Chicago Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Responds to Federal Threats Against Nonprofits
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
October 1, 2025
CONTACT:
Zindy Marquez
Chicago Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights
zmarquez@clccrul.org | 312.202.3657
Chicago Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Responds to Federal Threats Against Nonprofits
Chicago Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights unequivocally denounces the federal administration’s attacks on nonprofit and philanthropic organizations, including the recent presidential memorandum. Threats have come in the form of investigations, intimidation, risks to funding, spreading outright falsehoods, stoking fear and attempting to silence lawful organizations. These attacks and wrongful investigations are not about accountability or oversight but rather an assault on our first amendment rights including freedom of speech, freedom to organize, and freedom to give in alignment with your mission and values.
Nonprofits are the backbone of our communities and for generations have stepped in to fill the gaps where our government has fallen short. Nonprofits across the country are feeding and housing families, running after-school programs for children, protecting our democracy, and defending fundamental civil rights. Destabilizing the nonprofit sector will disproportionately impact low-income and working-class families and communities of color that rely on these services the most. These attacks also come at a time when this federal administration is cutting access to healthcare, to food assistance, and to federal funding for other critical social services.
“These actions by the federal government are illegal, and therefore a blatant abuse of power,” said Venu Gupta, Interim Executive Director with Chicago Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights. “Nonprofits that provide these critical resources, defend our democratic institutions, and uphold the rule of law are the frontline defenders of our American values. We must ask ourselves: Why is the federal government so afraid of democracy?”
This gross effort to silence and intimidate organizations the federal administration does not agree with is really an effort to consolidate power in the executive branch. Nonprofits who provide facts, analyze data, tell stories of unmet needs and hold our country to its Constitutional aspirations are the very essence of America itself. We cannot and will not allow the federal government’s autocratic actions to destroy the best America has to offer.
An attack on one organization is an attack on us all. Chicago Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights stands with our partners, the nonprofit sector, and the communities we serve in protecting our right to speak freely, to do our mission-driven work, and to fight for our democracy.
Together, we are united, we are resilient, and we will not be bullied into silence.
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Chicago Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights
Chicago Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights is a nonpartisan, nonprofit group of civil rights lawyers and advocates working to secure racial equity and economic opportunity for all. We provide legal representation through partnerships with the private bar, and we collaborate with grassroots organizations and other advocacy groups to implement community-based solutions that advance civil rights. For more information, visit www.clccrul.org or call (312) 630-9744.