Conservative Philanthropy CEO Speaks Out Against Efforts to Go After Left-Leaning Nonprofits

Recent weeks have brought an increased amount of rhetoric–and some concrete steps–suggesting the federal government may target nonprofits perceived as liberal. At least one prominent conservative voice from philanthropy opposes the efforts. An article in The Free Press begins:

The leader of one of the country’s most influential right-leaning nonprofits said that he has cautioned White House officials against pursuing investigations of liberal philanthropic groups without clear evidence of legal wrongdoing.

Lawson Bader, the president and CEO of DonorsTrust, told The Free Press that the stream of retaliatory rhetoric since Charlie Kirk’s assassination “has the potential to weaponize philanthropy in a way that is antithetical to philanthropic freedom.” Anyone who threatens the nonprofit status of law-abiding organizations “narrows the important boundary between citizen and state,” Bader said.