To assist in staying up to date on these sweeping changes, we’ve curated a resource page with the expectation of ongoing updates. Please follow us on our public policy listserv and sign up for our newsletter. We commit to keeping you informed and providing space to connect and organize.

Story Form: Impact of Executive Orders / Federal Budget on Nonprofits in Illinois

Share Stories of Impact to Help Inform Policymakers and Funders:  Nonprofits across Illinois are invited to submit data and stories about how recent federal funding cuts, contractual changes, layoffs, and/or executive orders are impact your organization and the people you serve. Grantmakers, federal contractors, and others may complete this form on a rolling basis (there is no deadline). Please share widely; Forefront membership is not required. We will use the stories and data collected here to inform policymakers on both sides of the aisle about what’s happening in their districts, and also to help advise funders about what operating nonprofits need most at this time.

Submit your story here.

Information Concerning Executive Orders

Key resources:

  • All White House Executive Orders – Read here. 
  • Litigation Tracker – View here.
  • Congressional Black Caucus Foundation Executive Order Tracker – View here.
  • National Council of Nonprofits (NCN) – Impacts of the Recent Executive Orders on Nonprofits – Read here.
  • NCN Executive Order Tracker – Read here.
  • Akin Gump Executive Order Tracker – Read here.
  • Project 2025 Tracker – View here. 
  • U.S. Senate Committee of Appropriations Blocked or Cancelled Funding Tracker – View here.
  • United Philanthropy Forum Executive Order Resource Page – View here.
  • Tax Package Fact Sheet (Webpage & PDF), from United Philanthropy Forum – View here.

Events and Webinars

Friday Morning Weekly Forefront Member Briefings – Register here. | View Briefing Notes

 

Recordings of Past Webinars

 

3/31/25: FY26 Illinois State Budget and Revenue Conversation – View recording and slides.

3/17/25: National Council of Nonprofits, The Legal Landscape and Path Ahead for Nonprofits and Philanthropy – View recording and slides.

2/7/25: National Council of Nonprofits, Executive Orders and Their Impact on Charitable Nonprofits – Recording | Slide Deck

Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE)

DOGE Tracker –  View here. 

DOGE Watch – View here.

Legal Resources

Multi-State Guidance Concerning Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Accessibility Employment Initiatives – Read here.

Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law – Investing in Racial Equity Through Charitable Grants and Services: Read Here

Illinois Attorney General Guidance for Higher Education and K-12 Schools – Read here.

Othering and Belonging Institute Racial Equity Legal Guidance – Read here.

Nonprofit Quarterly Nonprofit Legal Compliance in an Unfriendly Political Environment – Read here.

American Bar Association Free Legal Answers: Read Here

Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Accessibility (DEIA)

An invitation to apply for the Racial Equity Advancement and Defense Initiative (READI) Legal Support Fund grant. Learn more and apply here.  

Trump’s Executive Orders on Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Explained – Read here.

Department of Education Announcement About University Investigations – Read here.

Morgan Lewis,  EEOC and DOJ Issue Guidance on Discrimination Related to DEI – Read here.

Meltzer Center for Diversity, Inclusion and Belonging Distribution of DEI Cases Across the U.S. – View here.

The Racial Equity Advancement and Defense Initiative: Read Here

Havard Business Review  The Legal Landscape Around DEI Is Shifting. Your Messaging Should, Too: Read Here

Legal challenges to DEI Order: Read here and here.

DOE issued Dear Colleague Letter on 2/14: Read Here

Advancing Racial Equity – Legal Guidance for Advocates (UC Berkeley): Read Here

Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law – Investing in Racial Equity Through Charitable Grants and Services: Read Here

‘Illegal DEI’ Still Undefined in New EEOC, DOJ Guidance: Compliance Considerations for Employers (Jackson Lewis): Read Here.

New EEOC Guidance Advises on Acceptable Workplace DEI Practices (Harris Beach Murtha): Read Here.

Defining ‘DEI-Related Discrimination’: Recent Moves by the EEOC Shed Further Light on the Trump Administration’s DEI Focus (Venable LLC): Read Here.

EEOC and DOJ Clarify the Federal Government’s Enforcement Priorities as to DEI-Related Workplace Discrimination (K&L Gates): Read Here.

