Defending our values and our organizations

Be brave and stick together

Photo: Heidi and I at a Balance Our Tax Code rally on the steps of the State Capitol in Olympia on March 17.

Last week, NPQ published a great article by Hildy Gottlieb title How Not to “Obey in Advance”—Actions for Resisting Authoritarianism. She references the work of Timothy Snyder, who argues that the slide toward authoritarianism is aided by people anticipating what a repressive government might want and ceding power even before they are asked or required to do so. This is happening in cases where nonprofits are removing DEI language from their websites even though it is not legally necessary, as confirmed by this Multi-State Guidance Concerning DEI Employment Initiative.

There is no doubt that this is a difficult time for progressive nonprofits. In the current climate, all boards need to be discussing their organizational core values and what risks they are willing to take on behalf of those values. As we are watching on the national stage with universities, institutions are being threatened with the loss of federal funding if they don’t agree to compromise academic freedom or their commitment to free speech. They are making different decisions about how to navigate difficult choices.

From our armchairs, it is easy to decry decisions that we don’t agree with. I am deeply saddened and disappointed to see these large institutions, who have more resources to fight back against the administration’s demands, caving to pressure rather than fight for their rights and funding in court. Having success with bullying tactics seems likely to embolden President Trump to place more illegal or immoral demands on more organizations.

I have more sympathy for the health clinics and social service providers who are having boardroom conversations about whether to scrub their websites of DEI language or change who they serve to preserve federal funding. When faced with the possibility of shutting down or disenfranchising a certain segment of their clients, some may calculate that it is better to suspend some services than risk all services. On Saturday, April 12, Planned Parenthood of Arizona (PPA) announced that it would pause gender-affirming care to avoid its Medicaid funding being withdrawn. In less than a week and with substantial public pressure, PPA has reversed its decision and is again serving trans patients.

I disagree with PPA’s original decision, and I am gravely concerned about the many trans people in Arizona and nationwide who are being denied affirming healthcare or face this possibility. At the same time, I recognize that in the bigger picture, PPA is not the enemy. They are the victim of pressure tactics that are despicable. Nonprofits that have commitments to social and racial justice, to affirming care for trans people, and to treating all people with dignity, need to band together and focus their combined attention on stopping the illegal withholding of federal grant and contract support.

I wrote the above late last week, but didn’t publish it right away as I have been thinking about how to better express my concerns. It’s complicated, and I don’t want readers to come away with the idea that I am supportive of the actions of organizations that are accommodating unjust demands. I’m so glad that PPA received a strong message that cutting off services for people who need it is unacceptable. I’m also very glad that Harvard is actively resisting the Trump administration’s attempts to control how it operates. This resistance will be a beacon for others.

I also want us to remember that other nonprofits who make different decisions from us when facing seemingly impossible choices are not the enemy. We need to call them in, not cancel them. Most importantly, we need to act as a unified front to challenge withholding of committed federal funds that we know support critical community services and continue to appeal to philanthropy to engage in this work as well as support needed programs that are being defunded by the federal government. As Gottlieb concludes, “Keeping your head down and obeying may feel safe in the short term, but when you pick your head back up, you will find that nothing is as it was and you are facing even more hardship. Making yourself small is rarely a strong long-term strategy.”

If your nonprofit is threatened with or has experienced loss of federal funds and/or pressure to shift your priorities in the current climate, it is vital that you speak out about your experience. Currently, the National Council of Nonprofits is collecting stories here. Tell your community what you are facing, as Business Impact Northwest has done here.