Nonprofit Toolkit: Resources for organizations facing government investigations

Nonprofits are a key part of civil society, providing critical services to communities across the country and often challenging abuses of power. As authoritarian-minded leaders try to insulate themselves from accountability, they often target nonprofit organizations they see as a threat. It’s important that nonprofits understand these tactics and how best to respond.

On this page, you’ll find short topic-specific primers that build on our full-length guide, Protecting Civic Space, along with additional resources to equip nonprofits navigating politicized government investigations.

Why protecting nonprofits matters for our democracy

A healthy democracy allows for and is sustained by a strong civil society — where people can share information freely, debate ideas, organize around issues they care about, and serve as an important check on the government. In short, a strong civil society both reflects and fosters an engaged citizenry.

Nonprofit organizations are an integral component of civil society. They provide critical services to local communities; feed, house, and clothe the poor; support veterans; advocate for access to healthcare; protect children and the elderly; offer religious services; fight for clean air and water; and defend civil liberties and other core freedoms. Nonprofits also often call out and challenge abuses of government power. 

That’s precisely why authoritarian-minded leaders across the globe leverage government authority to target nonprofits they see as a threat with funding cuts, smear campaigns, regulatory intimidation, audits, and other forms of politically motivated government investigations. Often they start with organizations that are under-resourced or work with marginalized populations in order to send a chilling message to others. Sometimes they take aim at the advocacy organizations and leaders who are most vocal. But they don’t stop there. Attempts to constrain civil society will usually expand to other groups, including service and humanitarian organizations that aren’t necessarily thought of as “political” in any way.

In this kind of environment, nonprofits may be tempted to scale back or halt their work entirely, taking themselves “off the field” before they themselves come under threat. But we should not lose sight of the bigger picture.

The path forward lies in organizations across the ideological spectrum recognizing authoritarian tactics for what they are, forcefully pushing back, standing up collectively, and continuing their lawful, mission-oriented work.

There are resources available to help.

More resources