Navigating the DEI Landscape: Insights from HR Professionals (Minnesota Compass): Read Here

Resources for Nonprofits

Nonprofit Toolkit: Resources for organizations facing government investigations. Read here. 

Powerful new AI Hub for Nonprofits – Developed by your colleagues at Maryland Nonprofits in collaboration with NTEN, nonprofits now have a trusted and reliable AI Hub to turn to for responsible and ethical AI adoption. Read here.

Cybersecurity for Nonprofits Resource Hub | Nonprofit Technology Enterprise Network – Read here.

How Would SNAP Benefit Cuts Affect Your Community? – Read here. 

Administrative Advocacy: Influencing Rules, Regulations, and Executive Orders – Read here.

How Nonprofits Can Fight Back Against Trumps Harmful Executive Oreders – Read here.

How Executive Orders Work – Read here.

What is an Executive Order – Read here.

How to Lead Through a Crisis – Read here.

Building Organizations That Bend But Don’t Break – Read here.

Leadership Conference DEI Messaging Guide: Read here.

IL Medicaid Enrollment by Congressional District: Read here. | IL Medicaid Enrollment by State Legislative District: Read here.

A Nonprofit Checklist: What to do when your federal grant or contract is terminated | National Council of Nonprofits: Read here.

A Nonprofit Checklist: Conducting a Risk Assessment for Federal Funding | National Council of Nonprofits: Read here.

Protecting Nonprofits in Tax Reconciliation | National Council of Nonprofits: Read here.

Resources for Philanthropy

Nonprofit Toolkit: Resources for organizations facing government investigations. Read here. 

Exponent Philanthropy Philanthropy’s Responsibility Persists. Read here.

The Center for Effective Philanthropy: How Funders Can Respond to an Unprecedented Threat to Nonprofits. Read here.

The Center for Effective Philanthropy Report: Challenging Times: How U.S. Nonprofit Leaders Are Experiencing the Political Context. Read here.

It’s Already Happening: Unpacking the Authoritarian Threat to U.S. Philanthropy. Read here.

In Defense of Movements Project – An investment roadmap for funders seeking to defend justice movements from political prosecution. Read here.

Funder Pledge for the Safety & Security of Movements (Read here), from Funders for Justice.

What Boards and Executives Need to Know About Community Foundations (Council of Michigan Foundations) Read here.

What Boards and Executives Need to Know About Private Foundations (Council of Michigan Foundations) Read here.

What Boards and Executives Need to Know About Tipping and the Public Support Test (Council of Michigan Foundations) Read here.

Political Activity for Foundations, Staff and Leadership: Legal Limits and Institutional Considerations (Council of Michigan Foundations) Read here.

A Fact Sheet for Philanthropy-Infrastructure Organizations & Foundations (United Philanthropy Forum) Read here.

Nonprofit Cash Runway without Government Grants (Candid Interactive Platform) Read here.

Understanding Proposed Tax Changes for U.S. Private Foundations (United Philanthropy Forum) Read here.

Advocacy Framework: United Philanthropy Forum’s strategic guide to help shape outreach and engagement. Read here.

Core Messaging Framework: Key messages and talking points for foundations to ensure consistent and impactful communication. (United Philanthropy Forum) Read here.

Risk Assessment Guidance: Tools to help assess and articulate the potential risks associated with the proposed changes (United Philanthropy Forum)  Read here.

Know Your Rights Primer: Essential information for navigating advocacy and engagement (United Philanthropy Forum) Read here.

Communication

Communications Guide, National Council of Nonprofits

Scenario Planning

A Nonprofit Checklist: Conducting a Risk Assessment for Federal Funding: This easy-to-use tool helps nonprofits assess their exposure to risks tied to federal funding streams and plan accordingly. It’s a critical tool for strategic scenario planning. Read here.

Nonprofit Survival Strategies (Candid) Read here.

Three Types of Capital NPOs Need (Candid) Read here.

Nonprofit Scenario Planning (The Bridgespan Group) 
Guide to build scenario plans to successfully navigate uncertainty of local, national, or even global events.  Read here.

