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The Uniquely Cruel New Threats to Nonprofits: An Overview from Sara

Updated: Jun 12, 2025

"Since the start of the Trump administration we've seen a relentless and unprecedented attack on nonprofits and the people and communities we serve." - Diane Yentel, President & CEO of the National Council of Nonprofits

It's been 21 years ago this month that I began my career in nonprofit leadership. For over two decades, I've had a front row seat to the nonprofit industrial complex that already came with its challenges and faults. But I knew that after November 5, 2024, the nonprofit landscape as we knew it would forever be changed - and not for the better.


Right now, the nonprofit world and the communities and causes we serve, we're all holding our collective breath. Since January 27th, the Trump administration has instilled a level of anxiety, instability, and for some, a level of paralysis among nonprofits. In summary, this administration is going after nonprofits he doesn't agree with by cutting off their funding and taking away their tax exempt status and they have been waging the most significant assault on the nonprofit sector we have ever seen. We're now all assessing where we are on the spectrum of harm - from somewhat to decimated. But we know that an attack on one of us is an attack on all of us.


The Trump administration has made it no secret that they are seeking unchecked power to weaponize the government and silence critics.  Mainstream news has given a lot of attention to the attacks on Harvard, PBS and NPR, but we want to remind you that right here in Wisconsin, nonprofits are also being targeted:


Embolden WI is not immune to these attacks. Almost all of our funding that goes to support our incredibly impactful Providers and Teens Communicating for Health (PATCH) Program comes from federal funds. We've already been told that one of our critical grants is likely to be pulled jeopardizing this amazing youth led program that has been changing lives and the landscape for adolescent health for over a decade. To say things have gotten scary for our small but mighty nonprofit is a huge understatement. This administration is implementing a broad assault on civic society and on democracy and we must not be silent and we must stay informed, involved, and inspired to fight back.


One powerful way you can help today is to sign up to Foster Embolden WI's Future with a $10 or more a month donation. Right now we're leaning into our vast network of supporters and asking you to sign up to give $10 a month through our Foster the Future Fund. We desperately need to secure reliable, unrestricted funding to give us the grace and space to navigate and mitigate the growing threats to nonprofits like ours. With a monthly donation of $10 or more, we're depending on a network of people who care to help us weather this storm. 


At a time when people are desperately trying to figure out what they can individually do to resist, persist, and make a difference, don't underestimate the power you have to invest in and sustain a critical nonprofit like ours. For every dollar donated to Embolden WI, 86 cents goes directly into our programming that emboldens marginalized communities to build the power and agency they need to drive long lasting transformation for health justice. If you can, please consider signing up to invest $10 a month to make enormous difference to our small, but might nonprofit.


Additional Information Threats to Nonprofits:









Resources for Nonprofits:


Call to Action:

The National Council of Nonprofits urges Congress to recognize and support the indispensable work done by nonprofits by ensuring any tax package advanced by Congress:

  1. Rejects increased taxes on foundation and other charitable nonprofits

  2. Rejects limits on charitable donations made by individuals and corporations

  3. Preserves and strengthens charitable tax incentives


 
 
 

Our Opportunity to be Bold, Brave & Visionary: A Message from Sara

Updated: Feb 14, 2025


This unprecedented time invites unprecedented innovation and opportunity. Embolden WI was built for this moment - built for deep and authentic community-led radical imagination & transformation.



This year marks my 21st year working in nonprofit management and advocacy. Over the past two decades, our journey as a small, scrappy nonprofit has been filled with some incredibly heartbreaking and immensely frustrating days. From the Act 10, to gerrymandering ala the 2010 midterm election, to the fall of Roe, to the harsh and persistent disparities starkly highlighted by the pandemic - this work has often been overwhelming, exhausting, and it's been really hard to get a win.


Yet on January 20, 2025, a seismic quake rocked our nonprofit community. The hardest work week of my entire career was the week of January 27th when our entire societal infrastructure was made uncertain, unstable, and extremely unsettling with Executive Order after Executive Order. Never before had I experienced the level of professional devastation, fear, anxiety, and paralysis than I did that week and unfortunately things have not gotten easier. I share this with you to let you know that I see you, I hear you, and I understand you. Our collective hearts are breaking and we are drowning in a tsunami of sweeping threats to our nonprofits, our scientific research and medical institutions, our charitable programs, and most importantly, our communities. So many of us are struggling to make sense of things and to figure out what can be done to stop this onslaught of threats. Please know that Embolden WI is here as a trusted partner and resource and we invite you to work with us to write the next chapter of our American history.


Our nonprofit has weathered many storms since 2004 - especially the COVID pandemic. While challenging, these tough times have only strengthened our resolve and resilience. Our staff, our program participants, and partners are ready to meet this moment. Embolden WI was built for this moment and we're ready to support deep and authentic community-led radical imagination and transformation. We will not shy away, we will not back down, we will not let one man deny our diversity and humanity with unlawful orders or lists of newly banned words. Yet we must recognize that by standing resolute, we risk losing critical federal funds that make our incredibly impactful initiatives like our Providers and Teens Communicating for Health (PATCH) program possible.


By making a donation of any size today, you can help us save, sustain, and strengthen the programs and initiatives that center lived experiences, amplify the voices of those we serve, build community power, and create the safe and supportive spaces that are paramount to our ability to convene, converse, collaborate, and coalesce. With your support, your investment, we can embolden communities across our state.


Please know how much we value, appreciate, and celebrate you. But none of us are super heroes and we all could use some grace and space to support our physical and mental health. These wise words from sociologist Jennifer Walter have been incredibly valuable to myself and many in our community of advocates:

  • Set boundaries: Pick 2-3 key issues you deeply care about and focus your attention there. You can't track everything - that's by design. Impact comes from sustained focus, not scattered awareness.

