Trump on Nonprofits: 'Thugs and Sleazebags'

Welcome to the Chronicle of Philanthropy’s weekly newsletter highlighting stories and conversations from The Commons, our project exploring how philanthropy and nonprofits are working to close divides, repair the social fabric, and strengthen communities.

From senior editor Drew Lindsay: When President-elect Donald Trump talks about nonprofits and philanthropy, it doesn’t always make headlines. But here’s one of his posts from Truth Social: “How do so-called ‘non-profits’ get away with spending all of their time and money on ‘getting Donald Trump.’ That’s not the deal. We are watching these thugs and sleazebags closely!”

It’s not just his political opponents who draw such threats, warns Mike Berkowitz , executive director of the Democracy Funders Network. Berkowitz writes in an opinion piece for The Commons this week that the Trump administration — borrowing tactics from autocrats abroad — will wield its megaphone and regulatory and legislative power to try to silence a host of nonprofits, advocates, and donors who challenge him or his policies.?

American civil society is “in its most vulnerable position in a generation,” he says.

What’s to be done? Read Berkowitz’s essay for a plan on how nonprofits and philanthropy can prepare.

COMING MONDAY! A Philanthropy Leader’s Journey Toward Racial Healing

La June Montgomery Tabron, CEO of the W.K. Kellogg Foundation , joins The Commons in Conversation next week to talk about racial healing in America and her personal journey from encountering racism as a child in Detroit to leading one of the country’s largest grant makers.

Montgomery Tabron, Kellogg’s first female and first Black chief executive, is the author of two books that will be released next week: How We Heal, a personal reflection on how to move beyond call-out culture, and Our Differences Make Us Stronger, a children’s book about? community building. She’ll speak with Chronicle of Philanthropy CEO Stacy Palmer next Monday, January 13, at 12:30 p.m. ET.

?? Join the conversation! The event is free on LinkedIn. ?? Registration is required.

Of the Moment

News and other noteworthy items:

• In the New York Times, Republican pollster and CNN contributor Kristen Soltis Anderson writes that her survey data and the election results point to shrinking divides along political, gender, and racial lines: “We have thought of ourselves as so divided for so long, might there be some upside to starting the new year knowing we aren’t quite as polarized as we thought and that people with whom we assumed we had nothing in common also believe our institutions must do better?”
• On this week’s anniversary of the January 6 Capitol attack, the research group More in Common assessed trust in elections four years later. “Republicans are more likely than Democrats or Independents to trust the 2024 election was run fairly and securely but less likely to trust elected officials or the risk of fraud,” it concluded. Still, the analysis on Substack also suggested that many Americans found support for opposing candidates “simply unbelievable.” In More in Common’s post-election poll, 82 percent of Democrats felt that they “could not understand how someone would vote for Donald Trump,” while 72 percent of Republicans felt the same about Kamala Harris.?
• The The Aspen Institute 's Civil Society Fellowship has created a tool kit to help individuals and organizations hold town hall meetings where important issues are discussed by people across differences.“A Guide to Hosting Your Own Civil Society Town Hall” offers tips on the physical setup of your space, choosing “anchors” to moderate conversation, and picking topics.