Emergency Succession Plan Template (Propel Nonprofits) 
Craft an emergency response plan should your Executive Director become ill or temporarily unable to perform their duties. Read here.

True Business Planning for Nonprofit (Nonprofit Financial Commons) 
(Video) The distinction between business planning, financial planning, and strategic planning; how to present risks to board members; frameworks to analyze your model and explain to stakeholders. View here.

Resiliency Tactics During Financial Crisis: The Nonprofit Resiliency Framework (Wiley) 
A research study establishing the Nonprofit Resiliency Framework mapping tactics in five areas: financial, human resources, outreach, program and services, and management and leadership. Read here.

Risk Assessment Template (Tangelo Tree Consulting) 
Identify risks; rate likelihood of occurrence; rate potential impact; identity top risks for further discussion; plan to mitigate risk.  Read here.

How to Simplify and Streamline During a Crisis. Read here. 

 

Financial Modeling

Finance Fundamentals for Nonprofits (Nonprofit Finance Fund) 
A collection of tools and resources to help you navigate change and opportunity.  Read here. 

Navigating Through Times of Financial Crisis (Nonprofit Finance Fund) 
Assess your nonprofit’s potential financial risks and create a plan to respond to them.  Read here.

What to Watch and Do as Your Nonprofit Enters a Chaotic 2025 (Nonprofit Financial Commons) 
(Video) Nonprofit leaders and experts examine key financial trends that nonprofits need to navigate an uncertain landscape. View here. 

Scenario Budget Planning Template (Propel Nonprofits) 
Think through different possibilities and consider the impact on your programs and organization. Read here. 

Cash Flow Management (Propel Nonprofits) 
Management strategies to help your nonprofit prevent cash flow shortages. Read here.

Cash Flow Template (Propel Nonprofits) 
Template to help you understand the ebbs and flows of your cash. Read here.

Cash Flow Management: A Tactical Review for Nonprofits of All Sizes (Nonprofit Financial Commons) 
(Video) Tools to use for projections and forecasts, and tactics to manage cash after you have identified a potential problem.  View here.

How to Prepare: An Update on the Federal Funding Freeze (Abdo) 
Proactive steps to mitigate financial distress. Read here.

Cash Flow Considerations: Federal Funding Pause (CLA) 
The most urgent need for many organizations — particularly for those with tight balance sheets and reliance on timely federal grant reimbursements — is cash flow. Read here.

Federal Funding Freeze Memo Withdrawn: What to do now? (CLA) 
Proactive financial steps to consider as questions linger. Read here.

Understanding Nonprofit Markets (Nonprofit Financial Commons) 
Framework through which leaders can segment the market, develop a shared understanding of relevant forces, and prioritize the most pressing market-based challenges they face. Read here.

Do You Have the “Right Revenue?” (Spectrum Nonprofit Services) 
Explore “right” revenue as a way of analyzing and deepening your understanding of the connection between financial resources and mission impact.  Read here.

12 Urgent Financial Action Steps for Nonprofits: A 2025 Checklist This article is intended to help nonprofit organizations take on the first phase of  what is likely to be an extended period of financial uncertainty. Read here.

What Is the Financial Risk of Nonprofits Losing Government Grants? (Urban Institute). Read here. 

Board Support & Oversight 

Governing in a Time of Crisis (Propel Nonprofits) 10 actions for boards. Read here.

Revisiting the Financial Oversight Role of Nonprofit Boards (Nonprofit Financial Commons) (Video) The real financial governance challenges of nonprofit boards and how they can function more effectively through redirecting efforts and redefining duties. View here.

Beyond Financial Oversight: Expanding the Board’s Role in the Pursuit of Sustainability (Nonprofit Quarterly)  This article stresses that sustainability and engagement with the work is essential for nonprofit boards as they approach the future. Read here.

The Board’s Financial Leadership (Nonprofit Financial Commons) 
(Video) Recorded webinar to help nonprofit boards understand their fiscal leadership, including fiduciary duties, committees, audit, legal forms, and internal controls. View here.

Boards in Times of Adaptation (Propel Nonprofits) (Video) Recorded webinar.  View here.

Data and Evaluation

Census and Survey Data (IPUMS) With many federal data sources being removed, find census and American Community Survey microdata. Read here.

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