  • Use aggregators & experts: Find trusted analysts who do the heavy lifting of synthesis. Look for those explaining patterns, not just events.

  • Remember: Feeling overwhelmed is the point. When you recognize this, you regain some power. Take breaks. Process. This is a marathon.

  • Practice going slow: Wait 48hrs before reacting to new policies. The urgent clouds the important. Initial reporting often misses context

  • Build community: Share the cognitive load. Different people track different issues. Network intelligence beats individual overload. Remember: They want you scattered. Your focus is resistance.


In addition, here some warm Lines that Don't Call the Police from @Inclusive Therapists

  • Call Blackline: 1-800-604-5841 - Centers BIPOC, LGBTQ+ Black Femme Lens

  • Trans Lifeline: 1-877-565-8860 (US) - Run by & for Trans people. English & español

  • Wildflower Alliance Peer Support Line: 1-888-407-4515 - Trained peer supporters

  • Thrive Lifeline: 1-313-662-8209 - 24/7 Trans-led and operated

  • LGBT National Help Center: 1-888-843-4564

  • Strong Hearts Native Helpline: 1-844-762-8483 - 24/7 Centers Native Americans experience intimate partner or sexual violence


We have also compiled a list of trusted resources including immigration resources and about how to identify and reach out to your elected leaders. You can also find a copy of powerful reads that have informed, inspired, and instructed me throughout my career.


I also want to close by reminding you of the parable of the choir. This parable beholds that a choir can sing a beautiful note impossibly long because singers can individually drop out to breathe as necessary and the note goes on. This is how we get through this. We unite in this "choir" and support those who need to take a step back to catch their breath.


Thank you for standing with the nonprofit community and the communities we serve. Please keep your head and heart above water and lean on each other. I'm ready to sing with you.




Sara Finger

Embolden WI Executive Director

 
 
 

Inventory of Trusted Resources

Updated: Feb 7, 2025


Mental Health Support

Warm Lines that Don't Call the Police from @Inclusive Therapists

  • Call Blackline: 1-800-604-5841

    • Centers BIPOC, LGBTQ+ Black Femme Lens

  • Trans Lifeline: 1-877-565-8860 (US)

    • Run by & for Trans people. English & espanol

  • Wildflower Alliance Peer Support Line: 1-888-407-4515

    • Trained peer supporters

  • Thrive Lifeline: 1-313-662-8209

    • 24/7 Trans-led and operated

  • LGBT National Help Center: 1-888-843-4564

  • Strong Hearts Native Helpline: 1-844-762-8483

    • 24/7 Centers Native Americans experience intimate partner or sexual violence

Other Hotlines

  • 211 - all for Information & Community Resources

  • 988 - Call for Suicide Intervention and Crisis Support


Resources for Immigrants

  • National Partnership for New Americans

  • Centro Dane County Community Resource Page

  • Voces de la Frontera Facebook Page

  • Legal organizations that assist immigrants:

  • ACLU Know Your Rights

    • Unless ICE has a judicial warrant, you have the right to refuse a search

    • Whether you are a United States citizen or not, you have the following rights:

      • You have the right to remain silent.

        • If you wish to exercise that right, say so out loud.

        • ICE can use anything you say against you, so exercise your right to remain silent. Do not speak about your immigration status or why you are in the U.S. with anyone other than your attorney.

      • Do not sign anything! If you sign a document without first speaking with an attorney, you may be waiving an opportunity to remain in the U.S.

      • You have the right to refuse consent for searches of yourself, your vehicle, or your home by police or other law enforcement agencies, such as Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

        • Say, "I do not consent to searches."

      • You have the right to speak to an attorney before you answer any questions from law enforcement. 

        • Say, “I wish to remain silent until I speak to an attorney.”

      • If you are arrested by the police, you have the right to a government-appointed lawyer, and should ask for one immediately.

      • If you are detained by ICE, you have the right to hire a lawyer, but the government does not have to provide one for you. Ask for a list of free or low-cost alternatives.

      • If arrested by police, you have the right to a private phone call within a reasonable time of your arrest, and police may not listen to the call if it is made to a lawyer.

      • If you are detained by ICE, you have the right to call a lawyer or your family, and you have the right to be visited by a lawyer in detention. You have the right to have your attorney with you at any hearing before an immigration judge.

      • If you are not a U.S. citizen, you have the right to communicate with your home country’s consulate or to have an agent notify your consulate of your arrest.

      • Remember your immigration number (“A Number”) and share it with your family. This will help your family find you.

      • You have the right to a copy of all your immigration papers. Keep copies of all of your immigration documents with someone you trust.

      • Do not provide any false documents or information, as they may be used against you in a deportation proceeding.


Wellness Advice

Wise Words from Jennifer Walter

"As a sociologist, I need to tell you: Your overwhelm is the goal."

  1. Set boundaries: Pick 2-3 key issues you deeply care about and focus your attention there. You can't track everything - that's by design. Impact comes from sustained focus, not scattered awareness.

  2. Use aggregators & experts: Find trusted analysts who do the heavy lifting of synthesis. Look for those explaining patterns, not just events.

  3. Remember: Feeling overwhelmed is the point. When you recognize this, you regain some power. Take breaks. Process. This is a marathon.

  4. Practice going slow: Wait 48hrs before reacting to new policies. The urgent clouds the important. Initial reporting often misses context

  5. Build community: Share the cognitive load. Different people track different issues. Network intelligence beats individual overload. Remember: They want you scattered. Your focus is resistance.


Advocacy Resources

If we don't speak up, we can't be heard. Here are important numbers to save to your phone today:






Helpful Reads & Materials






 
 
 
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