There is a new kind of danger confronting the philanthropic sector as donors face new barriers to giving.

Previous Trends articles have explored the dangers nonprofits and the public might face due to the potential influence of tainted money (Moody & Pratt, 2020) and anonymous donors (Martin & Layton, 2024) on philanthropic work. A separate but related article published by the Johnson Center (Moody, 2022), which continues to garner attention, cataloged the different kinds of harm philanthropy can unwittingly inflict.

Yet we could not have anticipated the rise of a new danger to donors themselves, and the chilling effect that recent acts of political violence and executive orders could have on a wary sector.

A National Tradition of Associational Life

A vibrant and independent civil society — the network of organizations, associations, and community groups that are adjacent to the public sphere — has been a hallmark of U.S. society dating back to the 18th century. Organizations such as congregations, local sports leagues, food pantries, immigrant aid groups, and hospitals, as well as civic and mutual aid clubs, formed the basis of what Alexis de Tocqueville wrote about in Democracy in America when he said, “Americans of all ages, all stations of life, and all types of disposition are forever forming associations” (Tocqueville, 1838). Embedded in this idea is the value of plurality that undergirds the sector and our national credo.

While tactics to limit participation in civil society have been well documented and are increasing across the globe (Kleinfeld, 2024), donors continue to find and fund innovative ways to give. For example, donors are supporting public-private partnership efforts (Lam, 2023), a topic Martin explored in the 2021 Trend, “Philanthropy and Government Play Increasingly Overlapping Roles in the Public Sphere,” and making transformational “big bet” donations (Buteau et al, 2023). Data from Giving USA’s 2025 Annual Report (Giving USA Foundation, 2025) show that giving actually grew by 3.3% (when adjusting for inflation) in 2024 and that individual giving increased, making up two-thirds of all giving.

Read the full article about barriers to giving amidst political violence by Elizabeth J. Dale and Brenda Falk at Dorothy A. Johnson Center.