through federal grants that exceed $20 billion each year, state officials say.
Most nonprofits by definition are nonpartisan , although their ideological orientation varies widely.
Carol Rose, executive director of the ACLU of Massachusetts, told GBH News that her organization has been preparing for this moment for more than a year by building what the group calls firewalls for freedom with nonprofits and lawmakers. Their social media is filled with resources, including ones titled “Know your rights” and statements like “We’ll see the Trump administration in court.”
Rose says there is no reason to panic.
“Just keep in mind right now that [Trump officials] want to see what the response will be. And if the response is one of fear and self-censorship and silencing, they’ll be more aggressive,’’ she said. “If we rise up and say ‘not on our watch, no’ — we have so many tools in our toolkit to defend freedom.”
Matthew J. Vaeth, acting director of the federal Office of Management and Budget, made clear his priorities in his two-page memo last week seeking to pause federal grants and loans. He said the government wants to prioritize “focusing taxpayer dollars to advance a stronger and safer America,’’ rather than funding “Marxist equity, transgenderism, and green new deal social engineering policies.”
Mike Berkowitz, a California-based philanthropic adviser and co-founder of the Third Plateau consulting firm, told GBH News that the Trump administration will use an array of tactics to go after social justice organizations.
“They have control of the IRS authority to come after an organization’s tax status,’’ he said. They could also launch “SEC investigations into the leaders of nonprofits or their donors.”
Berkowitz is especially concerned about the power of the federal purse strings in the hands of Russell Vought, who has been nominated as director of the Office of Management and Budget. Vought is one of the chief authors of Project 2025, the controversial Heritage Foundation plan for the second Trump administration that some describe as a blueprint for authoritarianism.
Berkowitz recently penned an article in the Chronicle of Philanthropy detailing his predictions for the future. To protect themselves from attacks from the IRS, he said nonprofits should make sure their books are in order.
“Do a risk audit to look at all of the vulnerabilities that an organization has and make some sober assessment about what the greatest risks are, and make a plan to actually address those to the extent possible,” he said.
Steve Levitsky, a Harvard University political scientist and co-author of the book “How Democracies Die,’’ told GBH News that nonprofits are a critical part of civil society because they serve as a bulwark against authoritarianism. He said the Trump administration has been open about its plans to attack them.
“Using the state as a weapon against your opponents is core authoritarian behavior. That’s what Orban does,” said Levitsky, in reference to Viktor Orban, whose autocratic rule in Hungary has become a paradigm for success for many Republicans. “That is what Trump has said he will do. It’s what the team around him has been preparing to do.”
Levitsky believes that Kash Patel, Trump’s nominee to head the FBI, will investigate nonprofits that oppose the president’s agenda — much as the bureau was used against civil rights groups in the 1950s, ’60s and ’70s. He says Patel has made this clear through past statements and vows to go after Trump’s enemies. In Patel’s Senate confirmation hearing Thursday, he sought to distance himself from those statements and said the FBI’s priority will be fighting crime.
Now with control of both the executive and legislative branches of governments, Trump is expected to sign into law a controversial bill that would give the new treasury secretary authority to strip nonprofit status from organizations he deems supportive of terrorism.
The ACLU calls the legislation dangerous, asserting that if passed it could paralyze organizations that, for example, are protesting the humanitarian crisis in Gaza. These nonprofits include the Council on American Islamic Relations-Massachusetts and the Palestine Children’s Relief Fund, which helps fund emergency care for children in the West Bank and Gaza.
Geralde Gabeau, executive director of the Immigrant Family Services Institute, said she is working with the ACLU and others to prepare for other types of attacks.
For weeks, she said, her staff has been visiting churches and stores frequented by Haitian immigrants to counsel them on their rights and “make sure that people understand exactly what they can do.”
“It’s very overwhelming when you are looking at all of the executive orders and the fear that is creating among people,” she said.
The threat of federal defunding
Lisa Thurau, executive director of Strategies for Youth, said more than 50% of her organization’s budget comes from the federal government. She is worried that a “vague” litmus test for funding based on programs that are “consistent with Trump’s policies” could have long-term adverse consequences for her organization.
She said some signed contracts to provide training for police have already been put on hold pending the outcome of a different review by Trump justice officials.
“We are worried that we might fall in the crosshairs for no apparent reason,” she said.
Michael Curry, president of the nonprofit Massachusetts League of Community Health Centers , says he is concerned that many of the communities he cares about will be impacted: “Whether it’s poor people, subsidized programs and services, whether it’s DEI and health equity and racial justice.”
Curry, who is also on the national board of the NAACP, said that over the past month he has reached out to incoming Trump administration officials to seek continued federal support for community health clinics in the state. He said he also will try to appeal directly to Robert F. Kennedy Jr., the nominee for secretary of Health and Human Services, and a vaccine skeptic.
“Understanding that some things may be cut with the change in administration, particularly the focus on vaccines, I am hopeful that the incoming leader will not abandon our science, and understand that vaccines do save lives,” he said.
Lee Pelton, president of the Boston Foundation, one of the largest community foundations in the country, said his organization receives no federal dollars but provides support for community-based nonprofits that do — and is prepared to give more.
“We have an obligation to our local communities, many of which are under-resourced, underserved, and occupied by historically marginalized individuals and families,’’ he said. “I would suggest that we not give in to cynicism. We try to fight despair. And we continue our good fight.”
What’s next
Last week, a judge blocked the order to pause federal spending in response to a lawsuit filed by the National Council of Nonprofits and several other groups.
Soon after, Massachusetts Attorney General Andrea Campbell joined a group of attorneys general to file a different federal lawsuit against the proposed freeze in district court in Rhode Island.
“In Massachusetts, residents rely on federal funding for healthcare, childcare, education and jobs,’’ Campbell said in a press release. “President Trump’s action to pause federal aid is a reckless abuse of power that harms the very working people and families he promised to protect.”
The federal government’s decision to rescind the order prompted celebration among critics.
Rose of the ACLU said her organization will aggressively pursue lawsuits to block administration policies targeting progressive nonprofits and social justice programs.
Other organizations also believe that federal courts are the best option to stymie Trump’s effort to exercise executive unitary control over the federal government.
“The ACLU has been working now for more than a year to try to figure out ways that we can meet him every step of the way. That includes in the courts with lawsuits,” said Rose.
Ducar of Fenway Health says she’s relieved that the administration’s funding order was rescinded, but worries about the future.
The question about how and who decides where to spend taxpayer money could end up in the Supreme Court . More broadly, Ducar fears Fenway Health will find itself on the losing side of a funding battle with the Trump administration over priority health issues impacting LGBTQ+ communities.
Her organization already had been working on contingency plans — but she said the abruptness and brazenness of the proposed federal ban was still shocking. She said the Boston Foundation, state officials and other large charities are key to being able to continue their research and health care programs.
“We’re unwavering in our commitment to providing this equitable and affirming care,’’ she said. “We are actively exploring alternative funding sources.”
