Public policy news and updates for the philanthropic sector

May 15, 2026

What's Happening This Week...

• Happening at the Council
• What We're Tracking in DC
• Additional Updates

Happening at the Council

Legal Basics for Community Foundations

Join the Council’s Legal team for Legal Basics for Community Foundations on June 3. This virtual webinar and workshop will provide attendees with an overview of the nonprofit sector, an introduction to the statutes, tax codes, and legal requirements for community foundations and the legal aspects of finance and administration.

GSB Survey Deadline Extended

The deadline to participate in the 2026 Grantmaker Salary and Benefits (GSB) Survey has been extended. The annual survey provides the sector with comprehensive data on staff composition and compensation from full and part time staff at foundations across the U.S. Participants in this year’s survey will receive a complimentary copy of the 2026 GSB Report and GSB Board Compensation Tables, as well as access to the Council’s Benchmark Central tool. The survey will close on May 28.

What We're Tracking in DC

Ways and Means Letters to Nonprofits

House Ways and Means Committee Chairman Jason Smith (R-MO) sent letters to the legal counsels at three nonprofit organizations accused of accepting money from allies of the Chinese Communist Party.

The letters said that the groups must comply with the committee’s requests for information and documents as stated in letters sent last fall and earlier this year, in which Chairman Smith also alleged that some of the organizations have allowed “foreign-influenced” funds to be distributed while acting as a fiscal sponsor. These letters build on the Ways and Means Committee’s hearings and investigations into the tax-exempt sector and alleged foreign influence in U.S. politics and policymaking.

Department of Justice Report on Anti-Christian Bias

Last month, the Department of Justice’s (DOJ) Task Force to Eradicate Anti-Christian Bias published a report alleging that several Biden Administration policies and enforcement actions reflected anti-Christian bias across federal agencies. The report claims that the Biden Administration unfairly enforced the Johnson Amendment against conservative or Christian nonprofits, including churches. It also cites 501(c)(3) determinations, Department of Education fines, and DOJ enforcement actions as areas of concern.

In response, the Task Force is implementing remedial actions across all 17 member agencies. The report does not explicitly say that the federal government will not enforce the Johnson Amendment; however, it does detail the joint consent decree the IRS filed in National Religious Broadcasters v. Long, in which the IRS argued that bona fide internal communications in a house of worship do not constitute political campaign intervention. This is aligned with other statements from the Trump Administration about the Johnson Amendment.

The Council strongly supports the Johnson Amendment, which helps maintain sector integrity and nonpartisanship. We continue to monitor rulemaking, legislation, and activities in the courts that could weaken this critical protection.

Additional Updates

• Earlier this week, the White House released a report detailing the President’s counterterrorism strategy. The report primarily focuses on foreign terrorist organizations, but it does also raise domestic threats driven by anti-American extremism. This represents a continuation of the rhetoric in National Security Presidential Memorandum 7 and other federal responses to what the administration sees as left-wing violent extremism.
• House Oversight Committee Chair James Comer (R-KY) announced the formation of the Taskforce on Defending Constitutional Rights and Exposing Institutional Abuses. The newly formed taskforce will be chaired by Rep. Brandon Gill (R-TX) and is set to focus on issues related to, “DEI policies, the abuse of immigration and social welfare programs, and efforts by foreign actors and dark money groups to suppress Americans’ free speech.”
• This week, Rep. Don Beyer (D-VA) and Sen. Kevin Cramer (R-ND) introduced the Charity Parity Act (H.R.8783/S.4511), which would allow individuals to make qualified charitable distributions from employee sponsored retirement plans, including 401ks and 403bs. Like the existing IRA charitable rollover, it would exclude contributions to donor-advised funds and supporting organizations.
• In a recent opinion, the Supreme Court reinforced that demands for private donor or member information can chill First Amendment associational rights by discouraging people from supporting or associating with organizations engaged in protected advocacy. Importantly, the Court rejected the argument that there was no injury simply because the subpoena was not self-executing or because the Attorney General later promised not to make the donor information public.
• Vice President J.D. Vance and the Task Force to Eliminate Fraud announced two new initiatives to investigate fraud and abuses in unemployment insurance programs and state level watchdog units for Medicaid fraud.
• Last month, House Judiciary Committee Chair Jim Jordan (R-OH) invited the Interim President and Chief Executive Officer of the Southern Poverty Law Center, Bryan Fair, to testify in front of the committee in a May 20 hearing. We’ll share an update in the next edition of Snapshot.
• Last week, the President’s Council to Assess the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) released its final report with 10 recommendations to lean out FEMA and shift disaster response towards a locally executed, state or tribally managed, and federally supported system. One recommendation specifically calls for a unified national partnership network with nonprofits and the private sector. Most of the recommendations require congressional action, so implementation is not imminent, but this report signals how FEMA and disaster response may operate in the future. The report is open for public comment until June 8.
• This week, House Administration Committee Chairman Bryan Steil (R-WI) introduced the House companion to the Preventing Foreign Interference in American Elections Act (H.R.8721/S.3129). This legislation would prohibit foreign donations from being used towards election related activities, including voter registration, Get Out the Vote initiatives, and state and local election administration.

Keep in Touch!

Please feel free to reach out to any of us on the Public Policy Team with comments or concerns, or to share an issue, article, event, or op-ed you would like to see covered in a future Washington Snapshot.

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