President Trump signed on September 25, 2025 a presidential memorandum, “Countering Domestic Terrorism and Organized Political Violence,” directing federal agencies to investigate, prosecute, and disrupt nonprofit organizations the Administration claims is supporting or funding domestic terrorism. With the memorandum, the Administration continues its targeted attack on nonprofits that oppose its priorities and ideology.

The memorandum was signed after months of escalating, dangerous rhetoric by the President and senior White House officials denigrating nonprofits, portraying them as “enemies” of the American people, and falsely accusing nonprofits of fueling radicalization and political violence without providing evidence of wrongdoing. The memorandum comes just days after the President signed an executive order designating Antifa as a “domestic terrorist organization,” despite former FBI Director Christopher Wray’s testimony during the first Trump Administration that Antifa “is not a group or organization. It’s a movement or an ideology.” Moreover, it was signed the same day as reports that the President directed the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) to launch a baseless criminal investigation into the Open Society Foundations, an unprecedented and direct assault on the nonprofit sector.

The National Council of Nonprofits condemns the presidential memorandum as an egregious, attempted abuse of power. NCN president and CEO Diane Yentel stated,

“This action… is a blatant attack on one of the core principles of our democracy, the freedom of speech. This rhetoric and action undermines the lifesaving work of millions of nonprofit staff and volunteers and puts them at risk.”

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