Preparing for Politically Motivated Attacks: Protecting Funders and Grantees

Empower your grantees by understanding the rules of engagement. In our Philanthropy in Action spring series, Alliance for Justice helps funders navigate the legalities of nonpartisan advocacy to better support the frontline efforts of community organizations.

Nonprofits and funders are under siege. Politically motivated investigations, subpoenas, and public smear campaigns intimidate, silence, and dismantle organizations advancing crucial work. When the state comes knocking, the stakes are nothing less than your organization’s existence. In this session, attorneys from Bolder Advocacy will show how to recognize real threats, reduce legal risk, and fortify your organization and grantees before an attack threatens your operations. We will cover the rules for 501(c)(3) organizations, including lobbying and nonpartisan advocacy, and share practical strategies to strengthen communications, technology, and governance. Participants will leave empowered and confident that they can protect their organization and continue driving impact, even in a hostile environment. 

Attendees will: 

• Be able to identify politically motivated attacks: what they are, who they come from, common narratives, and when they have legal implications. 
• Understand the IRS rules that apply to 501(c)(3)s. 
• Learn how their organizations can protect themselves online through cybersecurity and social media best practices and how best to train and prepare staff and grantees. 
• Gain confidence to continue their crucial advocacy work. 

Speaker

Sarah Efthymiou

Senior Counsel, Alliance for Justice

Date and Time

June 3, 2026

2:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m. EDT

Event Pricing and Access

• Organization Members: $125 per session
• Consultant Members: $125 per session
• Individual Members: $200 per session
• Nonmembers: $200 per session

Participants can register for multiple sessions in the Philanthropy in Action series. Please register for each session individually.

Each standalone session is 2 hours of training and registrants will have access to the recorded session for one month post event.

Registrants will receive the Zoom information two days before the start of the session, as well as one hour before the session.