In an Age of Authoritarianism, Philanthropy Must Evolve its Relationship to Risk

Today, social justice work is taking place against a backdrop of emboldened white supremacy; climate crisis; economic volatility; and attacks on racial and gender justice, queer and transgender people, and immigrants. In addition, weaponization of the administrative state in the form of government investigations from agencies like DOGE, the Department of Justice, and the Equal Employment and Opportunity Commission are also on the rise in the United States—a hallmark of authoritarianism.  

As a result, the work of the entire social justice ecosystem is increasingly taking place in a heightened threat environment. All sectors of social justice work must prepare to meet the moment by exploring innovative new ways to continue their bold work in line with their values in the face of these threats.   

While these times may feel unprecedented, social justice movements in the United States and around the world have deep wisdom and experience working under government oppression and organized opposition. The darkest chapters of our history make clear that movements and people can organize, mobilize, and build long-term, durable power that can win critical battles that help people lead dignified, self-determined lives. The civil rights, reproductive and gender justice, and immigration justice movements—to name a few—all offer lessons on how to effectively organize in the face of escalating violence, legal attacks, and repression. We can take some solace in that many frontline social justice movements have experiential wisdom that will guide us now as we organize in the face of consolidated oppression. 

At the same time, we are expecting a full assault on our movements: increasing risk for organizations, funders, and people engaging in social justice work is a clear strategy of authoritarianism, designed to fracture and divide movements, freeze money, impair structures, suppress speech, and subvert movements’ power to organize.  

We also know that strategies of criminalization, investigation, and surveillance are first weaponized against historically marginalized communities, particularly BIPOC, LGBTQ, and women-led and serving organizations who are successfully building power. We are seeing this play out right now with alarming speed against groups organizing on behalf of Black liberation, queer and transgender liberation, immigrant rights, and Palestine solidarity, among others. 

Every sector of the movement ecosystem must ask itself how it will continue bold work in the face of increased threats. Philanthropy must equip our movements to manage the growing risk associated with social justice work, not shrink from it. Anticipatory obedience, fear, and risk-averse decision-making are not strategies. The social justice field must develop the capacity to pivot and innovate, use new structures, and engage in more work to adapt to anticipated tactics. All sectors must prepare to adapt, including funders.  

Philanthropy cannot and should not ignore risk. But standing up to authoritarian tactics requires both bravery and a willingness to take on reputational risk. The sector must also develop a clearer understanding of the upside of risk—not just a myopic focus on the downside. To navigate and win the battles ahead, philanthropy will need to see risk clearly, distinguish between reputational and legal risk, plan to defend bold legal action, and lean into its values. If we let fear lead to inaction or withdrawal of funding “risky” work, then we have already lost. We must manage risk strategically. If funders back away from those under attack or adopt conservative giving practices out of fear, then authoritarianism wins.  

Philanthropy’s Role in this Moment 

At New Left Accelerator (NLA), part of our work is to collaborate with the philanthropic sector to enhance its understanding of strategic risk management. This requires a deeper understanding of the environment in which social justice work takes place, consideration of the implication of new funding risk management practices on the field, and a commitment to make deeper, long-term investments in building the long-term operational capacity of the entire social justice ecosystem, including multi-entity structures, so that movements can continue doing bold work safely. Building off of learnings from our Unlocking Progressive Power Building report, below we offer five actions that donors and funders can take in this moment to explore risk and better resource social justice organizations, leaders, and movements: 

• Stand By Those Under Attack. Within the current threat environment, social justice work has fundamentally become more “risky.” As we collectively evolve our relationship to risk, philanthropy’s guiding north star must be continuing to fund and stand by grantees, particularly those who come under attack. Pulling funding away from groups who come under unfounded legal or regulatory scrutiny reinforces risk-averse decision-making and pulls much-needed resources away from the frontline organizations doing the boldest work.  
• Bolster Grantees’ Operational Capacity. While crisis and rapid response funding models are needed, one and done funding is not enough. For movements to win, philanthropy must invest in building and strengthening movements’ operational capacity to effectively manage risk. When the field has strong operational capacity, including legal, financial, and compliance infrastructure, the entire ecosystem—including funders—are better protected. Funders should prioritize flexible, multi-year grants and dedicated funding for legal and compliance work. These funds allow groups to hire operations staff, work with attorneys and accountants, build and maintain new systems, and engage in contingency planning and preventive organizational hardening work. 
• Fund Multi-Entity Work. Today, most of the most effective organizing groups use a mix of legal structures—501(c)(4)s, 501(c)(5)s, PAC, and for-profit entities, in addition to 501(c)(3)s—to build power and manage risk. If organizations lose their tax status or have their assets frozen, they need to be able to pivot their structures and to have contingency plans in place to continue critical work in the event they lose their structures or assets. Prevention and planning are the key to allowing movement organizations to pivot for the long fight. To meet this moment, philanthropy must be bolder in funding the full range of civic engagement work, while also exploring how to fund alternative tax and legal structures.  
• Fortify Shared Infrastructure and Operational Intermediaries. Philanthropy must be more intentional by making long-term investments in building and scaling our movements’ operational capacity. Shared operational infrastructure scales bold work, increases impact, centralizes risk, reduces costs, and allows organizations and ecosystems to pivot in response to crisis—a necessity in these volatile times. Projects like the Power & Protect Operations Network (PPON), which NLA helped to found, have a vision and a plan for how to fortify, strengthen, and reimagine our work, organizations, and ecosystems, and to create the permanent infrastructure our movements will need to continue the fight over the next few decades.  
• Tackle Risk Averse Culture Within Your Institutions. To meet this moment, we all must change the level of comfort we have with risk, both on an individual level and an institutional level. For philanthropy, this means evaluating and discussing institutional stances around risk and finding ways to update its risk management strategies to tie into its values. We encourage teams to ask and explore what is allowed and legal—not just what is “safest,”—to learn to distinguish between reputational risk and legal risk when making decisions, and to prepare to fight legal battles to defend movements and institutions.  

Like the field, philanthropy can develop actionable risk management plans that allow the sector to operate effectively within high-threat environments and prepare to fight rather than concede. Ultimately, we must all embrace the discomfort of this moment, find ways to push the boundaries of our risk tolerance to ensure fear is not our guide, and deepen the ways that the sector invests in and stands in solidarity to strengthen and defend frontline social justice organizations and movements.  

About the Author

Deborah Barron is a multi-entity executive director of New Left Accelerator, a 501(c)(4), and The Capacity Shop, a 501(c)(3), and the author of the report, Unlocking Progressive Power Building. She’s an organizer, a recovering attorney, and the proud mom of two children, a 9 and 11 year old.